Meaning
A vast, unbridgeable difference.
Literally: the difference of earth and sky
See it in the verse
Zameen aasman ka farq in Iqbal’s couplets
Main jo sar-ba-sajda hua kabhi to zameen se aane lagi sada
Tera dil to hai sanam-aashna tujhe kya milega namaz mein
Tera dil to hai sanam-aashna tujhe kya milega namaz mein
Whenever I bowed my head in prostration, a voice rose from the earth: your heart is in love with idols — what will you gain from prayer?
Self-Knowledge · Humility
Khol aankh, zameen dekh, falak dekh, fiza dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Open your eyes — look at the earth, the sky, the open air; just look at the sun rising in the east.
Awakening · Hope
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
Na tu zameen ke liye hai na aasman ke liye
Jahan hai tere liye tu nahin jahan ke liye
Jahan hai tere liye tu nahin jahan ke liye
You are not made for the earth, nor for the sky — the world is made for you, you are not made for the world.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Freedom
Ahval-e-mohabbat mein kuch farq nahin aisa
Soz o tab-o-taab avval soz o tab-o-taab aakhir
Soz o tab-o-taab avval soz o tab-o-taab aakhir
In the states of love there is no real difference — the same burning and restless glow at the start, the same burning and restless glow at the end.
Love · Restlessness · Self-Knowledge
Baatil se dabne wale ai aasman nahin ham
Sau baar kar chuka hai tu imtihan hamara
Sau baar kar chuka hai tu imtihan hamara
We are not the kind to be crushed by falsehood, O sky; a hundred times already you have tested us.
Courage · Adversity