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1 / 25 : Featured

hargiz raha na kaafir-o-mominse usko kaam

dil ne kiya qubuul

jab islam husn ka

it cared neither

for the infidel or the believer

when the heart embraced

the religion of beauty

Mushafi Ghulam Hamdani (6)
hargiz (1)

definitely, ever

kaafir (m) (5)

infidel, disbeliever

momin (m) (2)

religious, pious

dil (m) (115)

heart

qubuul (2)

accept, adopt

islam (m) (2)

religion

husn (m) (21)

beauty

Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (115)

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2 / 25 : Featured

qaasid ki laash aayi

khat ke jawaab mein

in my restlessness

i don’t know what i wrote to her

in reply came

the corpse of the messenger

izteraab (m) (5)

restlessness

qaasid (m) (6)

messenger, envoy

khat (f) (7)

letter

laash (f) (1)

corpse

jawaab (m) (6)

answer, reply

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3 / 25 : Featured

aap ki soorat to

dekha chaahiye

for pretty faces

you are so keen, 'asad'

you should take a look

at your face once

soorat (f) (5)

face, in the form of

khoob-ruuyon (m) (1)

pretty faces

Theme: Miscellany (44)

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4 / 25 : Featured

honTon pe latife hain

awaaz mein chaale hain

in this city,

the style of living is so strange

wit and smile on the lips

but sharp edges in the voice

2007: Padma Bhushan

2013: Sahitya Akademi Award

shahar (m) (2)

city

andaaz (m) (10)

mannerism, style

niraale (m) (2)

unique, strange, quaint

honTon (m) (2)

lips

awaaz (m) (2)

voice

chaale (m) (1)

blisters, sores

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5 / 25 : Featured

laDte hain aur haath mein

talwaar bhi naheen

who wouldn’t lay down his life,

oh god, at this innocence

she fights but without

a sword in her hand

saadgi (f) (4)

innocence, simplicity

khuda (m) (31)

god

haath (m) (13)

hand

talwaar (m) (2)

sword

Theme: Miscellany (44)

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6 / 25 : Featured

zanjeer kheench kar hi

utarna paDa mujhe

the runaway train of thoughts

is now headed somewhere else

i had to pull the chain

and get off

Zehra Shah (1)
yaadon (m) (10)

memories, thoughts

rail (m) (1)

train

zanjeer (m) (7)

shackles, chains

kheench (m) (1)

voice

utarna (m) (2)

cross over, get off

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7 / 25 : Featured

jaata kahan hai shama ko

parvaana chhoD kar

where does the heart

separate from its own desires?

where does the moth go

leaving the flame behind?

dil (m) (115)

heart

judaa (2)

separated

aarzoo (m) (18)

desire

shama (m) (5)

lamp, candle, wax

parvaana (m) (5)

moth

chhoD (8)

leave

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8 / 25 : Featured

bahut masjid mein sar maara

bahut sa DhoonDa butkhana

nowhere did i see such splendor

as i have in the confines of my heart

though i kocked my head in mosques

and searched endlessly in the temples

jalwa (m) (3)

bright, splendor

khaana (m) (5)

room, section, space

dil (m) (115)

heart

masjid (m) (8)

mosque

sar (m) (9)

front, top, head

DhoonDa (m) (1)

search

butkhana (m) (1)

temple, home of idols

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9 / 25 : Featured

aur kuchh meri miTTi mein

baghaawat bhi bahut thi

something about your weather

did not suit me well

and in my own soil, perhaps

there was too much rebellion

mausam (m) (6)

weather, season

raas (1)

suitable

miTTi (f) (3)

soil, dirt, mud

revolt, rebellion

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10 / 25 : Featured

aur us taraf tamaam

zamaana usi ka hai

until now, even i wasn’t

on my own side

and on that side

the whole world was her’s

2018: Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar

zamaana (m) (9)

world, age, days

talak (m) (4)

till

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11 / 25 : Featured

mulla, gul-e-urdu ki mehak

aur hi kuchh hai

every flower of indian literature

has a wonderful scent

but the fragrance of urdu, mulla,

is something else

bazm (m) (12)

assembly, gathering

adab (m) (1)

culture

hind (m) (1)

india

gul (m) (22)

flower

khushbu (f) (11)

fragrance

mehak (m) (2)

fragrance, scent

2

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12 / 25 : Featured

kuchh sitaare mire seene

mein samaaye hue hai abhi

some stars are

twinkling in my eyes

some others are

gathered in my heart

sitaare (m) (2)

stars

palkon (m) (1)

eyelids

seene (m) (8)

heart, chest

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13 / 25 : Featured

tere labon pe mere lab hon

aisa kab hoga

in this world, my beloved,

everything can happen

but my lips on yours

when will that happen?

