Meaning
The footprint pointing to the destination; a trace left on the path that guides the follower.
Literally: footprint of the destination
How Iqbal uses it
The seeker reads the naqsh-e-pa left by those who walked before, each print a faint assurance that the road has an end.
See it in the verse
Naqsh-e-Pa-e-Manzil in Iqbal’s couplets
Aaeen-e-naw se darna, tarz-e-kuhan pe arna
Manzil yahi kathin hai qaumon ki zindagi mein
Manzil yahi kathin hai qaumon ki zindagi mein
To fear the new order, and to dig in stubbornly on the old way — this is the hardest pass in the life of a people.
Awakening · Courage
Uqabi rooh jab bedar hoti hai jawanon mein
Nazar aati hai un ko apni manzil aasmanon mein
Nazar aati hai un ko apni manzil aasmanon mein
When the eagle's spirit awakens in the young, they begin to see their destination up among the skies.
Youth · The Falcon · Awakening
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
Guzar ja aql se aage ki ye noor
Charagh-e-raah hai, manzil nahin hai
Charagh-e-raah hai, manzil nahin hai
Move on past the intellect — for this light is a lamp for the road, not the destination itself.
Self-Knowledge · Aspiration · Love
Manzil-e-rahrawan door bhi hai dushwar bhi hai
Koi is qaafle mein qaafla-saalaar bhi hai
Koi is qaafle mein qaafla-saalaar bhi hai
The travellers' destination is both far away and hard to reach — yet somewhere in this caravan there is also a leader of the caravan.
Leadership · Hope · Aspiration
Dhoondta phirta hoon main Iqbal apne aap ko
Aap hi goya musafir aap hi manzil hoon main
Aap hi goya musafir aap hi manzil hoon main
I wander about, Iqbal, searching for my own self — as if I am at once the traveller and the destination.
Self-Knowledge · Restlessness · Selfhood