Meaning
People of intellect; the rational and wise.
Literally: people of reason
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal often sets the people of reason against the people of love-madness.
See it in the verse
Ahl-e-Khirad in Iqbal’s couplets
Khirad ke paas khabar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Tera ilaj nazar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Tera ilaj nazar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Reason has nothing to offer but information; your cure lies in nothing but vision.
Self-Knowledge · Awakening
Gesu-e-tabdar ko aur bhi tabdar kar
Hosh-o-khirad shikar kar qalb-o-nazar shikar kar
Hosh-o-khirad shikar kar qalb-o-nazar shikar kar
Make the radiant tresses more radiant still — capture sense and reason, hunt down the heart and the eye.
Love · Aspiration · Restlessness
Khirad ko ghulami se azad kar
Jawanon ko peeron ka ustad kar
Jawanon ko peeron ka ustad kar
Free the intellect from slavery; make the young the teachers of the old.
Youth · Freedom · Awakening
Khirad-mandon se kya poochun ki meri ibtida kya hai
Ki main is fikr mein rahta hoon, meri inteha kya hai
Ki main is fikr mein rahta hoon, meri inteha kya hai
Why should I ask the wise where I began? The question that occupies me is: what is the end I am headed toward?
Self-Knowledge · Aspiration · Selfhood
Hai Ram ke vajood pe Hindostan ko naaz
Ahl-e-nazar samajhte hain us ko imam-e-Hind
Ahl-e-nazar samajhte hain us ko imam-e-Hind
India takes pride in the very existence of Ram; those of discerning sight regard him as the spiritual leader of India.
Unity
Khirad ke pas khabar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Tera ilaj nazar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Tera ilaj nazar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Reason holds nothing but information; your true cure is nothing but vision.
Self-Knowledge · Awakening