1987: Sahitya Akademi

2008: Jnanpith

lab (m) (19)

lip, lips

jahaan (m) (17)

world, universe

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14 / 25 : Featured

jab unko ye pata chalega

tum federer ko dekha tha

generations to come will

remember you, my fellows

when they come to know

that you have seen federer

sadiyan (f) (2)

generations, ages

yaad (m) (36)

memory, remember

humasron (m) (1)

contemporaries

pata (m) (5)

address, whereabouts

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15 / 25 : Featured

yoon to har mod pe

manzil ka gumaan hota hai

for the seeker

the journey never ends

though at every turn

the delusion of destination

manzil (f) (24)

goal, destination

safar (m) (27)

journey, travel

justajoo (m) (1)

quest, longing

gumaan (m) (5)

suspicion, doubt

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16 / 25 : Featured

rind ka saaqi ka mae ka

khum ka paemaane ka naam

may god (or critics) be blessed

it is because of them

the drunkard, wine-pourer, wine

cask and goblet have gained fame

mohtaseeb (m) (1)

inspectorofvirtue

khair (m) (1)

welfare, good, well

rind (m) (2)

free-spirited reveler

saaqi (f) (11)

wine-pourer, bartender

mae (m) (1)

wine

Theme: Miscellany (44)

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17 / 25 : Featured

hai is mein ek tilism

tamanna kahen jise

the thoughts of a dream

that which we call the world

in this there is a spell

that which we call desire

khayaal (m) (16)

thoughts

khwaab (m) (16)

dream

tamanna (m) (13)

wish, desire

tilism (m) (4)

spell, magic

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18 / 25 : Featured

aare daleel-e-raah-e-haqeeqat

majaaz hai

without word, meaning is not

within mind’s reach

certainly, abstraction is the

beacon in the path of truth

maani (f) (4)

meaning

dark (m) (1)

understanding

lafz (m) (6)

word, syllable

aare (m) (1)

certainly, without doubt

raah (m) (24)

street, path

haqeeqat (f) (7)

reality, fact

majaaz (m) (1)

abstraction

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19 / 25 : Featured

mere andar jo na tha

us ko bayaan main ne kiya

all my efforts and strivings

i have rendered futile

i tried giving expression to

what is not within me

kaavishon (m) (1)

efforts, endeavors

raaegaan (m) (1)

futile, in vain

bayaan (f) (8)

narration, declaration

Theme: Miscellany (44)

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20 / 25 : Featured

toofan se laDne mein

mazaa aur hi kuchh hai

who will refuse

the comfort of a safe shore

but the joy of fighting a storm

is something else

1974: Sahitya Akademi Award

1991: Ghalib Award, Padma Bhushan

sukoon (m) (7)

comfort, peace

mazaa (m) (5)

fun, delight

saahil (m) (5)

shore, coast

inkaar (m) (6)

rejection, refusal

toofan (m) (9)

storm, cyclone

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21 / 25 : Featured

kaash tujh ko bhi

ek jhalak dekhun

for how long will i see you

in dreams and dreams alone

if only i could see you

for real even if for a moment

khwaab (m) (16)

dream

jhalak (m) (1)

moment, glimpse

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22 / 25 : Featured

be-matlab baaton

se achchhi khaamoshi

better than pointless get-togethers

is solitude

better than meaningless talk

is silence

maqsad (m) (2)

goal

mehfil (f) (17)

gathering, concert

behtar (5)

better

tanhaai (f) (12)

solitude, loneliness

matlab (m) (2)

meaning / concern

khaamoshi (f) (4)

silence

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23 / 25 : Featured

zara si der mein

kya ho gaya zamaane ko

after burying me, they walked away

without a greeting or a prayer

what has happened to the world

in such a short time

dabaa (2)

bury, suppress

qabr (m) (4)

grave, tomb

sab (15)

all

chal (5)

moving, walking

dua (m) (11)

blessing, prayer

salaam (m) (5)

greeting, farewell

zamaane (m) (10)

in the world

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24 / 25 : Featured

saare jahaan ka dard

hamaare jigar mein hai

dagger plunges into someone

and i am the one to suffer, ameer

the pain of the whole world

is gathered in my heart

khanjar (m) (5)

dagger

jahaan (m) (17)

world, universe

dard (m) (22)

pain

jigar (m) (8)

heart

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25 / 25 : Featured

mujhe ek raat nawaaz de

magar is ke baad sahar na ho

sometimes, come to my eyes

without my sight knowing

grant me the favor of one night

that doesn’t have a dawn

1999: Sahitya Akademi

1999: Padma Shri

sahar (f) (8)

dawn

nazar (f) (35)

perspective, sight

khabar (f) (13)

news, awareness

nawaaz (m) (3)

cherishing, comforting

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Ashaar (couplets) on other themes

Beauty, Charm, & Union (115)

Ashaar (couplets) by others

Shahryar (12)

Alfaaz Ki Mehfil is a curated space for timeless poetry celebrating words, emotions, and the enduring beauty of expression. From classic Urdu couplets to modern reflections, it brings together generations of poetic voices that speak of love, longing, hope, and the human soul.

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