Meaning
The sword of cruelty; the blade with which the beloved wounds the lover.
Literally: sword of oppression
How Iqbal uses it
The beloved's cruelty pictured as a drawn sword; the lover bares his breast to the tegh-e-jafaa, counting the wound a mark of favour.
See it in the verse
Tegh-e-jafaa in Iqbal’s couplets
Nazar nahin to mere halqa-e-sukhan mein na baith
Ki nukta-ha-e-khudi hain misal-e-tegh-e-asil
Ki nukta-ha-e-khudi hain misal-e-tegh-e-asil
If you have no vision, do not sit in my circle of speech — for the subtleties of selfhood are like a sword of true steel.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Courage
Ishq ki tegh-e-jigar-dar uda li kis ne
Ilm ke haath mein khali hai niyam ai saqi
Ilm ke haath mein khali hai niyam ai saqi
Who has carried off love's brave, heart-piercing sword? Knowledge holds only an empty scabbard now.
Love · Action · Courage
Zara taqdir ki gahraiyon mein dub ja tu bhi
Ki is jangah se main ban ke tegh-e-be-niyam aaya
Ki is jangah se main ban ke tegh-e-be-niyam aaya
Plunge, you too, into the depths of destiny; from that battlefield I emerged as a drawn, unsheathed sword.
Courage · Action · Adversity