For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.

https://urdushahkar.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/vaKht-manzil-e-yaqiiN-se-chale-audio.mp3

Recitation

منزلِ  یقیں  سے  چلے  ۔  وحیدؔ  اختر

۱

رہے  وہ  ذکر  جو  لب  ہائے  آتشیں  سے  چلے

چلے  وہ  دَور  جو  رفتارِ  ساتگیں  سے  چلے

۲

ہزاروں  سال  سفر  کر  کے  پھر  وہیں  پہنچے

بہت  زمانہ  ہوا  تھا  ہمیں  زمیں  سے  چلے

۳

خرد  بنی  رہی  زنجیرِ  پائے  شوق  مگر

جنوں  کے  جتنے  بھی  ہیں  سلسلے  ہمیں  سے  چلے

۴

فرات  جیت  کے  بھی  تشنہ  لب  رہی  غیرت

ہزار  تیرِ  ستم  ظلم  کی  کمیں  سے  چلے

۵

زمانہ  ایک  ہی  رستے  پہ  لا  کے  چھوڑے  گا

رواں  ہے  ایک  ہی  دھارا،  کوئی  کہیں  سے  چلے

۶

گمان  و  شک  کے  دوراہے  پہ  ہم  سے  آ  کے  ملے

وہ  قافلے  جو  کسی  منزلِ  یقیں  سے  چلے

۷

ہجومِ  سنگِ  ملامت  رہِ  وفا  میں  ملا

کٹے  جو  پاؤں  ہم  اُس  راہ  میں  جبیں  سے  چلے

۸

ہمیں  شکستِ  حریفاں  کا  بھی  ملال  رہا

شکستہ  دل  جو  ہم  اُس  بزمِ  دل  نشیں  سے  چلے

۹

تمام  گمرہیاں  دیر  اور  حرم  میں  پلیں

تمام  سلسلۂ  کفر  اہلِ  دیں  سے  چلے

۱۰

وحیدؔ  سیلِ  قیامت  نے  راہ  روکی  تھی

جو  بن  کے  اشک  ہم  اُس  چشمِ  نازنیں  سے  چلے

मंज़िल-ए यक़ीं से चले – वहीद अख़्तर

१

रहे वो ज़िक्र जो लब-हा-ए आतिशीं से चले

चले वो दौर जो रफ़्तार-ए सात्गीं से चले

२

हज़ारों साल सफ़र कर के फिर वहीं पहुँचे

बहुत ज़माना हुआ था हमें ज़मीं से चले

३

ख़िरद बनी रही ज़ंजीर-ए पा-ए शौक़ मगर

जुनूँ के जितने भी हैं सिलसिले हमीं से चले

४

फ़ुरात जीत के भी तिश्ना-लब रही ग़ैरत

हज़ार तीर-ए सितम ज़ुल्म की कमीं से चले

५

ज़माना एक ही रस्ते पे ला के छोढेगा

रवाँ है एक ही धारा कोई कहीं से चले

६

गुमान-ओ-शक के दो-राहे पे हम से आ के मिले

वो क़ाफ़ेले जो किसी मंज़िल-ए यक़ीं से चले

७

हुजूम-ए संग-ए मलामत रह-ए वफ़ा में मिला

कटे जो पाऊं हम इस राह में जबीं से चले

८

हमें शिकस्त-ए हरीफ़ां का भी मलाल रहा

शिकस्ता-दिल जो हम उस बज़्म-ए दिल-नशीं से चले

९

तमाम गुमरहियाँ दैर और हरम में पलीं

तमाम सिलसिला-ए कुफ़्र अहल-ए दीं से चले

१०

वहीद सैल-ए क़यामत ने राह रोकी थी

जो बन के अश्क हम उस चश्म-ए नाज़नीं से चले

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. vaheed aKhtar (1935-1996), hyderabad, poet, writer and critic. He did his PhD in philosophy from osmania university and later taught at aligaRh. His compositions are very thoughtful and thought provoking and reflect his scholarship of philosophy. His ‘free verse’ nazm are extremely musical. This is a rarity in two ways … vaheed aKhtar does not write many Ghazal and he seldom uses his taKhallus. He has done both here.

vaheed aKhtar (1935-1996), hyderabad, poet, writer and critic.  He did his PhD in philosophy from osmania university and later taught at aligaRh.  His compositions are very thoughtful and thought provoking and reflect his scholarship of philosophy.  His ‘free verse’ nazm are extremely musical.  This is a rarity in two ways … vaheed aKhtar does not write many Ghazal and he seldom uses his taKhallus.  He has done both here.

