Arabic · noun · Character & Virtue

Qana'at

क़नाअत

said qa-NAA-at

also written: qanaat, qana'at

Meaning

Contentment, satisfaction with what one has, freedom from greed.

How Iqbal uses it

Iqbal honours contentment as freedom from craving for the world's gold, yet warns it must not curdle into lazy resignation that kills ambition for the higher.

See it in the verse

Qana'at in Iqbal’s couplets

Qanaat na kar aalam-e-rang-o-bu par
Chaman aur bhi, aashiyan aur bhi hain

Do not be content with this world of colour and scent — there are other gardens, and other nests, too.

Aspiration · Restlessness

Related words

ARABIC

Sabr

Patience, endurance, steadfast forbearance in hardship.

ARABIC

Tawakkul

Trust in God, reliance on the divine after one has done one's utmost.

ARABIC

Tark

Renunciation, abandonment, the act of giving up or letting go of something.

← Back to the dictionary