Meaning
Reason, prudence, the wise intellect (the Persian counterpart of aql).
How Iqbal uses it
Carries the same warning as aql. Khirad has nothing but “khabar” — information, report, hearsay; the cure for the self is “nazar,” direct sight, which reason can never supply. The prudent mind asks whether a thing is safe; love asks whether it is worth everything.
See it in the verse
Khirad in Iqbal’s couplets
Khirad-mandon se kya poochun ki meri ibtida kya hai
Ki main is fikr mein rahta hoon, meri inteha kya hai
Ki main is fikr mein rahta hoon, meri inteha kya hai
Why should I ask the wise where I began? The question that occupies me is: what is the end I am headed toward?
Self-Knowledge · Aspiration · Selfhood
Khirad ke pas khabar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Tera ilaj nazar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Tera ilaj nazar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Reason holds nothing but information; your true cure is nothing but vision.
Self-Knowledge · Awakening