1.mention, narrative, story 2.lips (haa is for plural) 3.fiery 4.duration, period 5.speed 6.large cup of wine for circulation

Let that story begin, which is narrated by fiery lips.  Let that period/age begin which keeps pace with the circulating wine cup.  Narrative from ‘fiery lips’ can mean passionate poetry and/or revolutionary verse.  raftaar-e saatgiiN – the speed of circulation of the wine cup can imply sharing, inclusion and spreading of the word/verse of passionate lips.  I interpreted rahe vo zikr to mean begin that story but it can also mean that is the kind of story that will survive – remain for posterity.

1.years 2.journey 3.period, era, age

In this she’r hameN and ham refers to all of humanity.   Humanity left zamiin on its quest.  After thousands of years of journey, it came back to the same point.  The implication is that the answer is not out there.  It is inside.

1.intelligence, reason 2.chain, shackles 3.feet, legs 4.desire 5.madness of passion 6.movement,

Reason and logic keep passion in check; chained and shackled.  But all movements of passion started with us (us could be poets or progressive).  Passion is the motivating force for all movements/progress.

1.river in karbala 2.thirsty 3.honour, dignity 4.arrow of oppression 5.cruel 6.ambush

This has reference to the story of karbala.  Ghairat stands for honour/dignity/power of yaziid.  Even after shooting thousands of arrows of oppression in ambush, even after killing all the household and companions of husain, even after winning the battle, yaziid could not get what he wanted – an acknowledgement, acceptance of his sovereignty.  Even after getting control of the waters of the furaat yaziid’s Ghairat/honour remained thirsty – deprived of authentication.  The juxtaposition of gaining control of waters and remaining thirsty is noteworthy.

1.the times, world 2.flowing 3.stream, flow

Whichever way you turn, time will bring you back to the same path; there is only one stream that flows through all paths.  Just like in she’r number 2, you come back to the same essence inside yourself – or perhaps the raasta you return to is that of gumaan-o-shak from the next she’r.

1.doubt and uncertainty 2.fork in the road 3.caravans 4.destination 5.certainty, belief

This she’r brings she’r 2 and 5 to a nice climax.  All the caravans that started towards (or departed from) certainty/belief arrived at the fork in the road meeting doubt and uncertainty where the poet already was.  See my nazm – tashkeek on this site.

1.crowding 2.rocks 3.blame 4.path 5.fidelity, love 6.forehead, head

The poet/lover seeker is totally committed to the path of love/fidelity/truth.  When he walked that path, there was an onslaught of rocks of blame aimed at him.  Then his feet were cut off.  But his commitment is so strong that he stayed on that path ‘walking on his head’.

1.breaking, loss, defeat 2.rival, opponent, associate, peer 3.sorrow, pain 4.disappointed, broken hearted 5.gathering 6.heart pleasing, pleasant

There is a pleasant gathering from which the poet leaves broken hearted.  Even as he leaves, he feels sorrowful for the hariifaaN – peers that he is leaving behind.  What kind of gathering?  Why is he broken-hearted?  We have to use the context provided by other ash’aar to make any sense of this.  While this has the structure of a Ghazal it has be considered a nazm with an interconnection and thematic dependency between ash’aar.  Using that context, this could be a pleasant gathering of poets/philosophers/thinkers.  The poet/thinker is leaving disappointed from this gathering because they could not come to a common conclusion at the same time he feels sympathy for his fellow thinkers.  This sympathy could be feeling sorry that they missed out on the truth or that he feels a certain level of respect for their thinking.

1.total, all 2.waywardness 3.temple 4.mosque 5.nurtured 6.movements 7.evil, wrongdoing 8.people of faith

All waywardness is nurtured in houses of belief/faith.  All evil/wrong-minded movements are propagated by people of faith.

1.pen-name 2.flood of doomsday, insurmountable obstacle 3.path 4.tears 5.eyes of the beloved

I think that chashm-e naazniiN is the eye of the beloved and the ham in the second misra is the poet/lover.  I don’t see any alternatives.  A catastrophic flood/an insurmountable obstacle was in the way as the lover/seeker set out on his path.  But it seems that he set out on his quest in the form of an ashk from that chashm-e naazniiN.  This implies that the beloved was sorrowful but she could not even weep openly because of societal pressures.  I am not sure … whichever way I turn this she’r turns into an enigma.  Would appreciate any help any reader can provide.

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