نہ تو زميں کے ليے ہے نہ آسماں کے ليے
English title: You are neither for the earth nor for the heaven
Thou art not for the earth or for the heaven alone; the world is for thee, not thou for the world.
The mind and the heart are sparks in the flame of love; one for a moment’s flash, the other for – a blazing fire.
This garden of’ delight is not for thy delight; thou art here to yearn, to seek a beatific vision.
Equipped for unfathomed seas, thy vessel should not confine itself to rivers, and to familiar shores.
They were a beacon once to the brightest stars of heaven, but now they languish in darkness, in search of a guide to lead them.
A lofty vision, gracious speech, and a passionate soul: These are the attributes of the leaders of all men.
It was a plain and simple truth but the imagination of the Persian mind has confounded it with the poetic license.
My soul has a secret song, a defiance to Gabriel: A song I have preserved for life in eternity.
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Bal-e-Jibril — نہ تو زميں کے ليے ہے نہ آسماں کے ليے — Digital transcription file at commit 39d44fc0c2b8ca25769c4b36e6eac4d90cb42b35; the source dataset does not identify the underlying print edition.Verified against this pinned digital transcription file; not checked against a print edition.Source
- Iqbal Demystified source list: Bal-e-Jibril — Pinned digital dataset commit 39d44fc0c2b8ca25769c4b36e6eac4d90cb42b35; the underlying print edition is not identified by the dataset.Community dataset list; not reconciled against a print edition.Source
- Bal-e-Jibril English translation at allama-iqbal.com — — Public digital poem page, retrieved 2026-10-06; pinned to allama-iqbal.com commit 82547635bb6b758c45082084b2f152fc453a8056.Translation by Naeem Siddiqui; English Translation by: Naeem SiddiquiSource