Persian · noun · Nature & the Garden
Khak / Khaki
ख़ाक / ख़ाकी
said khaak
also written: khaki, khaak
Meaning
Dust, earth; (khaki) made of clay, earth-born.
How Iqbal uses it
Man's humble origin and his glory at once. We are clay “neither of light nor of fire,” yet the rise of this dust-born creature makes the very stars take fright. Iqbal is fond of the paradox: a handful of khak that reaches past the heavens.
See it in the verse
Khak / Khaki in Iqbal’s couplets
Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannum bhi
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
By our deeds we make life a heaven or a hell. This creature of dust is, by nature, neither angel of light nor demon of fire.
Action · Courage
Uruj-e-adam-e-khaki se anjum sahme jaate hain
Ki ye toota hua tara mah-e-kamil na ban jaaye
Ki ye toota hua tara mah-e-kamil na ban jaaye
The stars take fright at the rise of the human being of dust — afraid that this broken star may yet become a full moon.
Aspiration · Hope · Selfhood
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
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