Meaning
A sigh; a groan of pain or longing.
How Iqbal uses it
The sigh that burns and the dawn-sigh (aah-e-sahar) of the sincere believer recur in Iqbal as signs of an inflamed, living heart; the effective sigh is one charged with truth, not mere sentiment.
See it in the verse
Aah in Iqbal’s couplets
Jawanon ko meri aah-e-sahar de
Phir in shaheen bachchon ko bal-o-par de
Phir in shaheen bachchon ko bal-o-par de
Give the young my dawn-time sigh of longing — and give these falcon-children their wings and their feathers once more.
Youth · The Falcon · Aspiration
Agar kho gaya ek nasheman to kya gham
Maqamat-e-aah-o-faghan aur bhi hain
Maqamat-e-aah-o-faghan aur bhi hain
If one nest has been lost — what is there to grieve? There are other stations of sighing and lament still ahead.
Adversity · Hope · Restlessness
Na-suburi hai zindagi dil ki
Aah vo dil ki na-subur nahin
Aah vo dil ki na-subur nahin
Restlessness is the very life of the heart; alas for the heart that has lost its restlessness.
Restlessness · Aspiration
Mujhe aah-o-fughan-e-nim-shab ka phir payam aaya
Tham ai rah-rau ki shayad phir koi mushkil maqam aaya
Tham ai rah-rau ki shayad phir koi mushkil maqam aaya
The cry of the midnight again brought me its message: pause, traveller, for perhaps another hard pass has arrived.
Adversity · Courage · Awakening