Persian · noun · Faith & Sacred History
Tigh-e-La
तेग़-ए-ला
said TEGH-e-LA
also written: tegh-e-la
Meaning
'The sword of No' — the negating 'la' of the testimony of faith imagined as a blade that cuts away every false god.
Literally: the sword of 'no'
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal wields the sword of negation as the believer's weapon, the 'No' that slays all idols before the affirmation of God.
See it in the verse
Tigh-e-La in Iqbal’s couplets
Nazar nahin to mere halqa-e-sukhan mein na baith
Ki nukta-ha-e-khudi hain misal-e-tegh-e-asil
Ki nukta-ha-e-khudi hain misal-e-tegh-e-asil
If you have no vision, do not sit in my circle of speech — for the subtleties of selfhood are like a sword of true steel.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Courage
Ishq ki tegh-e-jigar-dar uda li kis ne
Ilm ke haath mein khali hai niyam ai saqi
Ilm ke haath mein khali hai niyam ai saqi
Who has carried off love's brave, heart-piercing sword? Knowledge holds only an empty scabbard now.
Love · Action · Courage
Zara taqdir ki gahraiyon mein dub ja tu bhi
Ki is jangah se main ban ke tegh-e-be-niyam aaya
Ki is jangah se main ban ke tegh-e-be-niyam aaya
Plunge, you too, into the depths of destiny; from that battlefield I emerged as a drawn, unsheathed sword.
Courage · Action · Adversity