Recitation
تخلّص کا کھیل ۔ ظلمِ بُتاں ۔ مومن خاں مومن
۱
مومنؔ ایماں قبول دِل سے مجھے
وہ بُت آزُردہ گر نہ ہو جائے
۲
ترکِ صنم بھی کم نہیں سوزِ جحیم سے
مومنؔ غمِ مآل کا آغاز دیکھنا
۳
کہا اُس بُت سے مرتا ہوں تو مومنؔ
کہا میں کیا کروں مرضی خدا کی
۴
کیوں سنے عرضِ مُضطر اے مومنؔ
صنم آخر خدا نہیں ہوتا
۵
شکوہ کرتا ہے بے نیازی کا
تو نے مومنؔ بُتوں کو کیا جانا
۶
ہوں جاں بہ لب بُتانِ ستمگر کے ہاتھ سے
کیا سب جہاں میں جیتے ہیں مومنؔ اسی طرح
۷
ہوا مسلماں میں اور ڈر سے، نہ درسِ واعظ کو سُن کے مومن
بنی تھی دوزخ بلا سے بنتی، عذابِ ہجرِ سنم نہ ہوتا
۸
مومن تو مُدّتوں سے ہوۓ پر بقولِ درد
دِل سے نہیں گیا ہے خیالِ بُتاں ہنوز
۹
یہی دین اگر ہے تو چھوڑ دو، طرف اُس سنم کے نہ رُخ کرو
جسے مومن آپ کے واسطے، ہے مثالِ قِبلہ نُما قلق
तख़ल्लुस का खेल-ज़ुल्म-ए बुतां – मोमिन ख़ान मोमिन
१
मोमिन इमां क़ुबूल दिल से मुझे
वो बुत आज़ुर्दा गर न हो जाए
२
तर्क-ए सनम भी कम नहीं सोज़-ए जहीम से
मोमिन ग़म-ए म’आल का आग़ाज़ देखना
३
कहा उस बुत से मरता हूँ तो मोमिन
कहा मैं क्या करूँ, मर्ज़ी ख़ुदा की
४
क्यूं सुने अर्ज़-ए मुज़्तर अए मोमिन
सनम आख़िर ख़ुदा नहीं होता
५
शिकवा करता है बे-नियाज़ी का
तू ने मोमिन बुतौं को क्या जाना
६
हूं जां ब-लब बुतान-ए सितमगर के हाथ से
क्या सब जहां में जीते हैं मोमिन इसी तरह
७
हुआ मुसलमां मैं और डर से, न दर्स-ए वा’एज़ को सुन के मोमिन
बनी थी दोज़ख़ बला से बनती, अज़ाब-ए हिज्र-ए सनम न होता
८
मोमिन तो मुद्दतौं से हुए पर बक़ौल-ए दर्द
दिल से नहीं गया है ख़याल-ए बुतां हुनूज़
९
यही दीं अगर है तो छोड़ दो, तरफ़ उस सनम के न रुख़ करो
जिसे मोमिन आपके वास्ते, है मिसाल-ए क़िब्ला नुमा क़लक़
taKhallus ka khel – zulm-e butaaN – momin KhaaN momin
Click here for overall comments and on any she’r for word meanings and discussion.‘momin’ is a pious person. momin KhaaN momin makes excellent use of his name and pen-name to write with intertwined double meanings, sometimes making fun of or being sarcastic about orthodoxy, implying that the beloved is cross with a pious person, claiming to be righteous and pious because of his name and many others. The collection in this post is where the beloved is being cruel to a pious man – momin.
1
momin imaaN1 qubool2 dil se mujhe
vo but3 aazurda4 gar5 na ho jaaye1.faith (in god) 2.acceptable 3.idol, beloved 4.offended 5.if
momin (name/taKhallus of the poet/lover also means believer/orthodox) I would gladly accept faith in god, if the beloved were not offended. In other words, momin treats the beloved as god and she thinks of god as a rival and wants all attention to herself.
