Meaning
Prostration; the act of worship, bowing the forehead to the ground.
How Iqbal uses it
One true, freely-given prostration to God liberates a man from a thousand servile bows to men. The sajda you think a burden is in fact what frees you.
See it in the verse
Sajda in Iqbal’s couplets
Ye ek sajda jise tu garaan samajhta hai
Hazaar sajde se deta hai aadmi ko nijaat
Hazaar sajde se deta hai aadmi ko nijaat
This one act of devotion, which you find so heavy to make — it frees a person from a thousand servile bowings.
Freedom · Selfhood
Kabhi ae haqeeqat-e-muntazar nazar aa libas-e-majaz mein
Ki hazaron sajde tadap rahe hain meri jabeen-e-niyaz mein
Ki hazaron sajde tadap rahe hain meri jabeen-e-niyaz mein
O long-awaited Truth, show Yourself once in the garb of the visible — for a thousand prostrations quiver in this humble, waiting brow.
Love · Aspiration · Restlessness