Meaning
One who rises at dawn; an early riser.
Literally: dawn-rising
How Iqbal uses it
The dawn-riser embodies Iqbal's prized wakefulness, the soul that greets the morning of awakening early while others sleep on in the night of heedlessness.
See it in the verse
Sahar-Khez in Iqbal’s couplets
Jawanon ko meri aah-e-sahar de
Phir in shaheen bachchon ko bal-o-par de
Phir in shaheen bachchon ko bal-o-par de
Give the young my dawn-time sigh of longing — and give these falcon-children their wings and their feathers once more.
Youth · The Falcon · Aspiration
Khudi mein doob ja ghafil, ye sirr-e-zindagani hai
Nikal kar halqa-e-shaam-o-sahar se javedan ho ja
Nikal kar halqa-e-shaam-o-sahar se javedan ho ja
Dive into your selfhood, O heedless one — this is the secret of life. Step out of the ring of evening and morning, and become everlasting.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Awakening
Digar-gun hai jahan taron ki gardish tez hai saqi
Dil-e-har-zarra mein ghaugha-e-rusta-khez hai saqi
Dil-e-har-zarra mein ghaugha-e-rusta-khez hai saqi
The world is changing, the wheeling of the stars is swift; in the heart of every atom there is the tumult of a rising.
Awakening · Hope · Restlessness
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
Zamistani hawa mein garche thi shamshir ki tezi
Na chhute mujh se london mein bhi aadab-e-sahar-khezi
Na chhute mujh se london mein bhi aadab-e-sahar-khezi
Though the winter wind cut like the edge of a sword, even in London I never let go of the discipline of rising at dawn.
Action · Courage · Self-Knowledge