Meaning
An enemy, adversary.
How Iqbal uses it
In Tarana-e-Hindi the very turning of the age has been the people's dushman for centuries, yet their being refuses to be wiped out, casting endurance as the answer to a hostile epoch.
See it in the verse
Dushman in Iqbal’s couplets
Kuchh baat hai ki hasti mitti nahin hamari
Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara
Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara
There is something in us that our existence will not be erased — though for centuries the turning of the age has been our enemy.
Adversity · Hope · Unity
Kuch baat hai ki hasti mitti nahin hamari
Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara
Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara
There is something about us that refuses to be erased — for centuries the turning of the age itself has been our enemy.
Hope · Adversity · Self-Knowledge