Persian · phrase · Being & Non-Being
Soz-o-Saaz-e-Zindagi
सोज़-ओ-साज़-ए-ज़िंदगी
said soz-o-saaz-e-zin-da-gee
also written: soz o saaz e zindagi, soz-o-saaz-e-zindagi
Meaning
The burning and harmony of life; the blend of pain and music that makes a living life, a favourite Iqbalian phrase.
Literally: soz (burning) + o (and) + saaz (melody) + zindagi (life)
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal sees true life as soz-o-saaz, the union of inner fire and creative harmony, not lifeless calm.
See it in the verse
Soz-o-Saaz-e-Zindagi in Iqbal’s couplets
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Dive into your own self and find the trace of life. If you will not be mine, then do not — but at least become your own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration
Zindagi ho meri parwane ki surat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Let my life be like the moth's, O Lord; let me love the lamp of knowledge.
Love · Aspiration · Youth
Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannum bhi
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
By our deeds we make life a heaven or a hell. This creature of dust is, by nature, neither angel of light nor demon of fire.
Action · Courage
Tu bacha bacha ke na rakh ise tera aaina hai wo aaina
Ki shikasta ho to azeez-tar hai nigah-e-aaina-saaz mein
Ki shikasta ho to azeez-tar hai nigah-e-aaina-saaz mein
Do not hoard and shield your heart — it is the kind of mirror that, once broken, grows dearer in the eyes of the Mirror-maker.
Love · Courage · Adversity
Ragon mein gardish-e-khoon hai agar to kya hasil
Hayat soz-e-jigar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Hayat soz-e-jigar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
If blood merely circulates in your veins, what have you gained? Life is nothing but the burning of the heart.
Restlessness · Love · Awakening