Meaning
To provoke trouble and then watch the fallout for amusement.
Literally: to light a fire and watch the show
See it in the verse
Aag lagakar tamasha dekhna in Iqbal’s couplets
Aaj bhi ho jo Baraheem ka iman paida
Aag kar sakti hai andaz-e-gulistan paida
Aag kar sakti hai andaz-e-gulistan paida
Even today, if the faith of Abraham were born again, the fire itself could be made to bloom like a garden.
Courage · Adversity · Hope
Be-khatar kud pada aatish-e-Nimrood mein ishq
Aql hai mahv-e-tamasha-e-lab-e-baam abhi
Aql hai mahv-e-tamasha-e-lab-e-baam abhi
Love leapt fearlessly into the fire — while reason still stood on the rooftop's edge, lost in watching the spectacle.
Courage · Love · Action
Aag bujhi hui idhar TuuTi hui tanab udhar
Kya khabar is maqam se guzre hain kitne kaarvaan
Kya khabar is maqam se guzre hain kitne kaarvaan
A dead fire on one side, a snapped tent-rope on the other; who knows how many caravans have passed through this place.
Restlessness · Humility · Self-Knowledge
Zahir ki aankh se na tamasha kare koi
Ho dekhna to dida-e-dil va kare koi
Ho dekhna to dida-e-dil va kare koi
Let no one watch the spectacle with the outward eye alone; if you would truly see, open the eye of the heart.
Self-Knowledge · Awakening