Meaning
Falsehood, vanity, that which is null and void.
How Iqbal uses it
Batil is falsehood set against the Truth. Iqbal's verse rings with the certainty that batil, however mighty it seems, is hollow and must fall before the living power of haqq.
See it in the verse
Batil in Iqbal’s couplets
Ho halqa-e-yaaran to bresham ki tarah narm
Razm-e-haq-o-baatil ho to faulad hai momin
Razm-e-haq-o-baatil ho to faulad hai momin
Among friends, the man of faith is soft as silk; in the battle of truth against falsehood, he is steel.
Courage · Selfhood · Justice
Baatil se dabne wale ai aasman nahin ham
Sau baar kar chuka hai tu imtihan hamara
Sau baar kar chuka hai tu imtihan hamara
We are not the kind to be crushed by falsehood, O sky; a hundred times already you have tested us.
Courage · Adversity