Arabic · noun · Iqbal's Emblems
Yad-e-Baiza
यद-ए-बैज़ा
said yad-e-bai-zaa
also written: Yad-e-Baeza
Meaning
The 'shining white hand' of Moses, one of his miracles in which his hand drew from his cloak gleamed with dazzling light before Pharaoh.
Literally: the white hand
How Iqbal uses it
The Yad-e-Baiza is the standard image of a luminous, miraculous power that overawes tyranny; poets invoke it for a brilliance that confounds the powerful, often paired with the staff of Moses.
See it in the verse
Yad-e-Baiza in Iqbal’s couplets
Aata hai yaad mujh ko guzra hua zamana
Wo bagh ki baharen, wo sab ka chahchahana
Wo bagh ki baharen, wo sab ka chahchahana
I remember the time that has passed — those springtimes of the garden, that chorus of every bird singing.
Freedom · Restlessness
Ai aab-e-rud-e-Ganga wo din hai yaad tujh ko
Utra tere kinare jab karwan hamara
Utra tere kinare jab karwan hamara
O waters of the river Ganga, do you remember those days — when our caravan first halted upon your banks?
Unity · Love
Kabhi chhodi hui manzil bhi yaad aati hai rahi ko
Khatak si hai jo sine mein gham-e-manzil na ban jae
Khatak si hai jo sine mein gham-e-manzil na ban jae
Sometimes the traveller remembers even the destination he left behind; I fear this faint ache in my chest may grow into grief for a settled place.
Restlessness · Aspiration