Meaning
A hidden sigh; a sigh suppressed and kept secret.
Literally: hidden sigh
How Iqbal uses it
The aah-e-niha escapes the lover against his will, the one confession his pride cannot wholly silence.
See it in the verse
Aah-e-Niha in Iqbal’s couplets
Khudi ka sirr-e-nihan La Ilaha Illallah
Khudi hai taeg fasan La Ilaha Illallah
Khudi hai taeg fasan La Ilaha Illallah
The hidden secret of the self is 'There is no god but God'; the self is the sword, and that declaration is the whetstone that sharpens it.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Courage
Agar kho gaya ek nasheman to kya gham
Maqamat-e-aah-o-fughan aur bhi hain
Maqamat-e-aah-o-fughan aur bhi hain
If one nest is lost, why grieve? There are other stations of sighs and laments still ahead.
Restlessness · Hope · Adversity
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-fughan aur bhi hain
Maqamat-e-aah-o-fughan aur bhi hain
If one nest is lost, why grieve? There are other stations of sighs and laments still ahead.
Restlessness · Hope · Adversity
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