taKhallus ka khel – momin ka mazaaq – 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 momin the poet pokes fun at momin, the pious/orthodox man.

1
bosa¹ sanam² ki aaNkh ka lete hi jaan di
momin ko yaad kya hajar³ al-asvad⁴ aa gaya1.kiss 2.beloved 3.stone 4.black – black stone of the kaaba
The black stone at the corner of the kaaba has special significance. It is kissed during circumambulations of hajj. It is easy to imagine that someone who dies immediately after kissing it would go directly to heaven. Thus, momin kissed the (dark) eye of the beloved and immediately died. Did he suddenly remember the black stone of the kaaba to get a direct path to heaven. Thus the beloved’s eye is as sacred as the black stone.

2
saNg-e-asvad¹ nahiN hai chashm-e-butaaN²
bosa³ momin talab⁴ kare kya muNh⁵  1.black stone (of the kaaba) 2.eye of the beloved 3.kiss 4.demand, claim a right to 5.kya muNh se is an expression used to mean, ‘with what standing’, ‘what right does he have’
Anyone circumambulating the kaaba can ask for/claim the right to kiss the black stone. But the dark eye of the beloved is different. You cannot claim any rights over it. With what face (meaning, with what standing) can momin ask to kiss it. Thus the status of the beloved’s eye is elevated above the black stone of the kaaba.

3
chal ke kaabe meN sijda¹ kar momin
chhoR is but² ke aastaane³ ko1.prostration 2.idol, beloved 3.home, doorway, threshold
O momin go to the kaaba and do your ritual prayer prostrations. Leave the threshold of the beloved.

4
jannat meN bhi momin na mila haaye butauN¹ se
jaur²-e ajal³-e tafriqa-pardaaz⁴ toh dekho1.idols, beloved 2.cruelty 3.death 4.difference creating, discriminating, favouritism
During life momin never got to meet the beloved because she always shunned him (that is what the beloved does). Even in heaven he did not get to meet her. Does this mean he is putting down hoors as inferior to his beloved? All this was because of the cruelty of the (biased) favouritism of Death. Now consider the alternative meaning of momin … the pious man. He stayed away from the beloved here and missed out. Inspite of that he did not get to heaven and no hoories in his fate.

5
allah ri gumrahi¹ but o but-Khaana² chhoR kar
momin chala hai ka’abe ko ek paarsa³ ke saath1.misguided, astray, lost 2.house of idols 3.pious
How can he get more misguided than this. momin is leaving the beloved’s door and going to the kaaba with a pious man.

6
sijda¹ na kahiN karna momin qadam²-e but³ par
ka’abe hi meN hoti hai be-hooda-sari⁴ itni1.prostration 2.feet 3.idol, beloved 4.vulgar/foolish headedness
O momin, do not offer ritual prayer prostrations at the feet of the beloved. Such vulgar foolish behaviour happens only in the kaaba. Thus does momin make fun of the rituals of the kaaba.

7
dushman¹-e momin hi rahe but sada²
mujh se mere naam ne kya kiya1.enemy, used here to mean hateful 2.always
The beloved remains forever hateful of momin – because she thinks that he is a pious man and not at all interesting. So the poet/lover momin blames his name … what has it done to me.

8
chhoR¹ but-Khaane² ko momin sijda³ ka’abe meN na kar
Khaak⁴ meN zaalim⁵ na yuN qadr⁶-e jabiN-saaii⁷ mila1.chhoR=chhoR kar, the “kar” is understood here, after leaving 2.house of idols/beloved 3.prostration 4.dust 5.used as an expression meaning ‘o, fool’ 6.reward 7.forehead bowing, prostrating
O momin, do not leave the beloved and do sijda at the kaaba. O fool, bowing your forehead to dust will not get you any rewards.

9
momin-e deeNdaar¹ ne ki but-parasti² eKhtiyaar³
ek shaiKh⁴-e vaqt tha so bhi barahman⁵ ho gaya1.momin who has faith/belief 2.idol worshiping 3.adopted 4.priest 5.used here to mean Hindu priest momin uses of ‘but-parasti’ in a double meaning – the conventional (Hindu) idol worship and worshiping/loving the beloved.
The pious man of faith has adopted ‘but-parasti’. We all know that momin does ‘but-parasti’ because he has a reputation of going after beautiful women. But since but-parasti can also mean Hindu worship of idols he concludes (in fun) that the only shaiKh of the times (the only available mullah) has become a Hindu priest!

10
but-Khaane se na kaabe ko takleef¹ de mujhe
momin bas ab mu’aaf² keh yaaN ji bahal³ gaya1.trouble, bother 2.excuse 3.heart found interest/comfort
Do not bother me, do not call me away for the but-Khaana towards the kaaba. O momin, excuse me, enough (of the kaaba), my heart has found comfort here (at the but Khaana).

11
sub ko hota hai jahaaN meN paas¹ apne naam ka
hum bhi toh momin haiN, dil nazr²-e sanam³ kyuNkar⁴ kareN1.regard 2.gift, offering 3.beloved 4.how
Everyone holds his name in high regard. I do too. I am after all, momin, how can I offer my heart to the beloved.

12
is naam ke sadqe¹ jis ki daulat²
momin rahuN aur butauN ko chaahuN1.offering tribute 2.wealth of
The poet/lover/pious man offers tribute to his own name – momin. Because of the richness of his name he can both remain pious and love the beloved.

13
aye tap¹-e hijr² dekh momin haiN
hai haraam³ aag ka azaab⁴ hameN1.heat, fire 2.separation (from the beloved) 3.forbidden 4.curse
momin claims to be pious. The curse of fire (of hell) is forbidden on them. Then why this fire/pain of separation from the beloved!

14
momin ko such hai daulat¹-e duniya-o-deeN² naseeb³
shab⁴ but-kada⁵ meN guzri hai din Khaanqaah⁶ meN1.wealth of 2.used in the sense of here and hereafter 3.blessed with 4.night 5.house of idols 6.sufi retreat, holy place Surely, momin is blessed with the wealth of the here and the hereafter. He spends his nights in the but-kada and days in the masjid.