Arabic · noun · Time, Fate & the Cosmos
Ghaib
ग़ैब
said GHAIB
also written: ghaib, ghayb, alam-e-ghaib
Meaning
The unseen; the hidden realm of God, spirits, and realities beyond human sight.
Literally: the unseen; the hidden
How Iqbal uses it
The Unseen — all that lies beyond sense-perception, which the believer accepts on faith ("those who believe in the ghaib"), including God, the angelic realm and the hereafter; the "world of the unseen" (alam-e-ghaib) as opposed to the visible. Iqbal honours faith in the unseen as the opening of the self to a deeper order of reality that reason alone cannot reach, a reality made present through intuition and revelation.
See it in the verse
Ghaib in Iqbal’s couplets
Keh raha hai mujh se ae joya-e-asrar-e-azal
Chashm-e-dil wa ho to hai taqdeer-e-aalam be-hijab
Chashm-e-dil wa ho to hai taqdeer-e-aalam be-hijab
He says to me: O seeker of the secrets of eternity, if the eye of the heart opens, the destiny of the world stands unveiled.
Self-Knowledge · Awakening · Aspiration
Yaqeen muhkam, amal paiham, mohabbat fateh-e-aalam
Jihad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheeren
Jihad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheeren
Firm conviction, ceaseless action, and a love that conquers the world — these are the swords of the brave in the struggle of life.
Action · Love · Courage
Qanaat na kar aalam-e-rang-o-bu par
Chaman aur bhi, aashiyan aur bhi hain
Chaman aur bhi, aashiyan aur bhi hain
Do not be content with this world of colour and scent — there are other gardens, and other nests, too.
Aspiration · Restlessness