Meaning
Ignorant, foolish, unknowing; lacking sense or awareness.
See it in the verse
Nadan in Iqbal’s couplets
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
Watan ki fikr kar nadaan, museebat aane wali hai
Teri barbadiyon ke mashware hain aasmanon mein
Teri barbadiyon ke mashware hain aasmanon mein
Think of your homeland, you fool — calamity is on its way; the plans for your ruin are already being drawn up in the skies.
Awakening · Courage
Yaqeen paida kar ai nadan yaqeen se haath aati hai
Wo darveshi ki jis ke samne jhukti hai faghfoori
Wo darveshi ki jis ke samne jhukti hai faghfoori
Cultivate conviction, O foolish one — for it is conviction that wins you the dervish's freedom, the kind before which even imperial majesty bows.
Courage · Selfhood · Freedom