Word Meaning
अल-अमाँ
al-amān
Meaning
Mercy!, grant quarter; an exclamation pleading for protection, safety, or refuge.
Detailed Meaning
An Arabic exclamation literally meaning 'the safety' or 'grant quarter', invoked when overwhelmed by terror, majesty, or intense passion. In Iqbal's couplet, the fervent longing of the speaker causes such an uproar that cries for refuge ('al-amān') echo through the temple of divine attributes. It signifies utter helplessness and awe before an irresistible force.
Etymology
Arabic: 'al-' (the definite article) + 'amān' (safety, protection, from the root '-m-n').
Usage
Commonly used in ghazal and qasida as an exclamation of awe, submission, or dread before the overwhelming beauty or wrath of the beloved or the divine.
Examples
From the fury of the tempest, every soul cried al-aman.
Such was the splendour of the glance that cries of al-aman arose.