2
tark1-e sanam2 bhi kam nahiN soz3-e jahim4 se
momin Gham-e-ma’al5 ka aaGhaz6 dekhna1.abandonment 2.beloved 3.fire of 4.hell 5.result of pain (of love) 6.beginning
Abandonment by the beloved is no less than the fire of hell. This is only the beginning, wait until you see the result of the pain of love, O momin.
3
kaha us but se marta huN to momin
kaha maiN kya karuN, marzi1 Khuda ki1.will, wish, decree
I am dying (of love for you), I told her, O momin. She (shrugged her shoulders and) said, what can I do, it is god’s will.
4
kyuN sune arz1-e muztar2 aye momin
sanam3 aaKhir4 Khuda nahiN hota1.appeal 2.distressed, desperate 3.idol 4.after all
There is an interesting implication. Normally, poets bemoan that god does not hear them. Here, it is even more difficult to get the beloved to hear the appeal of the desperate lover – after all, she is not like god.
5
shikwa1 karta hai be-niyaazi2 ka
tu ne momin butauN ko kya jaana1.complaint 2.inattention, indifference
What else but indifference can you expect from the beloved. This momin must be a novice, he does not know the nature of the beloved, therefore he complains of the beloved’s indifference. In much the same vein mir taqi mir wrote ….
raah-e duur-e ishq meN rota hai kya
aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya
6
huN jaaN-ba-lab1 butaan-e-sitamgar2 ke haath se
kya sub jahaaN3 meN jeete haiN momin isi tarah1.life hanging on the lips, last breath 2.cruel beloved 3.world
O momin, I am on my last breath at the hands of the cruelty of the beloved. Does everyone in this world live like this.
7
hua musalmaaN maiN aur Dar se, na dars1-e va’ez2 ko sun ke momin
bani thi dozaKh3 balaa4 se banti, azaab5-e hijr6-e sanam7 na hota1.lesson of 2.preacher 3.hell 4.idiomatically ‘I don’t care’ 5.curse of 6.separation from 7.beloved
I did not become muslim out of fear (of hell) nor did I become a momin because of the teachings of the preacher. I don’t care about/fear hell. I only wish there was not this curse of separation from the beloved.
8
momin1 to muddatauN2 se hue par ba-qaul3-e dard4
dil se nahiN gaya hai Khyaal-e-butaaN5 hunooz6 1.believer, pious (also the name and taKhallus of the poet) 2.for a long time 3.in the words of 4.dard – Khwaja mir dard, a well known poet slightly before momin 5.thoughts of the beloved 6.still
The second misra is a direct quote from Khwaja mir dard. You have been a believer/pious for a long time, but in the words of Khwaja mir dard, the thoughts of the beloved have not left your heart yet.
9
yahi deeN1 agar hai to chhoR do, taraf2 us sanam ke na ruKh3 karo
jise momin aap ke vaaste4, hai misaal5-e qibla-numa6 qalaq7 1.faith 2.towards 3.face 4.for, for the sake of 5.similar to, like 6.direction of qibla (ka’aba towards which namaz is performed), focus 7.restlessness, distress, pain
There are sufi undertones in this. For the true believer, there is no pain/distress in love. Pain and distress are not the goal, only the way to the goal – love and unity with the beloved. So, O believer (momin) if for you, qalaq/distress is like the qibla/focus, then leave this faith. Do not turn towards such a sanam/idol/beloved/god. Get beyond pain.
taKhallus ka khel – zulm-e butaaN – momin KhaaN momin
‘momin’ is a pious person. momin KhaaN momin makes excellent use of his name and pen-name to write with intertwined double meanings, sometimes making fun of or being sarcastic about orthodoxy, implying that the beloved is cross with a pious person, claiming to be righteous and pious because of his name and many others. The collection in this post is where the beloved is being cruel to a pious man – momin.
