Meaning
The lamp at dawn; a flame guttering out as morning comes, near extinction.
Literally: lamp of dawn
How Iqbal uses it
The dawn-lamp about to die is the classic emblem of a life flickering to its close; it stands for transience and the imminence of death.
See it in the verse
Charaagh-e-sehar in Iqbal’s couplets
Guzar ja aql se aage ki ye noor
Charagh-e-raah hai, manzil nahin hai
Charagh-e-raah hai, manzil nahin hai
Move on past the intellect — for this light is a lamp for the road, not the destination itself.
Self-Knowledge · Aspiration · Love
Zameer-e-laala mein roshan charagh-e-aarzu kar de
Chaman ke zarre zarre ko shaheed-e-justuju kar de
Chaman ke zarre zarre ko shaheed-e-justuju kar de
Light the lamp of longing in the heart of the tulip — and make every grain of the garden a martyr to the search.
Aspiration · Hope · Restlessness
Khudi ke saaz mein hai umr-e-javidan ka suragh
Khudi ke soz se roshan hain ummaton ke charagh
Khudi ke soz se roshan hain ummaton ke charagh
Within the music of selfhood lies the trace of an everlasting life — and it is by the burning of selfhood that the lamps of whole peoples are lit.
Selfhood · Leadership · Hope
Milega manzil-e-maqsud ka usi ko suragh
Andheri shab mein hai cheete ki aankh jis ka charagh
Andheri shab mein hai cheete ki aankh jis ka charagh
Only that traveller finds the trace of the intended destination whose lamp, in the dark night, is the eye of a leopard.
Courage · Aspiration · Self-Knowledge