Meaning
Blood for blood; a life demanded for a life.
Literally: blood in return for blood
See it in the verse
Khoon ka badla khoon in Iqbal’s couplets
Ragon mein gardish-e-khoon 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 have you gained? Life is nothing but the burning of the heart.
Restlessness · Love · 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