Meaning
The veil over the face; the covering that hides the beloved's countenance.
Literally: veil of the face
How Iqbal uses it
The screen that keeps the radiant face from view; in mystic verse the hijaab is the very veil of appearances that hides the divine glory.
See it in the verse
Hijaab-e-rukh in Iqbal’s couplets
Ishq bhi ho hijab mein husn bhi ho hijab mein
Ya to khud aashkar ho ya mujhe aashkar kar
Ya to khud aashkar ho ya mujhe aashkar kar
Love is veiled and beauty too is veiled; either reveal yourself, or make me one who can be revealed.
Love · Self-Knowledge · Restlessness
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