Meaning
To wander everywhere in search of something, enduring great hardship.
Literally: to sift the dust
See it in the verse
Khaak Chhanna in Iqbal’s couplets
Patthar ki mooraton mein samjha hai tu Khuda hai
Khaak-e-watan ka mujh ko har zarra devta hai
Khaak-e-watan ka mujh ko har zarra devta hai
You have imagined that God dwells within stone idols — for me, every single speck of my homeland's dust is itself a deity.
Unity · Love
Mah o sitara se aage maqam hai jis ka
Wo musht-e-khak abhi aawargan-e-rah mein hai
Wo musht-e-khak abhi aawargan-e-rah mein hai
The handful of dust whose true station lies beyond moon and stars is still wandering, lost, on the road.
Aspiration · Selfhood · Awakening
Mire khaak o khun se tu ne ye jahan kiya hai paida
Sila-e-shahid kya hai tab-o-tab-e-javedana
Sila-e-shahid kya hai tab-o-tab-e-javedana
From my dust and my blood you have brought this world into being; and the reward of the one who gives himself is an everlasting glow.
Selfhood · Action · Aspiration
Fitrat ne mujhe bakhshe hain jauhar malakuti
Khaki hun magar khak se rakhta nahin paiwand
Khaki hun magar khak se rakhta nahin paiwand
Nature has gifted me an essence that belongs to the heavens; I am made of dust, yet I am not bound to the dust.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Self-Knowledge