Meaning
Absorbed and effaced; lost in rapt contemplation of the beloved.
Literally: erased, effaced, absorbed
How Iqbal uses it
The lover so absorbed in the beloved as to be erased from himself; the self-effacement of contemplation that the Sufi seeks before the divine face.
See it in the verse
Mahv in Iqbal’s couplets
Be-khatar kud pada aatish-e-Nimrood mein ishq
Aql hai mahv-e-tamasha-e-lab-e-baam abhi
Aql hai mahv-e-tamasha-e-lab-e-baam abhi
Love leapt fearlessly into the fire — while reason still stood on the rooftop's edge, lost in watching the spectacle.
Courage · Love · Action
Aankh jo kuchh dekhti hai lab pe aa sakta nahin
Mahv-e-hairat hoon ki duniya kya se kya ho jaegi
Mahv-e-hairat hoon ki duniya kya se kya ho jaegi
What the eye sees cannot be brought to the lips; I am lost in wonder at what this world is about to become.
Awakening · Aspiration