Word Meaning
फ़ाक़ा-कश
fāqa-kash
Meaning
One who endures starvation; a starving person, often possessing spiritual resilience.
Detailed Meaning
Literally refers to an individual enduring extreme poverty and prolonged hunger. In this verse by Iqbal, it designates a spiritually hardened believer whose ascetic poverty makes him fear neither death nor worldly empires. The term elevates physical deprivation into an emblem of moral resilience and unyielding faith.
Etymology
Compound of Arabic 'fāqa' (فاقة - starvation, extreme poverty) and the Persian present stem 'kash' (کش - from kashīdan, meaning to draw, bear, or endure).
Usage
In classical and modern Urdu poetry, it frequently symbolizes the noble endurance of a dervish as well as the sociopolitical plight of the impoverished.
Examples
The starving dervish rejoices in his spiritual freedom.
He endured hunger without letting his dignity falter.