Arabic · noun · Selfhood & Will

Ghairat

ग़ैरत

said GHAI-rat

also written: gairat

Meaning

A fierce sense of honour, self-respect, and zealous protectiveness over what one holds sacred.

How Iqbal uses it

Ghairat is a signature Iqbalian fire: he scolds the spiritless for having lost the honour-zeal that makes a man jealous of his faith, freedom, and self-worth.

See it in the verse

Ghairat in Iqbal’s couplets

Khudi ho ilm se mohkam to ghairat-e-Jibril
Agar ho ishq se mohkam to soor-e-Israfil

A selfhood made firm by knowledge can rival the angel of revelation; a selfhood made firm by love can rival the trumpet that wakes the world.

Selfhood · Love · Action

Related words

PERSIAN

Khud-dari

Self-respect, dignity, the refusal to demean oneself before others.

PERSIAN

Mardaangi

Manliness, manly courage and self-respect; virile strength of character.

ARABIC

Haya

Modesty, bashful sense of shame, the inner restraint that recoils from the unseemly.

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