1
momin imaaN1 qubool2 dil se mujhe
vo but3 aazurda4 gar5 na ho jaaye
1.faith (in god) 2.acceptable 3.idol, beloved 4.offended 5.if
momin (name/taKhallus of the poet/lover also means believer/orthodox) I would gladly accept faith in god, if the beloved were not offended. In other words, momin treats the beloved as god and she thinks of god as a rival and wants all attention to herself.
2
tark1-e sanam2 bhi kam nahiN soz3-e jahim4 se
momin Gham-e-ma’al5 ka aaGhaz6 dekhna
1.abandonment 2.beloved 3.fire of 4.hell 5.result of pain (of love) 6.beginning
Abandonment by the beloved is no less than the fire of hell. This is only the beginning, wait until you see the result of the pain of love, O momin.
3
kaha us but se marta huN to momin
kaha maiN kya karuN, marzi1 Khuda ki
1.will, wish, decree
I am dying (of love for you), I told her, O momin. She (shrugged her shoulders and) said, what can I do, it is god’s will.
4
kyuN sune arz1-e muztar2 aye momin
sanam3 aaKhir4 Khuda nahiN hota
1.appeal 2.distressed, desperate 3.idol 4.after all
There is an interesting implication. Normally, poets bemoan that god does not hear them. Here, it is even more difficult to get the beloved to hear the appeal of the desperate lover – after all, she is not like god.
5
shikwa1 karta hai be-niyaazi2 ka
tu ne momin butauN ko kya jaana
1.complaint 2.inattention, indifference
What else but indifference can you expect from the beloved. This momin must be a novice, he does not know the nature of the beloved, therefore he complains of the beloved’s indifference. In much the same vein mir taqi mir wrote ….
raah-e duur-e ishq meN rota hai kya
aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya
6
huN jaaN-ba-lab1 butaan-e-sitamgar2 ke haath se
kya sub jahaaN3 meN jeete haiN momin isi tarah
1.life hanging on the lips, last breath 2.cruel beloved 3.world
O momin, I am on my last breath at the hands of the cruelty of the beloved. Does everyone in this world live like this.
7
hua musalmaaN maiN aur Dar se, na dars1-e va’ez2 ko sun ke momin
bani thi dozaKh3 balaa4 se banti, azaab5-e hijr6-e sanam7 na hota
1.lesson of 2.preacher 3.hell 4.idiomatically ‘I don’t care’ 5.curse of 6.separation from 7.beloved
I did not become muslim out of fear (of hell) nor did I become a momin because of the teachings of the preacher. I don’t care about/fear hell. I only wish there was not this curse of separation from the beloved.
8
momin1 to muddatauN2 se hue par ba-qaul3-e dard4
dil se nahiN gaya hai Khyaal-e-butaaN5 hunooz6
1.believer, pious (also the name and taKhallus of the poet) 2.for a long time 3.in the words of 4.dard – Khwaja mir dard, a well known poet slightly before momin 5.thoughts of the beloved 6.still
The second misra is a direct quote from Khwaja mir dard. You have been a believer/pious for a long time, but in the words of Khwaja mir dard, the thoughts of the beloved have not left your heart yet.
9
yahi deeN1 agar hai to chhoR do, taraf2 us sanam ke na ruKh3 karo
jise momin aap ke vaaste4, hai misaal5-e qibla-numa6 qalaq7
1.faith 2.towards 3.face 4.for, for the sake of 5.similar to, like 6.direction of qibla (ka’aba towards which namaz is performed), focus 7.restlessness, distress, pain
There are sufi undertones in this. For the true believer, there is no pain/distress in love. Pain and distress are not the goal, only the way to the goal – love and unity with the beloved. So, O believer (momin) if for you, qalaq/distress is like the qibla/focus, then leave this faith. Do not turn towards such a sanam/idol/beloved/god. Get beyond pain.
Key Search Words: selected ash’aar couplets cruelty of the beloved romance love beloved
