Meaning
Life, existence or being alive.
Literally: life
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal celebrates hayaat as ceaseless striving, movement and self-creation.
See it in the verse
Hayaat in Iqbal’s couplets
Har ik muqam se aage muqam hai tera
Hayat zauq-e-safar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Hayat zauq-e-safar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Beyond every destination lies another that is yours; life is nothing but the love of the journey.
Restlessness · Aspiration · The Falcon
Ragon mein gardish-e-khoon hai agar to kya hasil
Hayat soz-e-jigar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Hayat soz-e-jigar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
If blood merely circulates in your veins, what have you gained? Life is nothing but the burning of the heart.
Restlessness · Love · Awakening
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
Khudi kya hai raaz-e-daroon-e-hayat
Khudi kya hai baidari-e-kainat
Khudi kya hai baidari-e-kainat
What is the self? The secret hidden within life. What is the self? The awakening of the universe.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Awakening
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, naqsh-gar-e-haadsat
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, asl-e-hayat-o-mamat
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, asl-e-hayat-o-mamat
The chain of day and night is the sculptor of all events; the chain of day and night is the root of life and of death.
Action · Self-Knowledge
Khudi kya hai raaz-e-darun-e-hayat
Khudi kya hai bedaari-e-kaayenat
Khudi kya hai bedaari-e-kaayenat
What is selfhood? The secret hidden inside life. What is selfhood? The waking-up of the whole universe.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Awakening
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