Meaning
A martyr; one who dies for the faith or a noble cause.
Literally: witness; martyr
How Iqbal uses it
A shaheed is one slain for a sacred cause, literally a 'witness' whose death testifies to a truth. Iqbal lifts martyrdom far above mere death in battle: the shaheed's blood waters the field of a people's renewal, and a life staked on conviction outweighs centuries of safe, servile breathing. Martyrdom in his verse is the supreme proof that the self has mastered the fear of death.
See it in the verse
Shaheed in Iqbal’s couplets
Zameer-e-laala mein roshan charagh-e-aarzu kar de
Chaman ke zarre zarre ko shaheed-e-justuju kar de
Chaman ke zarre zarre ko shaheed-e-justuju kar de
Light the lamp of longing in the heart of the tulip — and make every grain of the garden a martyr to the search.
Aspiration · Hope · Restlessness
Mire khaak o khun se tu ne ye jahan kiya hai paida
Sila-e-shahid kya hai tab-o-tab-e-javedana
Sila-e-shahid kya hai tab-o-tab-e-javedana
From my dust and my blood you have brought this world into being; and the reward of the one who gives himself is an everlasting glow.
Selfhood · Action · Aspiration
Related words
ARABIC
Shahadat
Witnessing, testimony; the realm of the seen as opposed to the unseen; also martyrdom.
ARABIC
Ghazi
A warrior for the faith; a victorious champion in holy war.
ARABIC
Jihad
Struggle or striving, especially in the way of God; effort against evil, within or without.
ARABIC
Fatah
Victory or conquest; the taking of a place.
PERSIAN
Khoon
Blood.