Meaning
To be stunned and shaken by sudden bad news.
Literally: for the ground to slip from under one's feet
See it in the verse
Paon Tale Zameen Khisakna in Iqbal’s couplets
Khol aankh, zameen dekh, falak dekh, fiza dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Open your eyes — look at the earth, the sky, the open air; just look at the sun rising in the east.
Awakening · Hope
Na tu zameen ke liye hai na aasman ke liye
Jahan hai tere liye tu nahin jahan ke liye
Jahan hai tere liye tu nahin jahan ke liye
You are not made for the earth, nor for the sky — the world is made for you, you are not made for the world.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Freedom