Meaning
Love, affection — gentler and broader than the burning ishq.
How Iqbal uses it
The healer of peoples. “Mohabbat fateh-e-aalam” — love conquers the world; nations that fell sick have cured themselves by it and woken their sleeping fortune. Where ishq is fire, mohabbat is the warmth that mends.
See it in the verse
Mohabbat in Iqbal’s couplets
Yaqeen muhkam, amal paiham, mohabbat fateh-e-aalam
Jihad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheeren
Jihad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheeren
Firm conviction, ceaseless action, and a love that conquers the world — these are the swords of the brave in the struggle of life.
Action · Love · Courage
Mohabbat hi se payi hai shifa beemar qaumon ne
Kiya hai apne bakht-e-khufta ko bedar qaumon ne
Kiya hai apne bakht-e-khufta ko bedar qaumon ne
It is by love that ailing peoples have found their cure — by love that peoples have woken their sleeping fortune.
Love · Unity · Hope
Mohabbat mujhe un jawanon se hai
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
My love is for those young ones who cast their lasso upon the stars.
Youth · Aspiration