Meaning
Thought, reflection; also worry or concern.
How Iqbal uses it
Fresh worlds are born of fresh thought — “a new world springs from new thinking,” not from bricks and stone. But fikr can also mean anxious brooding, and he chides the heedless to spend it on what matters.
See it in the verse
Fikr in Iqbal’s couplets
Jahan-e-taza ki afkar-e-taza se hai numood
Ki sang-o-khisht se hote nahin jahan paida
Ki sang-o-khisht se hote nahin jahan paida
A new world comes into being from new thoughts — for worlds are not built out of stone and brick.
Action · Aspiration · Awakening
Watan ki fikr kar nadaan, museebat aane wali hai
Teri barbadiyon ke mashware hain aasmanon mein
Teri barbadiyon ke mashware hain aasmanon mein
Think of your homeland, you fool — calamity is on its way; the plans for your ruin are already being drawn up in the skies.
Awakening · Courage