Persian · noun · Nation, Faith & Society
Mahi-Maratib
माही-मरातिब
said MAA-hee-ma-RAA-tib
also written: mahi maratib, mahimaratib, maahi-maratib
Meaning
The fish-and-honours royal standard of high rank carried before Mughal grandees as a mark of supreme distinction.
Literally: Fish of dignities.
See it in the verse
Mahi-Maratib in Iqbal’s couplets
Har shai musafir har cheez raahi
Kya chand tare kya murgh o maahi
Kya chand tare kya murgh o maahi
Every thing is a traveller, every object a wayfarer — whether the moon and stars, or the birds and the fish.
Restlessness · Action · Unity
Tu huma ka hai shikari abhi ibtida hai teri
Nahin maslahat se khali ye jahan-e-murgh-o-mahi
Nahin maslahat se khali ye jahan-e-murgh-o-mahi
You are a hunter of the huma, your journey has only just begun; this world of birds and fish is not without its hidden purpose.
Aspiration · Youth · Hope