Urdu · proverb · Nation, Faith & Society
Jal mein rah kar magar se bair
जल में रहकर मगर से बैर
Meaning
It is unwise to antagonise those on whom you depend.
Literally: living in water, enmity with the crocodile
See it in the verse
Jal mein rah kar magar se bair in Iqbal’s couplets
Mere Allah burai se bachana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
My God, save me from evil; set me on the path that is good.
Humility · Self-Knowledge
Mazhab nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna
Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindostan hamara
Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindostan hamara
Religion does not teach us to hold enmity among ourselves. We are of Hind, and Hindustan is our homeland.
Unity · Love
Yunan o Misr o Roma sab mit gaye jahan se
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Greece, Egypt and Rome have all vanished from the world — yet to this day our name and trace remain.
Adversity · Hope
Aflak se hai is ki hareefana kashakash
Khaki hai magar khak se azad hai momin
Khaki hai magar khak se azad hai momin
His struggle is a rivalry with the very heavens; made of dust, yet the man of faith is free of the dust.
Aspiration · Selfhood · Freedom
Dil se jo baat nikalti hai asar rakhti hai
Par nahin taaqat-e-parvaaz magar rakhti hai
Par nahin taaqat-e-parvaaz magar rakhti hai
What comes from the heart carries power; it has no wings, and yet it has the strength to fly.
Love · Awakening · Self-Knowledge
Tu qadir-o-aadil hai magar tere jahan mein
Hain talkh bahut banda-e-mazdoor ke auqat
Hain talkh bahut banda-e-mazdoor ke auqat
You are all-powerful and just — and yet, in Your world, the hours of the labouring man are very bitter.
Justice · Adversity · Awakening