Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua
Urdu Nursery Rhyme
Original Lyrics
Urdu script
لب پہ آتی ہے دعا بن کے تمنا میریزندگی شمع کی صورت ہو خدایا میری
دور دنیا کا مرے دم سے اندھیرا ہو جائےہر جگہ میرے چمکنے سے اجالا ہو جائے
ہو مرے دم سے یونہی میرے وطن کی زینتجس طرح پھول سے ہوتی ہے چمن کی زینت
زندگی ہو مری پروانے کی صورت یاربعلم کی شمع سے ہو مجھ کو محبت یارب
ہو مرا کام غریبوں کی حمایت کرنادرد مندوں سے ضعیفوں سے محبت کرنا
مرے اللہ! برائی سے بچانا مجھ کونیک جو راہ ہو اس رہ پہ چلانا مجھ کو
Romanized (pronunciation)
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meriZindagi sham‘ ki surat ho Khudaya meri
Dur duniya ka mere dam se andhera ho jaayeHar jagah mere chamakne se ujala ho jaaye
Ho mere dam se yunhi mere watan ki zinatJis tarah phul se hoti hai chaman ki zinat
Zindagi ho meri parwane ki surat ya RabIlm ki sham‘ se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya Rab
Ho mera kaam gharibon ki himayat karnaDardmandon se, za‘ifon se mohabbat karna
Mere Allah, burai se bachana mujh koNek jo rah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
English Translation
My wish comes to my lips as a prayer.O God, may my life be like a candle.
May my presence drive the darkness from the world.May my shining bring light everywhere.
May my life add beauty to my homelandJust as a flower adds beauty to a garden.
Lord, may I live like a moth.Lord, may I love the candle of knowledge.
May my work be to stand by the poorAnd to love those in pain and those who are frail.
My Allah, keep me safe from wrongdoing.Lead me along the path that is good.
History and Meaning
Muhammad Iqbal's Urdu poem Bachche Ki Dua (“A Child's Prayer”) is often known by its first words, Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua (“A prayer comes to my lips”). Recited or sung as a school prayer, it follows a child's wish to learn, help others and live well.
Why are there two candles in the poem?
First the child wants to be a candle, bringing light to others. Later the child wants to be drawn to the light, like a moth circling a flame. The candle in that verse is knowledge. The shift turns the child from someone who lights the way for others into someone who still has much to learn.
Lab means lip, dua means prayer and tamanna means wish. Sham‘ is a candle and parwana is the moth attracted to it. In the last verse, rah is a path and nek means good or virtuous.
The Urdu text follows Rekhta's edition of the poem from Bang-e-Dara. The romanisation and English meaning follow the same lines.
Lyrics from nurseryrhymes.info