Word Meaning
सफ़ा-केश
safa-kesh
Meaning
Pure-hearted, virtuous, having sincerity and purity as one's creed.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian-Arabic compound composed of 'safa' (purity, clarity) and 'kesh' (creed, habit), meaning one whose way of life is purity and honest sincerity. In Iqbal's couplet, it describes upright, pure-hearted, and pious individuals who ironically face hardship and neglect despite their nobility and talents. The poet laments why righteous and skilled souls must suffer in an otherwise beautiful world.
Etymology
Arabic 'safā' (clarity, purity) + Persian 'kēsh' (creed, way, faith).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, it is used as a noble epithet for saints, dervishes, and sincere individuals of untainted moral character.
Examples
A gathering of pure-hearted souls far from worldly deceit.
The harsh world rarely values the pure-hearted and righteous.