Persian · noun · Struggle & the Sword
Nishana
निशाना
said ni-SHAA-na
also written: Nishan
Meaning
A target or aim; the mark aimed at by an archer or marksman.
Literally: target; aim; mark
How Iqbal uses it
Nishana is the target or mark aimed at. Iqbal makes it an image of life's true goal, the destination toward which the self must direct its every effort. A life without a clear nishana, like an arrow loosed at nothing, scatters its force and arrives nowhere.
See it in the verse
Nishana in Iqbal’s couplets
Yunan o Misr o Roma sab mit gaye jahan se
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Greece, Egypt and Rome have all vanished from the world — yet to this day our name and trace remain.
Adversity · Hope
Yunan o Misr o Roma sab mit gaye jahan se
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Greece, Egypt and Rome have all vanished from the world — yet to this day our name and trace remain.
Adversity · Hope
Related words
TURKISH
Nishanchi
A marksman or sharpshooter; also the keeper of the royal seal.
PERSIAN
Teer
An arrow. A recurring image in poetry for the beloved's glance or the pang of love.
ARABIC
Manzil / Maqam
Destination, goal; (maqam) a stage, station or rank on the way.
ARABIC
Maqsad
Purpose, aim, objective; the end toward which one strives.