1 / 25 : Featured
fikr-e-insaan ke sajaaye hue
bazaar to dekh
every shop in its own place
is a wonder to behold
look at the bazaar decorated
with concern for humanity
shop
Theme: Home, Country, & Belonging (30)
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0
1
4.1K
2 / 25 : Featured
faaltu aql mujh mein
thi hi naheen
in religious debates
i did not participate
useless smarts
i did not have in me
Theme: Religion, Reason, & Tradition (70)
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0
0
5.1K
3 / 25 : Featured
koyi nahi tera, to meri jaan,
khuda hai
with people’s indifference
don’t be dismayed, ghalib
if in the world you have none,
so be it, there is god for you
god
indifference, estranged
creation, people
disheartened, dismayed
Theme: Religion, Reason, & Tradition (70)
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0
0
2.5K
4 / 25 : Featured
kaaghaz bikhar rahe hain
puraani kitaab ke
pull yourself together
somehow
the pages of the old book
are getting scattered
2008: Kalapi Award
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0
2.5K
5 / 25 : Featured
do gaz zameen bhi na mili
kuu-e-yaar mein
how unfortunate is zafar
for his burial
couldn’t get two yards of ground
in the lane of his beloved
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (127)
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0
2
4.4K
6 / 25 : Featured
main chaahtaa huun
khafa ho to woh khafa hi lage
what a strange man
who smiles though upset inside
i wish he looks angry
when he is angry within
0
0
0
4.7K
7 / 25 : Featured
main jo urdu mein
wasiyat likhoon, beta padh le
of god, rashid has
just this small prayer
when i write my will in urdu
my son can read it
Theme: Voice, Expression, & Language (78)
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0
1
1.9K
8 / 25 : Featured
rahte rahte station par
log coolie ho jaate hain
bearing burdens is hardly a passion
it is a barter of compulsion
staying at the station
people soon become porters
2014: Sahitya Akademi
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0
0
1.9K
9 / 25 : Featured
kya noor tha ki
shama ko parvaana kar diya
when that evening she came,
unveiled, to the gathering
oh, what a glow,
that turned the flame into a moth
0
0
1
3.1K
10 / 25 : Featured
jo thak ke baith jaata
ho manzil ke saamne
shed tears for the unmet
desires of that hapless traveler
who sits tired by the road,
with his destination in sight
0
0
6
2.6K
11 / 25 : Featured
kitni zaalim hai
teri angDaayi
with both hands
you have looted me
how cruel it is when
you raise your arms to stretch
1959: Sahitya Akademi
both
rob, plunder
oppressor, tyrant
tired stretching of limbs
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (108)
0
0
6
4.7K
12 / 25 : Featured
faizaan-e-mohabbat aam sahi
irfaan-e-mohabbat aam nahin
if god doesn’t give guidance
man is not competent
grace of love is common
but not love’s enlightenment
1959: Sahitya Akademi
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0
1
4.0K
13 / 25 : Featured
hai wasl se zyaada
mazaa intezaar ka
so many kinds of unmet desires
coursing through the heart
but more fun in the waiting
than there is in the getting
1
0
1
1.9K
14 / 25 : Featured
vo kya karen jo tum se
khafa ho nahin sakte
please, at least tell us this
before you get angry
what do those people do
who can't get angry with you?
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (139)
0
0
1
4.5K
15 / 25 : Featured
aawaz-e-shikast-e-dil hi to hai
aawaz-e-shikast-e-jaam nahin
why draw needless attention to
the joy and elation inspired by wine
that sound is only of the heart breaking
not that of the (wine) goblet breaking
1959: Sahitya Akademi
0
0
1
3.4K
16 / 25 : Featured
sach puucho to 'zeb'
tabeeyat Theek naheen hoti
to pacify the heart
i try and speak smilingly, but
to tell the truth, ‘zeb’,
`don’t feel any better within
2005: Sitara-i-Imtiaz
0
0
0
3.0K
17 / 25 : Featured
agar jang laazmi hai
to phir jang hi sahi
we desire peace
but by vanquishing tyranny
if what is needed is a fight
so be it…that fight is right
0
0
0
4.9K
18 / 25 : Featured
kitne pyaare hain
mujhe chhoD ke jaane waale
those who embrace me tightly
every time we meet
how loving they are…those who
leave me behind eventually
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (139)
0
0
1
3.5K
19 / 25 : Featured
mera qalam mera saathi
mera humraaz banta raha
even during the storms of time
i kept lighting the lamp of brightness
my pen remained my friend,
my confidant all through
0
0
0
3.9K
20 / 25 : Featured
hum ne sadiyon ka
faasla dekha
between your going
and coming
i have experienced
the distance of ages
Theme: Miscellany (44)
0
0
0
4.7K
21 / 25 : Featured
aansu ki jagah
aankh se hasrat nikal aaye
if there is just one desire of the heart
maybe...it's just this
instead of tears
dreams flow from my eyes
0
0
0
4.7K
22 / 25 : Featured
magar har shakhs
tanha ja raha hai
travelers all around
travelers everywhere
but each of them
traveling alone
fellow traveler
from (that side)
person, individual
alone
Theme: Quest, Journey, & Destination (54)
1
0
0
3.9K
23 / 25 : Featured
saaf chupte bhi nahin
saamne aate bhi nahin
wearing a fine veil
sitting behind a lattice screen
neither quite concealed
nor fully revealed
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (108)
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0
1
4.0K
24 / 25 : Featured
dil har choTi si baat pe bhi
dara sa rehta
having witnessed so many
events in my life
even for small matters
my heart feels worried
Anonymous
sight, view, scene
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (127)
1
0
1
3.9K
25 / 25 : Featured
faisla waqt ke dariyaa mein
utar kar hoga
who will drown, zafar, and
who will cross to the other side
that will be decided only
after diving into the river of time
river
decision
time
sink
crossover
cross over, get off
Theme: Nature, World & Universe (50)
0
0
2
1.9K
Ashaar (couplets) on other themes
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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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