Meaning
A thorn-field; a tract overgrown with thorns and brambles.
Literally: thorn-place
How Iqbal uses it
The khaar-zaar is the garden's opposite, the wasteland of difficulty the seeker must cross; Iqbal makes the very thorns a test through which the resolute self proves and tempers itself.
See it in the verse
Khaar-zaar in Iqbal’s couplets
Khudi ko na de seem-o-zar ke ewaz
Nahin shola dete sharar ke ewaz
Nahin shola dete sharar ke ewaz
Do not trade away your selfhood for silver and gold — no one hands over a blazing flame in exchange for a mere spark.
Selfhood · Freedom · Courage
Ye aql o dil hain sharar shola-e-mohabbat ke
Wo khar-o-khas ke liye hai ye nistan ke liye
Wo khar-o-khas ke liye hai ye nistan ke liye
Both intellect and heart are sparks of the flame of love — one is meant for thorns and straw, the other for a whole reed-bed.
Love · Self-Knowledge · Action