Arabic · noun · Time, Fate & the Cosmos
Kaaynat
काएनात
said kaa-i-NAAT
also written: kaenat, kainat
Meaning
The universe; the whole of creation.
How Iqbal uses it
Unfinished, still being spoken into being. “This universe is perhaps still incomplete, for the cry of ‘Be, and it is’ keeps coming.” And Khudi, he says, is nothing less than “the awakening of the universe” — the cosmos becoming aware of itself.
See it in the verse
Kaaynat in Iqbal’s couplets
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
Ye kaenat abhi na-tamam hai shayad
Ki aa rahi hai damadam sada-e-kun-fayakun
Ki aa rahi hai damadam sada-e-kun-fayakun
This universe is, perhaps, still unfinished — for the call of 'Be, and it is' keeps sounding, moment after moment.
Hope · Aspiration · Action
Wajud-e-zan se hai tasveer-e-kaenat mein rang
Isi ke saaz se hai zindagi ka soz-e-darun
Isi ke saaz se hai zindagi ka soz-e-darun
It is the presence of woman that gives colour to the portrait of the universe — from her instrument comes the inner fire of life itself.
Love · Unity · Humility