ajiib dukh hai ye kis ranj mein paDaa huun abhi — Aftab Khan

"agar jafaa hai gunah vo gunaahgaar banaa main bas vafaa ke amal mein sharik-e-kaar banaa yahi hamaari aqidat ki intihaa hai miyaan jahaan charaagh jalaayaa vahaan mazaar banaa vo bad-nasib hai is vaqt mujh ko chhoD gai jab us ke gird mohabbat kaa ik hisaar banaa vo jis ne mere liye mushkilein khaDi ki thiin vahi hujum-e-havaadis kaa khud shikaar banaa mujhe vo saunp gayaa hijr-e-baad-e-sar-sar kyon usi ke dam se ye mausam thaa khush-gavaar banaa sabhi ki tarah karo tum bhi is pe mashq-e-sitam ye dil to TuuT ke pahle bhi baar baar banaa suno baghaur kisi roz 'aaftaab'-e-sukhan vo shaaeri ke taqaddus kaa eatibaar banaa"

"khaTak rahi hai ghuTan ki ye bud-o-baash mujhe paDaa huun main kisi patthar mein tu taraash mujhe mulaaemat se nafaasat se chhu miraa paikar aur aise chhu ki na aae koi kharaash mujhe idhar-udhar ke ilaaqon mein DhunDhtaa hai kyaa main tere dil mein chhupaa huun vahaan talaash mujhe safed kaanch ke pul par pahunch ke sochtaa huun miraa ghurur hi kar de na paash-paash mujhe main puure qad se khaDaa huun sukhan saraae mein lage rahe hain giraane mein bad-maaash mujhe badan mein khuun ki shaayad kami hui paidaa kahin bhi sangtare ki mili na qaash mujhe jamaal-o-husn ke pahlu ki dhuup hai darkaar ai 'aaftaab'-e-tamanna na kar niraash mujhe"

"kuchh nahin shaam suhaani ye khulaa hai mujh par chaar din ki hai javaani ye khulaa hai mujh par jhuuT bolun to malaamat mujhe kartaa hai zamir pi ke lahore kaa paani ye khulaa hai mujh par main use apni samajhtaa rahaa mumtaaz mahal vo to hai aur ki raani ye khulaa hai mujh par us ne aaghaaz-e-mohabbat mein mujhe saunp diyaa hijr hai us ki nishaani ye khulaa hai mujh par ab to ehsaas-o-muravvat kaa zamaana hi nahin mar gayaa aankh kaa paani ye khulaa hai mujh par ik haqiqat kaa bayaan sher mein karnaa hai mujhe ik haqiqat hai chhupaani ye khulaa hai mujh par"

"udaas kar ke mujhe muskuraa rahi ho tum kahaan ki iinT kahaan ab lagaa rahi ho tum fishaar-e-khun to pahle bhi kab hai qaabu mein kyon is pe aur dabaao baDhaa rahi ho tum go ikhtiyaar ki hai be-rukhi bahut din se gudaaz-e-dil ko magar gudgudaa rahi ho tum bahut nafis qarine hain vaar karne ke fareb-e-husn ke fitne jagaa rahi ho tum tumhein zaraa bhi lagaavaT na vasl se thi kabhi so mere hijr mein aansu bahaa rahi ho tum na tum ko farq hai maalum ishq-o-aatish kaa jo 'aaftaab' se nazrein milaa rahi ho tum"

"vo jaagtaa hai abhi tak ghunud mein hai kahaan kami thakan ki magar is vajud mein hai kahaan kare ruku to Taangon pe kapkapi chhaae vo valvala vo javaani sujud mein hai kahaan main apne paanv ki miTTi pe jam ke baiThaa huun jo meraa kunj hai teri hudud mein hai kahaan ye lutf-e-khaak-nashini bhi aarzi shai hai ki mustaqil si baqaa hast-o-bud mein hai kahaan main apnaa kar ke khasaaraa huun mutmain jaise vo nafaa mujh ko milaa tere suud mein hai kahaan sulag rahaa hai jigar khushk lakDiyon ki tarah dhuaan jo dil se uThaa aur duud mein hai kahaan karo talaash mazaamir-e-gum-shuda phir se mazaa vo un saa kisi bhi surud mein hai kahaan zamin se taa-ba-falak 'aaftaab' chhaayaa hai hunar ye aur kisi ke vajud mein hai kahaan"

