Meaning
The First Intellect, the first emanation from God in Neoplatonic-Islamic cosmology.
Literally: the First Intellect
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal engages the philosophers' First Intellect while critiquing a static emanationism that he felt drained the cosmos of creative dynamism.
See it in the verse
Aql-e-Awwal in Iqbal’s couplets
Aql-o-dil-o-nigah ka murshid-e-awwaleen hai ishq
Ishq na ho to shar-o-deen butkada-e-tasavvurat
Ishq na ho to shar-o-deen butkada-e-tasavvurat
Love is the first teacher of intellect, heart and sight. Without love, even law and faith become only a temple of empty ideas.
Love · Self-Knowledge
Guzar ja aql se aage ki ye noor
Charagh-e-raah hai, manzil nahin hai
Charagh-e-raah hai, manzil nahin hai
Move on past the intellect — for this light is a lamp for the road, not the destination itself.
Self-Knowledge · Aspiration · Love
Aql ko tanqeed se fursat nahin
Ishq par aamaal ki buniyaad rakh
Ishq par aamaal ki buniyaad rakh
Reason never finds a free moment away from criticism — so build your deeds on the foundation of love.
Action · Love
Be-khatar kud pada aatish-e-Nimrood mein ishq
Aql hai mahv-e-tamasha-e-lab-e-baam abhi
Aql hai mahv-e-tamasha-e-lab-e-baam abhi
Love leapt fearlessly into the fire — while reason still stood on the rooftop's edge, lost in watching the spectacle.
Courage · Love · Action
Achchha hai dil ke saath rahe pasban-e-aql
Lekin kabhi kabhi ise tanha bhi chhod de
Lekin kabhi kabhi ise tanha bhi chhod de
It is good that reason stands guard alongside the heart — but now and then, leave the heart on its own.
Love · Self-Knowledge · Courage
Ye aql o dil hain sharar shola-e-mohabbat ke
Wo khar-o-khas ke liye hai ye nistan ke liye
Wo khar-o-khas ke liye hai ye nistan ke liye
Both intellect and heart are sparks of the flame of love — one is meant for thorns and straw, the other for a whole reed-bed.
Love · Self-Knowledge · Action