Meaning
Imprisonment, confinement, or captivity; also a constraint.
Literally: imprisonment; a bond or fetter
How Iqbal uses it
Qaid is imprisonment or bondage, often paired as qaid-o-band, fetters and chains. Iqbal uses it for every confinement of the human spirit, from the colonial cage to the prison of imitation and fear. The free self in his verse strains constantly against such bonds.
See it in the verse
Qaid in Iqbal’s couplets
Tu abhi rahguzar mein hai qaid-e-maqam se guzar
Misr-o-Hijaz se guzar, Paras-o-Shaam se guzar
Misr-o-Hijaz se guzar, Paras-o-Shaam se guzar
You are still only on the road — break free of the prison of one fixed place. Pass beyond Egypt and Arabia, pass beyond Persia and Syria.
Restlessness · Aspiration · Freedom
Aazad mujh ko kar de o qaid karne wale
Main be-zaban hun qaidi tu chhod kar dua le
Main be-zaban hun qaidi tu chhod kar dua le
Set me free, you who keep me caged; I am a voiceless captive, release me and earn a blessing.
Freedom · Justice