Meaning
The sphere of spheres; the outermost, ninth heaven of the old cosmology, the Primum Mobile.
Literally: sphere of spheres
See it in the verse
Falak-ul-aflak in Iqbal’s couplets
Aflak se hai is ki hareefana kashakash
Khaki hai magar khak se azad hai momin
Khaki hai magar khak se azad hai momin
His struggle is a rivalry with the very heavens; made of dust, yet the man of faith is free of the dust.
Aspiration · Selfhood · Freedom
Khol aankh, zameen dekh, falak dekh, fiza dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Open your eyes — look at the earth, the sky, the open air; just look at the sun rising in the east.
Awakening · Hope
Khudi ka nasheman tere dil mein hai
Falak jis tarah aankh ke til mein hai
Falak jis tarah aankh ke til mein hai
The nest of your selfhood is inside your own heart — the way the whole sky lives inside the pupil of an eye.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
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
Napaid tere bahr-e-takhayyul ke kinare
Pahunchenge falak tak teri aahon ke sharare
Pahunchenge falak tak teri aahon ke sharare
The shores of your sea of imagination are nowhere to be found; the sparks of your longing will reach all the way to the sky.
Aspiration · Restlessness · Hope
Sitara kya meri taqdir ki khabar dega
Wo khud farakhi-e-aflak mein hai khwar o zubun
Wo khud farakhi-e-aflak mein hai khwar o zubun
What can a star tell me of my destiny? It is itself helpless and lowly in the vast reach of the skies.
Selfhood · Freedom · Courage