Meaning
To harm one's own interests through folly.
Literally: to strike an axe on one's own foot
See it in the verse
Apne pair par kulhaadi maarna in Iqbal’s couplets
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Dive into your own self and find the trace of life. If you will not be mine, then do not — but at least become your own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Dhoondne wala sitaron ki guzargahon ka
Apne afkaar ki duniya mein safar kar na saka
Apne afkaar ki duniya mein safar kar na saka
He who charts the very pathways of the stars could not journey through the world of his own thoughts.
Self-Knowledge · Selfhood
Bante hain meri kaargah-e-fikr mein anjum
Le apne muqaddar ke sitare ko tu pehchan
Le apne muqaddar ke sitare ko tu pehchan
Stars are forged in the workshop of my thought — so come, recognise the star of your own destiny.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Action
Dhundta phirta hun ae Iqbal apne aap ko
Aap hi goya musafir aap hi manzil hun main
Aap hi goya musafir aap hi manzil hun main
I wander about searching for myself, O Iqbal — I am, it seems, at once the traveller and the destination.
Self-Knowledge · Selfhood
Mohabbat hi se payi hai shifa beemar qaumon ne
Kiya hai apne bakht-e-khufta ko bedar qaumon ne
Kiya hai apne bakht-e-khufta ko bedar qaumon ne
It is by love that ailing peoples have found their cure — by love that peoples have woken their sleeping fortune.
Love · Unity · Hope
Dhoondta phirta hoon main Iqbal apne aap ko
Aap hi goya musafir aap hi manzil hoon main
Aap hi goya musafir aap hi manzil hoon main
I wander about, Iqbal, searching for my own self — as if I am at once the traveller and the destination.
Self-Knowledge · Restlessness · Selfhood