Meaning
Someone; any; some (with singular nouns).
How Iqbal uses it
Everyday indefinite for 'someone' or 'any'.
See it in the verse
koi in Iqbal’s couplets
Khudi wo bahr hai jis ka koi kinara nahin
Tu aabjoo ise samjha agar to chaara nahin
Tu aabjoo ise samjha agar to chaara nahin
Selfhood is an ocean that has no shore. If you have taken it for a mere stream, there is no help for you.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Self-Knowledge
Manzil-e-rahrawan door bhi hai dushwar bhi hai
Koi is qaafle mein qaafla-saalaar bhi hai
Koi is qaafle mein qaafla-saalaar bhi hai
The travellers' destination is both far away and hard to reach — yet somewhere in this caravan there is also a leader of the caravan.
Leadership · Hope · Aspiration
Sau sau umiden bandhti hai ik ik nigah par
Mujh ko na aise pyar se dekha kare koi
Mujh ko na aise pyar se dekha kare koi
A hundred hopes are pinned on every single glance — let no one look at me with such love.
Love · Humility · Aspiration
Har ek chiz se paida khuda ki qudrat hai
Koi baDa koi chhoTa ye us ki hikmat hai
Koi baDa koi chhoTa ye us ki hikmat hai
Every single thing reveals the power of creation; that one is large and another small is part of its wisdom.
Humility · Self-Knowledge · Hope
Nahin hai chiz nikammi koi zamane mein
Koi bura nahin qudrat ke kar-khane mein
Koi bura nahin qudrat ke kar-khane mein
There is no worthless thing anywhere in the world; nothing is bad in the great workshop of nature.
Humility · Hope · Self-Knowledge
Mujhe aah-o-fughan-e-nim-shab ka phir payam aaya
Tham ai rah-rau ki shayad phir koi mushkil maqam aaya
Tham ai rah-rau ki shayad phir koi mushkil maqam aaya
The cry of the midnight again brought me its message: pause, traveller, for perhaps another hard pass has arrived.
Adversity · Courage · Awakening