Meaning
The heavens, the celestial spheres (plural of falak).
Literally: Arabic plural of falak: the multiple revolving spheres of the old cosmos.
See it in the verse
Aflaak in Iqbal’s couplets
Aflak se hai is ki hareefana kashakash
Khaki hai magar khak se azad hai momin
Khaki hai magar khak se azad hai momin
His struggle is a rivalry with the very heavens; made of dust, yet the man of faith is free of the dust.
Aspiration · Selfhood · Freedom
Aflaak se aata hai naalon ka javaab aakhir
Karte hain khitaab aakhir uThte hain hijaab aakhir
Karte hain khitaab aakhir uThte hain hijaab aakhir
At last the skies answer the cries that rise to them; at last the veils lift and the silence breaks into speech.
Hope · Action · Aspiration
Sitara kya meri taqdir ki khabar dega
Wo khud farakhi-e-aflak mein hai khwar o zubun
Wo khud farakhi-e-aflak mein hai khwar o zubun
What can a star tell me of my destiny? It is itself helpless and lowly in the vast reach of the skies.
Selfhood · Freedom · Courage