Meaning
The prison of life; earthly existence felt as a confinement.
Literally: captivity of life
How Iqbal uses it
Life is figured as a jail from which death is release; the famous pairing is 'qaid-e-hayaat o band-e-gham', the bondage of living and the fetter of grief.
See it in the verse
Qaid-e-hayaat in Iqbal’s couplets
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, naqsh-gar-e-haadsat
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, asl-e-hayat-o-mamat
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, asl-e-hayat-o-mamat
The chain of day and night is the sculptor of all events; the chain of day and night is the root of life and of death.
Action · Self-Knowledge
Khudi kya hai raaz-e-darun-e-hayat
Khudi kya hai bedaari-e-kaayenat
Khudi kya hai bedaari-e-kaayenat
What is selfhood? The secret hidden inside life. What is selfhood? The waking-up of the whole universe.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Awakening
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
Siina raushan ho to hai soz-e-sukhan ain-e-hayat
Ho na raushan to sukhan marg-e-davam ai saqi
Ho na raushan to sukhan marg-e-davam ai saqi
If the heart is lit within, the fire in one's words is life itself; if it is unlit, those words are a lasting death.
Self-Knowledge · Action · Love
Sai-e-paiham hai taraazu-e-kam-o-kaif-e-hayat
Teri mizan hai shumar-e-sahar-o-sham abhi
Teri mizan hai shumar-e-sahar-o-sham abhi
Ceaseless striving is the true scale for the measure and quality of a life; you, so far, still weigh life by the count of mornings and evenings.
Action · Aspiration · Restlessness