Arabic · phrase · Faith & Sacred History
Loh-e-Qalam
लौह-ए-क़लम
said lauh-o-qa-lam
also written: Lauh-o-Qalam,Loh-o-Qalam
Meaning
The Tablet and the Pen, the heavenly instruments by which God recorded all destiny.
Literally: the tablet and the pen
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal invokes the Tablet and the Pen as the realm of fixed destiny that the empowered self (khudi) can rise to share in.
See it in the verse
Loh-e-Qalam in Iqbal’s couplets
Khuda agar dil-e-fitrat-shanaas de tujh ko
Sukoot-e-laala-o-gul se kalaam paida kar
Sukoot-e-laala-o-gul se kalaam paida kar
If God gives you a heart that can read Nature, then draw speech out of the silence of the tulip and the rose.
Self-Knowledge · Aspiration · Awakening
Ki Mohammad se wafa tu ne to hum tere hain
Ye jahan cheez hai kya lauh-o-qalam tere hain
Ye jahan cheez hai kya lauh-o-qalam tere hain
Be faithful to Muhammad, and We are yours; this world is nothing — the Tablet and the Pen themselves are yours.
Love · Aspiration · Selfhood
Ishq dam-e-Jibreel ishq dam-e-Mustafa
Ishq Khuda ka Rasool ishq Khuda ka kalaam
Ishq Khuda ka Rasool ishq Khuda ka kalaam
Love is the breath of Gabriel, love the breath of the Prophet; love is the messenger of God, love is the Word of God.
Love · Aspiration
Phool ki patti se kat sakta hai heere ka jigar
Mard-e-nadaan par kalaam-e-narm-o-nazuk be-asar
Mard-e-nadaan par kalaam-e-narm-o-nazuk be-asar
A diamond's heart can be cut by the petal of a flower — yet on a foolish man, soft and gentle words have no effect.
Self-Knowledge · Action