Meaning
Dust and blood; bloody carnage and ruin, especially of the battlefield.
Literally: lit. dust and blood
See it in the verse
Khaak-o-Khoon 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
Ragon mein gardish-e-khun hai agar to kya hasil
Hayat soz-e-jigar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Hayat soz-e-jigar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
If blood merely circulates in your veins, what of it? Life is nothing but the burning of the heart.
Love · Awakening · Restlessness
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