ab vafaa rang-e-tamaashaa koi chehra na rahaa — Iqbal Ashhar Quraishi

"mujh se bichhDe ho to rah jaaoge tanhaa bhi nahin main tumhein yaad nahin aaungaa aisaa bhi nahin main ne daaman bhi bachaayaa to gunahgaar huaa aur phir yuun huaa gharqaab ki ubhraa bhi nahin vo tiraa zabt-e-mohabbat ho ki duniyaa kaa nifaaq sab hi apne hain koi dard paraayaa bhi nahin qadr-daan chaahne vaalon ke ajab hote hain us ne pahchaan liyaa aur mujhe dekhaa bhi nahin main use bhuul ke zinda bhi nahin rah saktaa aur miraa ahd mujhe puchhne vaalaa bhi nahin"

"khizaan kaa qarz to ik ik darakht par hai yahaan ye aur baat ki har shaakh baar-var hai yahaan jo soch saktaa hai vo zehn jal rahaa hai abhi jo dekh sakti hai vo aankh khuun mein tar hai yahaan sunegaa kaun in aankhon ki be-sadaa fariyaad samaaaton kaa to andaaz hi digar hai yahaan sataayaa aaj munaasib jagah pe baarish ne isi bahaane Thahar jaaein us kaa ghar hai yahaan hisaar-e-jism se baahar bhi zindagi hai mujhe ye aur baat ki ehsaas mo'tabar hai yahaan"

"yuun shor-o-shar ke saare talabgaar so gae sannaaTe chikhne lage baazaar so gae palkon pe bojh ban gaiin jab din ki raunaqein aankhon mein bhar ke khvaab giraan-baar so gae divaar-o-dar bhi apni marammat se tang the gir jaae ab makaan ki meamaar so gae suraj ke saath tu bhi lahu ro ke Duub jaa ai shaam-e-hijr tere parastaar so gae 'ashhar' kisi ke qurb-e-havasnaak se gharaz apnaa bhi dil thaa bhinch ke ik baar so gae"

"koi dariyaa huun jo kuuze mein simaT jaaungaa pyaas huun main tire honTon se lipaT jaaungaa ek aavaaz se milti hain kai aavaazein main andhere mein kisi se bhi lipaT jaaungaa jis tarah chaahiye kar lijiye nuqte kaa shumaar main adad kab huun ki taadaad mein baT jaaungaa ghaur kar ek nayaa sher huun naqqaad-e-ghazal teraa bhejaa main nahin huun ki ulaT jaaungaa koi naghma koi aavaaz nahin huun 'ashhar' bazm-e-tanhaai huun khud se hi lipaT jaaungaa"

"meri khvaahish na sahi teraa iraada hai zarur sakht mushkil hai ki tujh saa mujhe honaa hai zarur kaun saa ranj huaa hosh nahin hai lekin apne naakhun se hi khurchaa huaa siina hai zarur ab vo pahli si fazaaon mein kudurat na rahi haan miri aankh mein halkaa saa dhundlakaa hai zarur ham ko is daur ki taarikh to likhni hogi ek chhoTaa saa qalam hi sahi apnaa hai zarur roab us lafz kaa rahtaa hai musallat 'ashhar' be-niyaazi mein bhi maabud jo meraa hai zarur"

"ajab nuqush hain chehra to aisaa thaa hi nahin ye meraa aks nahin hai ki aaina hi nahin likhun vo baat ki shiddat se ho tujhe mahsus mire qalam mein shab-e-hijr ki siyaahi nahin phiraa rahaa hai zamaane se raaston kaa tilism gharib-e-shahr abhi mo'atabar huaa hi nahin khurach le zehn se saare taassuraat ki ab tiri bahaar kaa mausam to aaegaa hi nahin hazaar qurb ki khushbu ne baat ki 'ashhar' vo kyaa safar thaa musaafir to kuchh khulaa hi nahin"

"is ishq-e-junun-khez mein kyaa kyaa nahin hotaa divaana hai jo qais se lailaa nahin hotaa kuchh hashr lahad par abhi barpaa nahin hotaa aae ho to Thahro koi zinda nahin hotaa kyuun kar ye kahun husn kaa nashsha nahin hotaa hotaa to bahut hai magar itnaa nahin hotaa kuchh kahiye to sharmaa ke jhukaa lete hain gardan bhule se bhi ab vaada-e-fardaa nahin hotaa milte hain vo dil surkh hui jaati hai chuTki naazuk hain bahut khun-e-tamannaa nahin hotaa deti hai mazaa mai kaa hamein talkhi-e-tauba jab haath mein paimaana-e-sahbaa nahin hotaa vo hashr ke din kushte ko Thukraa chuke sau-baar kuchh jaan si paD jaati hai zinda nahin hotaa boli ye tamannaa jo ruke vo dar-e-dil par ghar aap kaa hai aap se pardaa nahin hotaa tiron ko jagah dete hain jo siine mein apne un logon ke ai jaan kaleja nahin hotaa sahraa se qadam ghar ki taraf khaak uThaaun kaanTe se judaa paanv kaa chhaalaa nahin hotaa baiThe nazar aate hain vahi teri gali mein jin kaa kahin duniyaa mein Thikaanaa nahin hotaa furqat mein hai kyuun nazaa ki taklif gavaaraa mar jaaein 'riyaaz' aap se itnaa nahin hotaa"

