Urdu · proverb · Nation, Faith & Society
Gidhad ki maut aaye to shahar ki taraf bhaage
गीदड़ की मौत आए तो शहर की तरफ़ भागे
Meaning
When ruin approaches, one rushes toward the very danger.
Literally: when the jackal's death nears, it runs toward the town
See it in the verse
Gidhad ki maut aaye to shahar ki taraf bhaage in Iqbal’s couplets
Ai tair-e-lahooti us rizq se maut achhi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
O celestial bird, better death than the sustenance that brings any shortfall to your flight.
Freedom · The Falcon
Ho agar khudnigar-o-khudgar-o-khudgir khudi
Ye bhi mumkin hai ki tu maut se bhi mar na sake
Ye bhi mumkin hai ki tu maut se bhi mar na sake
If your selfhood becomes self-seeing, self-making and self-possessed, it is even possible that not even death can make you die.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Mard-e-Khuda ka amal ishq se sahib-e-firogh
Ishq hai asl-e-hayat maut hai is par haraam
Ishq hai asl-e-hayat maut hai is par haraam
The deeds of the man of God shine with love; love is the essence of life, and death is forbidden to touch it.
Love · Aspiration · Action
Hai dil ke liye maut machinon ki hukumat
Ehsaas-e-muravvat ko kuchal dete hain aalat
Ehsaas-e-muravvat ko kuchal dete hain aalat
The rule of machines is death for the heart — the instruments crush the very feeling of human kindness.
Justice · Awakening · Love
Be-huzuri hai teri maut ka raaz
Zinda ho tu to be-huzur nahin
Zinda ho tu to be-huzur nahin
Absence from the present is the secret of your death; if you are truly alive, you are never absent.
Awakening · Self-Knowledge
Kise nahin hai tamanna-e-sarwari lekin
Khudi ki maut ho jis mein wo sarwari kya hai
Khudi ki maut ho jis mein wo sarwari kya hai
Who does not long for leadership? But what kind of leadership is it, if reaching it kills the self?
Leadership · Selfhood · Self-Knowledge