main to khudaa-parast thaa aisaa na ho sakaa — Ali Asar Bandvi

"shaayad ho use dard kaa ehsaas ilaahi kuchh der jo baiThe vo mire paas ilaahi ab un se bhalaa kaisi koi aas ilaahi jin ko na vafaa kaa ho koi paas ilaahi mujh ko mire mahbub kaa didaar karaa de ab toD de nazron kaa ye upvaas ilaahi ham ne hi nibhaayaa hai yahaan 'ahd-e-vafaa bhi ham ko hi mili dard ki miraas ilaahi honTon se lagaayaa hai mire yaar ne shaayad khushbu se mo'attar hai ye qirtaas ilaahi jab zaaviya nazron kaa badal kar use dekhaa patthar se vo lagne lagaa almaas ilaahi ab bughz hai nafrat hai 'adaavat hai dilon mein ab miltaa nahin logon mein ikhlaas ilaahi sahraa mein bhaTaktaa hai 'asar' qais ke maanind milti hi nahin yaar ki bu-baas ilaahi"

"jab koi tang-haal hotaa hai har taraf sirf jaal hotaa hai din-o-mazhab ki koi qaid nahin 'ishq mein sab halaal hotaa hai jab vo gulshan mein paanv rakhte hain tab gulon par zavaal hotaa hai muddaton hijr mein taDapte hain chand lamha visaal hotaa hai koi jab chhoD jaae raahon mein hausla tab nidhaal hotaa hai hijr mein khud-kushi to hai aasaan zinda rahnaa kamaal hotaa hai tark kar ke 'asar' ta'alluq ko kyaa use kuchh malaal hotaa hai"

"kyaa zaruri hai ki phande pe hi laTkaa jaae ban ke faulaad chalo hijr ko kaaTaa jaae kaun hai kis ko bayaabaan mein pukaaraa jaae khud hi ab paanv ke kaanTon ko nikaalaa jaae itni jaldi na use dil mein basaayaa jaae aur kuchh roz nae shakhs ko parkhaa jaae 'ain mumkin hai palaT kar tumhein de dein na javaab ab nai nasl ke bachchon ko na Tokaa jaae ik daf'a Duub ke niklaa huun yahi kaafi hai kaun ab 'ishq ke dariyaa mein dubaara jaae main 'asar' 'ishq mein tanhaa to khataavaar nahin us ke sar bhi koi ilzaam lagaayaa jaae"

"'azm-e-safar hamaaraa kabhi raaegaan na ho ham jis ko DhunDte hain jahaan vo vahaan na ho sharmaa ke sun rahe the vo qissa visaal kaa dil chaahtaa thaa khatm kabhi daastaan na ho har dard-o-gham ke baa'd bhi khush-baash main rahun lab par khudaa kare kabhi aah-o-fughaan na ho main ne bujhaa diyaa thaa charaaghon ko is liye ye hai shab-e-visaal koi darmiyaan na ho aisaa bhi 'ishq mein kahin hotaa hai ai 'asar' vo chaahtaa hai aag lage aur dhuaan na ho"

"tum ko ye lag rahaa thaa ki pichhaa kareinge ham yaa'ni ki 'ishq tum se dubaara kareinge ham vo baar-e-zist ho yaa judaai tiri sanam hargiz khudaa ke ghar mein na shikva kareinge ham bachchon ki fees maan ki davaaon kaa farz bhi itni si ik kamaai mein kyaa kyaa kareinge ham kyaa kyaa miri khataaein thiin kyon vo judaa huaa pahron yahi firaaq mein sochaa kareinge ham ye 'ishq dusraa hai so laazim hai ehtiyaat yaa'ni qadam sanbhaal ke rakkhaa kareinge ham anjaam jaante hain ki sahraa hai jab 'asar' kaar-e-jahaan mein vaqt na zaae' kareinge ham"

"ek bevafaa ke gham kaa tamaasha nahin kiyaa yaa'ni kisi se hijr kaa charchaa nahin kiyaa samjhaa rahaa hai mujh ko vo sahraa-navardiyaan jis ne ki 'ishq bhi abhi pahlaa nahin kiyaa jab tak rahaa vo shauq se dil mein rakhaa use is dil ko us ke vaaste pinjra nahin kiyaa apni vafaa kaa is se baDaa kyaa subut duun rukhsat to kar diyaa use rusvaa nahin kiyaa apne kiye pe khud hi pashemaan thaa vo 'asar' so main ne us se koi bhi shikva nahin kiyaa"

"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"