Meaning
For life to be at stake; to be in mortal peril.
Literally: 'for it to come upon one's life'
See it in the verse
Jaan pe banna in Iqbal’s couplets
Ae jaan-e-padar nahin hai mumkin
Shaheen se tadaro ki ghulami
Shaheen se tadaro ki ghulami
O life of your father, it cannot be — the falcon will never serve the partridge.
The Falcon · Freedom · Selfhood
Suni padi hui hai muddat se dil ki basti
Aa ik naya shiwala is des mein bana den
Aa ik naya shiwala is des mein bana den
The dwelling of the heart has lain desolate for ages — come, let us build a new temple in this land.
Unity · Hope · Love
Nigah buland, sukhan dilnawaz, jaan pur-soz
Yahi hai rakht-e-safar mir-e-karvan ke liye
Yahi hai rakht-e-safar mir-e-karvan ke liye
A lofty gaze, speech that wins the heart, a soul that burns with feeling — this alone is the travelling kit a caravan's leader needs.
Leadership · Aspiration
Afsos sad-afsos ki shahin na bana tu
Dekhe na teri aankh ne fitrat ke ishaarat
Dekhe na teri aankh ne fitrat ke ishaarat
A pity, a hundred pities, that you never became a falcon; your eye never read the signs that nature held out.
The Falcon · Awakening · Aspiration
Safina-e-barg-e-gul bana lega qafila mor-e-na-tawan ka
Hazar maujon ki ho kashakash magar ye dariya se par hoga
Hazar maujon ki ho kashakash magar ye dariya se par hoga
The caravan of feeble ants will make a boat of a rose petal; though a thousand waves clash against it, this boat will cross the river.
Hope · Courage · Unity