Meaning
Wave; a surge or swell.
How Iqbal uses it
The living restlessness of the deep. He wants his sea to carry turbulence “in its waves,” and trusts a boat of rose-leaf to cross “the struggle of a thousand waves.” No river can stay a stranger to its own mauj.
See it in the verse
Mauj in Iqbal’s couplets
Khuda tujhe kisi toofan se aashna kar de
Ki tere bahr ki maujon mein iztirab nahin
Ki tere bahr ki maujon mein iztirab nahin
May God acquaint you with some storm — for the waves of your sea carry no restlessness in them.
Restlessness · Adversity
Safina-e-barg-e-gul bana lega qafila mor-e-na-tawan ka
Hazar maujon ki ho kashakash magar ye dariya se par hoga
Hazar maujon ki ho kashakash magar ye dariya se par hoga
The caravan of feeble ants will make a boat of a rose petal; though a thousand waves clash against it, this boat will cross the river.
Hope · Courage · Unity