Persian · noun · Spirit & the Divine
Naala-e-nim-shab
नाला-ए-नीम-शब
said naa-la-e-neem-SHAB
Meaning
The midnight lament; the cry raised in the dead of night.
Literally: wail of midnight
How Iqbal uses it
The lament that breaks the silence at the heart of the night, when the lover or devotee, alone and wakeful, pours out a grief too great for the day.
See it in the verse
Naala-e-nim-shab in Iqbal’s couplets
Isi roz-o-shab mein ulajh kar na rah ja
Ki tere zaman-o-makan aur bhi hain
Ki tere zaman-o-makan aur bhi hain
Do not stay tangled in only these days and nights — there are other times and other places that are yours.
Aspiration · Hope · Restlessness
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, naqsh-gar-e-haadsat
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, asl-e-hayat-o-mamat
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, asl-e-hayat-o-mamat
The chain of day and night is the sculptor of all events; the chain of day and night is the root of life and of death.
Action · Self-Knowledge
Milega manzil-e-maqsud ka usi ko suragh
Andheri shab mein hai cheete ki aankh jis ka charagh
Andheri shab mein hai cheete ki aankh jis ka charagh
Only that traveller finds the trace of the intended destination whose lamp, in the dark night, is the eye of a leopard.
Courage · Aspiration · 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