Persian · phrase · Time, Fate & the Cosmos
Aaina-e-Jahan
आईना-ए-जहाँ
said aa-ee-na-e-ja-haan
also written: aaina e jahan, aainae jahan, aina-e-jahan
Meaning
The mirror of the world; the world as a glass reflecting its Maker, or the all-revealing mirror.
Literally: aaina (mirror) + jahan (world)
See it in the verse
Aaina-e-Jahan in Iqbal’s couplets
Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Beyond the stars there are worlds yet — there are still more trials of love to come.
Aspiration · Love · Restlessness
Parwaz hai dono ki isi ek faza mein
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Both take flight in this very same sky — yet the vulture's world is one thing, and the falcon's another.
The Falcon · Self-Knowledge
Jahan-e-taza ki afkar-e-taza se hai numood
Ki sang-o-khisht se hote nahin jahan paida
Ki sang-o-khisht se hote nahin jahan paida
A new world comes into being from new thoughts — for worlds are not built out of stone and brick.
Action · Aspiration · Awakening
Yunan-o-Misr-o-Roma sab mit gaye jahan se
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Greece, Egypt and Rome have all been erased from the world — yet our name and our mark still remain.
Hope · Unity
Khatar-pasand tabiyat ko saazgar nahin
Wo gulsitan ki jahan ghaat mein na ho sayyad
Wo gulsitan ki jahan ghaat mein na ho sayyad
A nature that loves danger finds no comfort in a garden where no hunter lies in wait.
Courage · Restlessness · Adversity
Tu bacha bacha ke na rakh ise tera aaina hai wo aaina
ke shikasta ho to aziz-tar hai nigah-e-aaina-saaz mein
ke shikasta ho to aziz-tar hai nigah-e-aaina-saaz mein
Do not keep your mirror anxiously protected — yours is the kind of mirror that, even when shattered, is dearer in the eyes of its maker.
Courage · Selfhood · Adversity