Persian · noun · Nation, Faith & Society
Firang / Maghrib
फ़िरंग / मग़रिब
said fi-RANG
also written: maghrib, firangi
Meaning
The West, Europe — literally “the Franks.”
How Iqbal uses it
Admired and condemned at once. Iqbal prized the West's science and energy and damned its godless materialism and rule-by-machine. “Take no favour from the glassmakers of the West — make your cup and wine from the clay of India.”
See it in the verse
Firang / Maghrib in Iqbal’s couplets
Utha na sheeshagaran-e-farang ke ehsaan
Sifaal-e-Hind se meena o jaam paida kar
Sifaal-e-Hind se meena o jaam paida kar
Do not accept the favours of the West's glassmakers — from the humble clay of India, fashion your own goblet and cup.
Selfhood · Freedom · Action
Bahut dekhe hain maine mashriq-o-maghrib ke maikhane
Yahan saaqi nahin paida, wahan be-zauq hai sahba
Yahan saaqi nahin paida, wahan be-zauq hai sahba
I have seen many a tavern of the East and the West — here no cup-bearer is born, and there the wine itself is without relish.
Awakening · Self-Knowledge