Meaning
The cage of the body; the physical frame seen as a prison for the soul.
Literally: cage of the body
How Iqbal uses it
The body is the cage in which the soul-bird is shut; death frees the captive, and the spirit yearns to break out of the qafas.
See it in the verse
Qafas-e-tan in Iqbal’s couplets
Pani pani kar gai mujh ko qalandar ki ye baat
Tu jhuka jab ghair ke aage na man tera na tan
Tu jhuka jab ghair ke aage na man tera na tan
The wandering sage's words washed over me with shame: the moment you bow before another, neither your mind nor your body is your own.
Selfhood · Courage · Freedom
Man ki daulat hath aati hai to phir jati nahin
Tan ki daulat chhanw hai aata hai dhan jata hai dhan
Tan ki daulat chhanw hai aata hai dhan jata hai dhan
The wealth of the inner self, once gained, never leaves you again; the wealth of the body is mere shade, money comes and money goes.
Self-Knowledge · Selfhood
Nahin is khuli faza mein koi gosha-e-faraghat
Ye jahan ajab jahan hai na qafas na aashiyana
Ye jahan ajab jahan hai na qafas na aashiyana
In this open expanse there is no corner of idle rest; this is a strange world, neither a cage nor a nest.
Action · Freedom · Restlessness