Meaning
Dust and water; the earthly elements composing creation.
See it in the verse
Khak-o-Aab in Iqbal’s couplets
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
Giraanbaha hai to hifz-e-khudi se hai warna
Gauhar mein aab-e-gauhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Gauhar mein aab-e-gauhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
If you are precious, it is from guarding your selfhood; otherwise a pearl is nothing but the lustre that is its own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
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
Bagh-e-bahisht se mujhe hukm-e-safar diya tha kyun
Kaar-e-jahan daraz hai ab mera intzar kar
Kaar-e-jahan daraz hai ab mera intzar kar
Why did You order me out of the garden of paradise? The work of the world is long now — so wait for me.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Courage
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
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