Meaning
The new moon, the young crescent; figuratively a sign of fresh potential.
Literally: new moon
How Iqbal uses it
The new moon carries the promise of growth in Iqbal, the slender beginning that swells toward fullness, an emblem of a people just stirring to rise.
See it in the verse
Mah-e-Nau in Iqbal’s couplets
Abhi tak aadmi sayd-e-zaboon-e-shahryari hai
Qayamat hai ki insaan nau-e-insaan ka shikari hai
Qayamat hai ki insaan nau-e-insaan ka shikari hai
Even now, the human being is the wretched prey of the rule of kings — it is a catastrophe that one human still hunts another.
Justice · Awakening
Uruj-e-adam-e-khaki se anjum sahme jaate hain
Ki ye toota hua tara mah-e-kamil na ban jaaye
Ki ye toota hua tara mah-e-kamil na ban jaaye
The stars take fright at the rise of the human being of dust — afraid that this broken star may yet become a full moon.
Aspiration · Hope · Selfhood
Mah o sitara se aage maqam hai jis ka
Wo musht-e-khak abhi aawargan-e-rah mein hai
Wo musht-e-khak abhi aawargan-e-rah mein hai
The handful of dust whose true station lies beyond moon and stars is still wandering, lost, on the road.
Aspiration · Selfhood · Awakening