Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. shahed (1944-living), retired engineer, unschooled in urdu, maintains this website as an effort to learn. Indulges in writing verse.
1
jo kaaTta hai gardan-e shaahaan¹-e haq-shikan²
apne rag-e-gulu³ ko vo Khanjar bana diya (josh malihabadi)     1.kings, emperors 2.truth/justice breaking/violating 3.vein of the neck, jugular
In the narrative of karbala and in josh’s writings the jugular vein of husain is portrayed as the sharp knife that cut the dagger with which he was beheaded. Thus husains martyrdom and beheading turns the tables on kings/emperors and cuts their head off. This she’r is quoted from josh malihabadi.
2
bai’at-talab¹ yazeed ka inkaar² jo kiya
yuN raah-e-haq³ ki maut ka jalva⁴ dikha diya   1.homage demanding 2.refusal 3.path of truth/justice 4.manifestation
yazeed demanded that husain accept his legitimacy and pay homage. While offering peaceful alternatives, husain refused to pay homage in the face of certain death. This was a demonstration of the courage to face death in the path of truth/justice.
3
sairaab¹ kar ke tishnagi²-e fauj-e-adu³ ko
insaaniyat⁴ ki auj⁵ ka chehra dikha diya   1.satiate 2.thirst 3.army of the enemy 4.humanity, humanism 5.apex, peak
husain and his caravan were on their way to kufa with yazid’s large army following them. The sent an advance party under a commander by the name of ‘hur’ to stop husain and his followers. The advance party rode fast to catch up and when they did, they were hungry and thirsty and very vulnerable. Instead of finishing them off, husain offered them water and nourishment demonstrating the apex of humanism.
4
gul¹ kar ke sham’a Khaime² meN aashoor³ ki shab⁴ ko
har ek ki aabru⁵ jo bacha le vo tareeqa⁶ dikha diya  1.extinguish 2.tent 3.tenth day of moharram 4.night (before the tenth day) 5.respect, dignity 6.method, way
husain and his followers were surrounded and he was certain to be killed. He gathered his followers in a tent on the night before the final battle and urged them to leave. The enemy is only after me and my life, you have yours, feel free to leave and save yourselves. It is said that when he saw that some were hesitant, he asked that all lights be extinguished so that people could leave in the darkness without losing their dignity. Also see ‘husain’ by shaz tamkanat.
5
beTe ki pahl¹ kar ke shahaadat² ki raah³ meN
ansaar⁴ ke viqaar⁵ ka rutba⁶ baRha diya  1.initiate, start 2.martyrdom 3.path 4.friends, followers 5.dignity 6.status
Time honoured battle traditions (which the arabs followed at the time) were such that opposing armies would face off and individual hero bouts would be the first encounters. It is said that husain offered his eighteen year old to go first, rather than risk the life of any of his followers, thus demonstrating his consideration for the dignity of their lives.
6
asGhar¹ ke dafn² se uThe daaman³ jo jhaaR⁴ kar
haq⁵ bolne ka ajr⁶ hai kya kya dikha diya   1.husain’s infant son 2.bury 3.hem of the robe 4.dust off 5.truth 6.compensation, reward
husain and his party were denied access to water. Towards the end of the battle, it is said that he brought out his infant son and asked the enemy that this innocent be given water. An arrow was shot at the infant’s throat, killing him. The first misra in this she’r borrows from mir anis, “shabbir uTh khaRe hue daaman ko jhaaR kar”. daaman jhaaRna is an expression the means giving away everything he had (in addition to the obvious meaning of dusting off sand from clothes) … thus asGhar was the final offering, husain had given away everything that he had to give, demonstrating that this is the reward to be expected in the (difficult) path of truth/justice.
7
is par bhi zulfiqaar¹ jo chalti rahi to phir
kahte haiN kis ko azm² ye kar ke dikha diya   1.husain’s sword inherited from his father 2.determination
Even after all this, husain did not give up. His resistance, while offering peace, was not one of passive submission. Thus, he continued to weild his sword, demonstrating his determination to stay the course.
8
shahed ise nigaah-e-aqeedat¹ se tu na dekh
kirdaar²-e haq-parast³ hai kya kuchh dikha diya  1.view point of faith 2.character 3.truth/justice nurturing
The poet (an unabashed agnostic/atheist) does not want to look at this as an article of faith but as a character/symbol of a person who steadfastly nurtures/adheres to truth/justice.