Persian · noun · Iqbal's Emblems
Shaheen
शाहीन
said shaa-HEEN
also written: shahin, baaz, shahbaz
Meaning
The royal falcon.
How Iqbal uses it
His supreme emblem of the ideal self. The shaheen builds no nest, eats no carrion, flies high and alone, and chooses the bare mountain rock over the soft palace dome — every trait a lesson in Khudi made visible. To live “like the shaheen” is to choose altitude over comfort and freedom over security.
See it in the verse
Shaheen in Iqbal’s couplets
Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Your nest is not on the dome of a royal palace. You are a falcon — make your dwelling on the rocks of the mountains.
The Falcon · Freedom · Courage
Tu shaheen hai parwaz hai kaam tera
Tere saamne aasman aur bhi hain
Tere saamne aasman aur bhi hain
You are a falcon — flight is your work. There are still more skies in front of you.
The Falcon · Aspiration · Restlessness
Afsos sad-afsos ki shahin na bana tu
Dekhe na teri aankh ne fitrat ke ishaarat
Dekhe na teri aankh ne fitrat ke ishaarat
A pity, a hundred pities, that you never became a falcon; your eye never read the signs that nature held out.
The Falcon · Awakening · Aspiration
Guzar-auqat kar leta hai ye koh o bayaban mein
Ki shahin ke liye zillat hai kar-e-ashiyan-bandi
Ki shahin ke liye zillat hai kar-e-ashiyan-bandi
It makes its living among mountains and wilderness, for to the falcon the building of a comfortable nest is a disgrace.
The Falcon · Freedom · Adversity