"niklaa huun tan-badan kaa buraada liye hue lapki hai aankh aankh tamaashaa liye hue jaane unhein hai dast-shanaason ne kyaa kahaa phirte hain log haath mein kaasa liye hue saDkon pe in dinon hai qayaamat kaa ik samaan sab jaa rahe hain khvaab kaa laasha liye hue jannat se is liye hai nikaalaa gayaa tumhein phailo zamin pe nasl-e-tavaanaa liye hue do chaar ahl-e-zauq mujhe mil gae vahaan pahunchaa jahaan adab kaa asaasa liye hue dildaar baazuon mein samaaegaa laaziman ghar se chalo jo pukhta iraada liye hue us bevafaa ki baat kabhi Taaltaa nahin aae yahaan ho jis kaa havaala liye hue suntaa hai 'aaftaab' jahaan ishq ki pukaar jaataa vahin hai dil kaa khazaana liye hue"

"vo mujhe zindagi bataataa hai phir bhalaa kyon nazar churaataa hai main usi ko uThaa rahaa thaa par vo mujhe hi faqat giraataa hai yaad us ko kiyaa yahaan main ne par mujhe vo vahaan bhulaataa hai raaz saare bataa diye main ne kyon magar raaz vo chhupaataa hai log masruf hain mohabbat mein aur vo dil miraa dukhaataa 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"

"Tuut kar ab sanvar gayaa huun main is tarah se bikhar gayaa huun main jo tire naam ki gali hai vo us gali se guzar gayaa huun main yaadein teri sameT laayaa huun aaj jab se udhar gayaa huun main khud mukarnaa sikhaa diyaa us ne phir kahaa ki mukar gayaa huun main kal talak jo na kar sakaa thaa main aaj vo kaam kar gayaa huun main yuun kahin main nahin Thahartaa par tere dar par Thahar gayaa huun main"

"bistar-e-karb pe jab niind jalaai main ne tab kisi khvaab ki buniyaad uThaai main ne zakhm aise the ki har shakhs ke aage rakkhe baat aisi thi ki khud se bhi chhupaai main ne hurmat-e-gham ke liye khud ko aziyyat bakhshi phir usi dard se taskin bhi paai main ne main ne zakhmon ko kuredaa unhein taaza rakkhaa tab kahin dasht mein ki naghma-saraai main ne apni khiDki se yunhi khud ko pukaaraa kal shab aur phir khud ko vo aavaaz sunaai main ne jaane vaale se rag-e-jaan kaa bhi rishta thaa 'samir' ye samajhne mein bahut der lagaai main ne"

"zindagi dushvaar hogi ye kabhi sochaa na thaa vo bagule gham ke uTThe jin kaa andesha na thaa saamne tum aa gae ho to bataa duun jaan-e-jaan jaise dil dhaDkaa thaa ab ki vaise dil dhaDkaa na thaa ye iraada kar liyaa thaa ham na bichhDeinge kabhi TuTeinge ik pal mein rishte ye kabhi sochaa na thaa yaad-e-maazi miT rahi hai vaqt ki raftaar se ab tasavvur mein hamaare koi bhi chehra na thaa sakht hairat ho rahi hai dekh kar apnaa vajud dhuup mein the sab ke saaye par miraa saayaa na thaa shauq-e-manzil dekh meri dekh meraa hausla shahr-e-dil ke raaston mein main kabhi Thahraa na thaa 'qalb' ko sahraa-navardi raas kyaa aati bhalaa vo kabhi aavaargi mein dar-ba-dar bhaTkaa na thaa"

"jahaan-e-dard-o-gham hai aur main huun tiraa naqsh-e-qadam hai aur main huun kisi ki aankh nam hai aur main huun vufur-e-shauq kam hai aur main huun mujhe hai daulat-e-kaunain haasil mire rab kaa karam hai aur main huun main apne aap ko pahchaantaa huun miraa apnaa bharam hai aur main huun yahi kyaa kam hai duniyaa-e-vafaa mein mujhe ehsaas-e-gham hai aur main huun kisi ki yaad kaa ehsaan hai mujh par sukun-e-dil baham hai aur main huun mujhe 'mahmud' koi Dar nahin hai miraa apnaa qalam hai aur main huun"