Meaning
The morning star; that which comes by night and shines.
Literally: Arabic tariq: the night-comer, the bright morning star.
How Iqbal uses it
Tariq, the gleaming morning star that pierces the dark, belongs to Iqbal's dawn imagery as a herald of light, the lone brightness that announces the coming day.
See it in the verse
Tariq in Iqbal’s couplets
Mera tariq amiri nahin faqiri hai
Khudi na bech ghareebi mein naam paida kar
Khudi na bech ghareebi mein naam paida kar
My way is not wealth but inner sufficiency — do not sell your selfhood; earn your name even in poverty.
Selfhood · Freedom · Courage
Hazar khauf ho lekin zaban ho dil ki rafiq
Yahi raha hai azal se qalandaron ka tariq
Yahi raha hai azal se qalandaron ka tariq
Let there be a thousand fears, yet let the tongue stay true to the heart; this has been the way of free spirits since the beginning of time.
Courage · Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Mera tariq amiri nahin faqiri hai
Khudi na bech gharibi mein nam paida kar
Khudi na bech gharibi mein nam paida kar
My way is not wealth but a chosen poverty; do not sell your selfhood, make your name even in want.
Selfhood · Courage · Humility