Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. munshi bishweshwar prasad munavvar lakhnavi (1897-1970). He was a scholar of arabi, faarsi, urdu, and hindi. His father, munshi dwarka prasad ufaq was also a great poet who recomposed the ramayan in urdu using the same qaafiya for more than 6000 ash’aar. He himself re-composed the bhagwad gita in chaste urdu. He credits urdu with “saving the hindu religion” because of the many translations of hindu religious texts into urdu because that was the language that more north Indian hindus could relate to, rather than avadhi or sanskrit. This is a segment of a longer musaddas that he composed as a tribute to husain, grandson of mohammed who was martyred in karbala.
1
nigaah¹-e yazdaaN² meN Khaas³ azmat⁴, shahiid⁵-e aazam⁶ husain ki hai
jo hai shahaadat⁷ to bas shahaadat, shahiid-e aazam husain ki hai    1.eyes 2.god 3.special 4.greatness, respect 5.martyr 6.great 7.martyrdom
In the eyes of god there is a special respect for the greatest martyr, husain. If there is a martyrdom, then it is the martyrdom of the greatest martyr, husain.
2
hai azm¹ shaahed², yaqiin³ shaahed, hai karbala ki zamiin shaahed
jo hai shujaa’at⁴ to bas shujaa’at, shahiid-e aazam husain ki hai     1.steadfast determination 2.witness 3.faith, belief (in god) 4.courage
Steadfast determination itself bears witness, faith bears witness and the land of karbala bears witness that if there is courage it is the courage of the greatest martyr, husain.
3
veGha¹ meN farq²-e namaaz Kham³ hai, nahiN jhuka sar ye zer⁴-e Khanjar⁵
jo hai ibaadat⁶ to bas ibaadat, shahiid-e aazam husain ki hai    1.war 2.head 3.bowed 4.under 5.knife 6.prayer, namaaz
In the middle of war, his head is bowed in prayer to god, the head which refused to bow to the knife. If there is namaaz, then it is the namaaz of the greeatest martyr, husain. To see the same kind of thought also see jagan nath azad, asl-e ibaadat. https://urdushahkar.org/asl-e-ibaadat-azad/.
4
na ab ye mahduud¹ hai arab tak, na ab ye mahduud hai ajam² tak
tamaam³ duniya meN aaj azmat⁴, shahiid-e aazam husain ki hai    1.limited, confined 2.area surrounding arabia 3.all, whole 4.greatness
It is not limited to arabatan. Neither is it limited to the surrounding lands. Today, the fame and greatness that is spread all over the world is the greatness of the greatest martyr, husain.
5
lagaaye seene se kyuN na is ko, hai jis ke pahlu¹ meN dil munavvar²
ke Gham to ek be-bahaa³ amaanat⁴, shahiid-e aazam husain ki hai     1.side, bosom 2.pen-name of the poet, shining (with the spirit of truth) 3.invaluable 4.trust given for safekeeping
Why should they not hold it tight to their bosom, those who have (loving) heart, O, munavvar – and this has a wonderful double meaning – those who have a heart that shines with the spirit of truth, because the pain and sorrow of the martyrdom of husain is an invaluable trust given to us by the greatest martyr, husain.