Meaning
The last breath; the final moment of life.
See it in the verse
Dam-e-Aakhir in Iqbal’s couplets
Tere seene mein dam hai, dil nahin hai
Tera dam garmi-e-mahfil nahin hai
Tera dam garmi-e-mahfil nahin hai
There is breath in your chest, but no heart. Your breath carries none of the warmth that lights up a gathering.
Awakening · Selfhood · Love
Aaya hai tu jahan mein misal-e-sharar dekh
Dam de na jaye hasti-na-paayedar dekh
Dam de na jaye hasti-na-paayedar dekh
You have come into the world like a spark — see that this fleeting existence does not slip away from you.
Action · Awakening · Aspiration
Ahval-e-mohabbat mein kuch farq nahin aisa
Soz o tab-o-taab avval soz o tab-o-taab aakhir
Soz o tab-o-taab avval soz o tab-o-taab aakhir
In the states of love there is no real difference — the same burning and restless glow at the start, the same burning and restless glow at the end.
Love · Restlessness · Self-Knowledge
Zindagi insaan ki ik dam ke siva kuch bhi nahin
Dam hawa ki mauj hai ram ke siva kuch bhi nahin
Dam hawa ki mauj hai ram ke siva kuch bhi nahin
A human life is nothing more than a single breath — and that breath is a wave of air, nothing but a fleeting movement.
Humility · Awakening · Action
Aflaak se aata hai naalon ka javaab aakhir
Karte hain khitaab aakhir uThte hain hijaab aakhir
Karte hain khitaab aakhir uThte hain hijaab aakhir
At last the skies answer the cries that rise to them; at last the veils lift and the silence breaks into speech.
Hope · Action · Aspiration
Main tujh ko batata hun taqdir-e-umam kya hai
Shamsheer-o-sinan avval taaus-o-rubab aakhir
Shamsheer-o-sinan avval taaus-o-rubab aakhir
Let me tell you the fate of nations: the sword and the spear come first, the peacock and the lute come last.
Action · Adversity · Leadership