Meaning
Certainty attained by direct vision, the second and higher grade of certainty.
Literally: the eye of certainty
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal prizes the certainty of vision over hearsay, the self that sees the truth for itself rather than receiving it secondhand.
See it in the verse
Ain-ul-Yaqin in Iqbal’s couplets
Aaeen-e-naw se darna, tarz-e-kuhan pe arna
Manzil yahi kathin hai qaumon ki zindagi mein
Manzil yahi kathin hai qaumon ki zindagi mein
To fear the new order, and to dig in stubbornly on the old way — this is the hardest pass in the life of a people.
Awakening · Courage
Yaqeen muhkam, amal paiham, mohabbat fateh-e-aalam
Jihad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheeren
Jihad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheeren
Firm conviction, ceaseless action, and a love that conquers the world — these are the swords of the brave in the struggle of life.
Action · Love · Courage
Yaqeen afrad ka sarmaya-e-tameer-e-millat hai
Yahi quvvat hai jo surat-gar-e-taqdeer-e-millat hai
Yahi quvvat hai jo surat-gar-e-taqdeer-e-millat hai
The conviction of individuals is the capital that builds a community — this is the very force that sculpts a people's destiny.
Unity · Selfhood · Leadership
Yaqeen paida kar ai nadan yaqeen se haath aati hai
Wo darveshi ki jis ke samne jhukti hai faghfoori
Wo darveshi ki jis ke samne jhukti hai faghfoori
Cultivate conviction, O foolish one — for it is conviction that wins you the dervish's freedom, the kind before which even imperial majesty bows.
Courage · Selfhood · Freedom
Ghulami mein na kaam aati hain shamsheerein na tadbeerein
Jo ho zauq-e-yaqeen paida to kat jaati hain zanjeerein
Jo ho zauq-e-yaqeen paida to kat jaati hain zanjeerein
In bondage, neither swords nor clever schemes are of any use — but once a relish for conviction is born, the chains themselves fall away.
Freedom · Courage · Awakening
Aaeen-e-jawan-mardan haq-goi-o-be-baaki
Allah ke sheron ko aati nahin rubaahi
Allah ke sheron ko aati nahin rubaahi
The code of the brave is to speak the truth and to be fearless — the lions of God do not know the ways of the fox.
Courage · Justice · Selfhood