"hai jo ik maa'raka faisal nahin hone detaa jin vo ho ke mujhe botal nahin hone detaa qatl ik roz hi kartaa huun isi goshe mein aur saabit ise maqtal nahin hone detaa zid hai us ki ki har ik shaakh ho phir sabz hi sabz garche paidaa koi konpal nahin hone detaa raushni apne khayaalon hi se karni hogi koi raushan kahin mash'al nahin hone detaa chun-ki miTTi ki bhi ek apni alag khushbu hai main kahin bhi ise sandal nahin hone detaa ik parinda ki jo sahtaa hai havaaon kaa dabaao aur parvaaz ko paidal nahin hone detaa Dar hai us ko nazar aae na kahin zehn kaa 'aks vo miraa aaina saiqal nahin hone detaa tiraa qaanun hai jangal kaa ghanimat hai ki tu mire is shahr ko jangal nahin hone detaa chalo baat us ki sunein ek 'ajab mantiq se jo kisi baat ko muhmal nahin hone detaa"

"muzhda ai zauq-e-asiri ki nazar aataa hai daam-e-khaali qafas-e-murgh-e-giraftaar ke paas jigar-e-tishna-e-aazaar tasalli na huaa ju-e-khun ham ne bahaai bun-e-har khaar ke paas mund gaiin kholte hi kholte aankhein hai hai khuub vaqt aae tum is 'aashiq-e-bimaar ke paas main bhi ruk ruk ke na martaa jo zabaan ke badle dashna ik tez saa hotaa mire gham-khvaar ke paas dahan-e-sher mein jaa baiThe lekin ai dil na khaDe ho jiye khubaan-e-dil-aazaar ke paas dekh kar tujh ko chaman bas-ki numu kartaa hai khud-ba-khud pahunche hai gul gosha-e-dastaar ke paas mar gayaa phoD ke sar 'ghaalib'-e-vahshi hai hai baiThnaa us kaa vo aa kar tiri divaar ke paas kab faqiron ko rasaai bu-e-mai-khvaar ke paas to bane bu dijiye maikhaane ki divaar ke paas"

"ajab mushkil ki dil kaa haal aisaa ho gayaa hai sabhi ab puchhte hain mujh se ye kyaa ho gayaa hai main ye samjhaa ki gham kaa ab mudaavaa ho gayaa hai kuredaa zakhm to ye aur taaza ho gayaa hai kabhi fursat mile to khud se main baatein karungaa mujhe khud se mile bhi to zamaana ho gayaa hai magar ab sochtaa huun toD duun saare maraasim magar dil bhi tire gham se shanaasaa ho gayaa hai miri barbaad hasti kaa nazaara dekhne ko vo aae aur gham mein phir izaafa ho gayaa hai isi dariyaa mein ab khud ko Dubonaa chaahtaa huun ki is dil kaa talaatum mein kinaare ho gayaa hai chalo bhi 'qalb' ab tum dusraa dekho Thikaanaa ki is basti mein apnaa sab paraayaa ho gayaa hai"

"dil shaad nahin karte aabaad nahin karte mahsus ye hotaa hai vo yaad nahin karte naashaad zamaane ke dil shaad nahin karte kam-aql parindon ko aazaad nahin karte mohtaaj-e-karam aksar rahte hain gharibon ke jo log gharibon ki imdaad nahin karte kuchh log shikaayat ko haq apnaa samajhte hain kuchh log kabhi tum se fariyaad nahin karte ham apne iraadon mein rakhte hain tavaanaai ham daad ke taalib ko bedaad nahin karte jo aap ki niyyat kaa kuchh ilm hamein hotaa ham apni mohabbat ko barbaad nahin karte is daur-e-siyaasat mein 'mahmud' qayaamat hai ahbaab jo karte hain jallaad nahin karte"

"kahe detaa huun go hai to nahin ye baat kahne ki tiri khvaahish nahin dil mein ziyaada der rahne ki bachaa kar dil guzartaa jaa rahaa huun har ta’alluq se kahaan us aable ko taab hai ab choT sahne ki rag-o-pai mein na hangaama kare to kyaa kare aakhir ijaazat jab nahin is ranj ko aankhon se bahne ki bas apni apni tarjihaat apni apni khvaahish hai tujhe shohrat kamaane ki mujhe ik she'r kahne ki jahaan kaa huun vahin ki raas aaegi fazaa mujh ko ye duniyaa bhi bhalaa koi jagah hai mere rahne ki jo kal 'irfaan' par guzri sunaa kuchh us ke baare mein khabar tum ne suni tufaan mein dariyaa ke bahne ki"