Meaning
The sky, the heavens.
How Iqbal uses it
The sky is a recurring frontier in Iqbal, not a fixed ceiling but a height the daring ego is summoned to break through and surpass.
See it in the verse
Asmaan in Iqbal’s couplets
Tu shaheen hai parwaz hai kaam tera
Tere saamne aasman aur bhi hain
Tere saamne aasman aur bhi hain
You are a falcon — flight is your work. There are still more skies in front of you.
The Falcon · Aspiration · Restlessness
Na tu zameen ke liye hai na aasman ke liye
Jahan hai tere liye tu nahin jahan ke liye
Jahan hai tere liye tu nahin jahan ke liye
You are not made for the earth, nor for the sky — the world is made for you, you are not made for the world.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Freedom
Baatil se dabne wale ai aasman nahin ham
Sau baar kar chuka hai tu imtihan hamara
Sau baar kar chuka hai tu imtihan hamara
We are not the kind to be crushed by falsehood, O sky; a hundred times already you have tested us.
Courage · Adversity
Agar kaj-rau hain anjum aasman tera hai ya mera
Mujhe fikr-e-jahan kyun ho jahan tera hai ya mera
Mujhe fikr-e-jahan kyun ho jahan tera hai ya mera
If the stars run crooked, is the sky yours or mine? Why should I fret over the world, when the world is yours and not my charge.
Selfhood · Freedom · Courage
Ai himala ai fasil-e-kishwar-e-hindustan
Chumta hai teri peshani ko jhuk kar aasman
Chumta hai teri peshani ko jhuk kar aasman
O Himalaya, O rampart of the land of India, the sky bends down to kiss your brow.
Humility · Self-Knowledge