Arabic · noun · Character & Virtue

Hilm

हिल्म
said HILM
also written: hilm, hilim, hilm-forbearance
Meaning

Gentle forbearance, clemency, the calm mastery of anger.

Literally: forbearance, calm self-command under provocation

Usage & notes

Hilm is forbearance — the composed self-restraint that does not lash out under provocation. Iqbal honours this strength-in-gentleness as the mark of a soul in command of itself: true power shows in the ability to hold one's temper and respond with dignity rather than impulse. He distinguishes such mastered calm, a form of inner strength, from the weakness that merely cannot act.