Allama Iqbal Poetry: 30 Urdu Sher (Translated)

Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud poochhe bata teri raza kya hai.
Elevate your Self so high that before every decree of fate,
God Himself asks the servant, “Tell Me, what is your will?”
Sitaron se aage jahaan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihaan aur bhi hain.
There are more worlds beyond the stars;
There are still more tests of love.

Afraad ke haathon mein hai aqwaam ki taqdeer
Har fard hai millat ke muqaddar ka sitara.
In the hands of individuals lies the destiny of nations;
Every individual is a star of the nation’s destiny.

Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai basera kar pahaaron ki chataanon mein.
Your abode is not on the dome of a royal palace;
You are an eagle, make your dwelling on the rocks of mountains.

Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannum bhi
Yeh khaaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai.
Life is made by actions, both Paradise and Hell;
This earthly being, in its nature, is neither luminous (angelic) nor fiery (demonic).

Ki Muhammad se wafa tu ne toh hum tere hain
Yeh jahaan cheez hai kya lauh-o-qalam tere hain.
If you are loyal to Muhammad (PBUH), then We (God) are yours;
What is this world? The Tablet and the Pen (symbols of divine decree) are yours.

Maana ke teri deed ke qaabil nahin hoon main
Tu mera shauq dekh mera intezaar dekh.
I admit I am not worthy of Your sight;
(But) You see my yearning, see my anticipation.

Hazaaron saal nargis apni be-noori pe roti hai
Badi mushkil se hota hai chaman mein deeda-war paida.
For thousands of years, the narcissus laments its lack of light;
With great difficulty is a discerning one (a true visionary) born in the garden.

Apne mann mein doob kar paa ja suraagh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban apna toh ban.
Delve into your own self and find the secret of life;
If you do not become Mine, don’t, but at least become your own.

Uqaabi rooh jab bedaar hoti hai jawaanon mein
Nazar aati hai un ko apni manzil aasmaanon mein.
When the eagle-spirit awakens in the youth,
They see their destination in the skies.

Dil-e-murda dil nahin hai, ise zinda kar dobaara
Ke yahi hai ummaton ke marz-e-kuhan ka chaara.
A dead heart is not a heart, revive it again;
For this is the cure for the ancient ailment of nations.

Nigaah buland, sukhan dilnawaz, jaan pursoz
Yahi hai rakht-e-safar meer-e-kaarwaan ke liye.
Lofty vision, heart-winning speech, a soul full of passion—
This is the provision for the journey for the leader of the caravan.

Wujood-e-zan se hai tasveer-e-kaainaat mein rang
Isi ke saaz se hai zindagi ka soz-e-daroon.
From the existence of woman, there is color in the picture of the universe;
From her instrument comes the inner passion of life.

Tere aazaad bandon ki na yeh duniya na woh duniya
Yahaan marne ki paabandi wahaan jeene ki paabandi.
For Your free servants, neither this world nor that world (is the aim);
Here, there’s the restriction of dying; there, the restriction of living.

Ghulaami mein na kaam aati hain shamsheerein na tadbeerein
Jo ho zauq-e-yaqeen paida toh kat jaati hain zanjeerein.
In slavery, neither swords nor strategies are of use;
If the taste of conviction develops, then chains are cut.

Duniya ki mehfilon se uktaa gaya hoon Ya Rabb
Kya lutf anjuman ka jab dil hi bujh gaya ho.
I have grown weary of the gatherings of the world, O Lord;
What joy is there in an assembly when the heart itself is extinguished?

Mitaade apni hasti ko agar kuch martaba chaahe
Ke daana khaak mein mil kar gul-o-gulzaar hota hai.
Erase your own existence if you desire some status;
For a seed, by mixing with the soil, becomes a rose and a rose garden.

Kaafir hai toh shamsheer pe karta hai bharosa
Momin hai toh be-tegh bhi ladta hai sipaahi.
If one is an unbeliever, he relies on the sword;
If one is a believer, the soldier fights even without a sword.

Aa’een-e-jawaan mardaan, haq-goi-o-be-baaki
Allah ke sheron ko aati nahin roobaahi.
The code of chivalrous men is truthfulness and fearlessness;
The lions of God do not know fox-like cunning.

Tere ishq ki intiha chaahta hoon
Miri saadgi dekh kya chaahta hoon.
I desire the ultimate limit of Your love;
Look at my simplicity, what is it that I desire?

Baatil se dabne waale aye aasmaan nahin hum
Sau baar kar chuka hai tu imtihaan hamaara.
O sky, we are not ones to be suppressed by falsehood;
You have tested us a hundred times.

Jamhooriyat ik tarz-e-hukoomat hai ke jis mein
Bandon ko gina karte hain taula nahin karte.
Democracy is a form of government in which
People are counted, not weighed (for their worth).

Tundi-e-baad-e-mukhaalif se na ghabra aye uqaab
Yeh toh chalti hai tujhe ooncha udaane ke liye.
Do not be dismayed by the fierceness of the opposing wind, O eagle;
It blows only to make you fly higher.

Masjid toh bana di shab bhar mein imaan ki haraarat waalon ne
Mann apna puraana paapi hai, barson mein namaazi ban na saka.
Those with the warmth of faith built the mosque overnight;
My own heart is an old sinner, it couldn’t become prayerful in years.

Iqbal bada updeshak hai mann baaton mein moh leta hai
Guftaar ka yeh ghaazi toh bana kirdaar ka ghaazi ban na saka.
Iqbal is a great preacher, he captivates the heart with his words;
He became a champion of speech, but could not become a champion of character. (Self-critique)

Ramz-e-hayaat poochhi leader se Khizar ne
Kehte thay dhoondta hoon paani mein bijli ko main.
Khizar asked the leader for the secret of life;
He said, “I search for lightning in water.” (Critique of impractical leadership)

Khol aankh, zameen dekh, falak dekh, fiza dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue sooraj ko zara dekh.
Open your eyes, see the earth, see the sky, see the atmosphere;
Just look at the sun rising from the East.

Quwwat-e-ishq se har past ko baala kar de
Dehr mein ism-e-Muhammad se ujaala kar de.
With the power of love, elevate every lowly thing;
In the world, illuminate with the name of Muhammad (PBUH).