Meaning
'O Lord!' — an invocation addressing God.
Literally: O Lord
See it in the verse
Ya-Rab in Iqbal’s couplets
Zindagi ho meri parwane ki surat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Let my life be like the moth's, O Lord; let me love the lamp of knowledge.
Love · Aspiration · Youth
Anokhi waza hai saare zamane se nirale hain
Ye aashiq kaun si basti ke ya-rab rahne wale hain
Ye aashiq kaun si basti ke ya-rab rahne wale hain
Their manner is singular, set apart from all the world — which town, O Lord, do these lovers belong to?
Love · Selfhood · Restlessness
Duniya ki mahfilon se ukta gaya hoon ya rab
Kya lutf anjuman ka jab dil hi bujh gaya ho
Kya lutf anjuman ka jab dil hi bujh gaya ho
I have grown weary of the world's gatherings — what pleasure is there in company when the heart itself has gone dark?
Restlessness · Self-Knowledge