Iqbal for All

Meaning

'Knowledge and wisdom / science and philosophy' — the combined intellectual achievement of modern civilization; in Iqbal a thing to be mastered and then animated by faith and love.

See it in the verse

Ilm-o-Hikmat in Iqbal’s couplets

Na ho naumeed, naumeedi zawal-e-ilm-o-irfan hai
Umeed-e-mard-e-momin hai Khuda ke razdanon mein

Do not despair — despair is the downfall of knowledge and insight. The hope of a person of conviction stands among those who know the deepest secrets.

Hope · Youth · Courage

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

Ilm mein bhi suroor hai lekin
Ye wo jannat hai jis mein hoor nahin

There is a certain delight in knowledge too — but it is a paradise without companions.

Self-Knowledge · Love · Humility

Har ek chiz se paida khuda ki qudrat hai
Koi baDa koi chhoTa ye us ki hikmat hai

Every single thing reveals the power of creation; that one is large and another small is part of its wisdom.

Humility · Self-Knowledge · Hope

Ishq ki tegh-e-jigar-dar uda li kis ne
Ilm ke haath mein khali hai niyam ai saqi

Who has carried off love's brave, heart-piercing sword? Knowledge holds only an empty scabbard now.

Love · Action · Courage

Related words

ARABIC

Ilm-e-Jadid

'Modern knowledge / new science' — the empirical sciences of the contemporary West. Iqbal urged Muslims to acquire it as their own lost inheritance, not to be dazzled or enslaved by it.

ARABIC

Hikmat

Wisdom; the deep design or rationale behind things.

ARABIC

Falsafa

Philosophy, systematic rational inquiry into reality.

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