sab tamannaaon se khvaabon se nikal aae hain — 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"

"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"

"jis din se meraa khvaab suhaanaa badal gayaa us din se zindagi kaa fasaana badal gayaa sunne lagaa huun jab se nasihat baDon ki main jaari thaa jo labon pe taraana badal gayaa pahchaan kaa havaala bhi baaqi nahin rahaa chehre ke saath aaina-khaana badal gayaa uThti nahin hai aankh bhi ab aasmaan ki samt jab se gali kaa chaand puraanaa badal gayaa tahzib jin ke ghar ki 'alaamat thi kal talak afsos aaj un kaa gharaanaa badal gayaa 'azmat kaa taaj sar pe hai 'akhilesh' ke sajaa aisi havaa chali ki zamaana badal gayaa itni sharaafaton mein kami aa gai hai aaj pahle thaa jo libaas puraanaa badal gayaa ahl-e-vafaa ne jis ki thi taarikh ki raqam 'faaruq' 'ishq kaa vo fasaana badal gayaa"

"tirgi shama bani raahguzar mein aai saaat ik aisi bhi kal apne safar mein aai jis jagah chehra hi meyaar-e-vafaa Thahraa hai khaak hi khaak vahaan dast-e-hunar mein aai teri nazron mein thi duniyaa to yahi kyaa kam thaa hashr ye hai ki tu duniyaa ki nazar mein aai baar-haa yaaron ne saahil se kahaa thaa ham hain baar-haa naav magar apni bhanvar mein aai zindagi samjhun ise yaa ki ise maut kahun vo jo mehmaan ki surat mire ghar mein aai yuun bhi taarikh ki taarikh raqam hoti hai nikli taarikh mahal se to khanDar mein aai khvaab hi khvaab ki taabir huaa to jaanaa zindagi kyuun kisi aankhon ke asar mein aai shama jalte hi bujhi aur dhuaan aisaa uThaa lazzat-e-shaam yahaan khvaab-e-sahar mein aai zindagi kuchh hai 'ataa' sher-o-adab hai kuchh aur ye do-rangi ki vabaa kaisi hunar mein aai"

"khaamushi ke batn se ye guftani paidaa hui main ba-zaahir chup huaa aur shaaeri paidaa hui is tarah saabit huaa gham aur khushi kaa imtizaaj hanste hanste us ki aankhon mein nami paidaa hui jurm ki paadaash mein ham khaak par pheinke gae so yahaan par intiqaaman zindagi paidaa hui khauf ne hi maslahat ki raah bhi ijaad ki main andheron se Daraa aur raushni paidaa hui dil mein kab utri kisi ke be-maaani guftugu baat karne se to bas aavaaz hi paidaa hui"

"shab ki taarik raahdaari hai aur miraa khauf iztiraari hai sabz khvaabon ki kam se kam qimat zindagi bhar ki ashk-baari hai ik musallat-shuda tamaddun ko ye na kahiye ki ikhtiyaari hai shash-jihaati mushaahida hai miyaan tajrabon ki sanad pe bhaari hai shukriya aap ki mohabbat kaa dil kaa maqsum sogvaari hai tajziye sun ke muskuraa denaa apni itni hi zimmedaari hai"

"ye hai mai-kada yahaan rind hain yahaan sab kaa saaqi imaam hai ye haram nahin hai ai shaikh ji yahaan paarsaai haraam hai jo zaraa si pi ke bahak gayaa use mai-kade se nikaal do yahaan tang-nazar kaa guzar nahin yahaan ahl-e-zarf kaa kaam hai koi mast hai koi tishna-lab to kisi ke haath mein jaam hai magar is pe koi kare bhi kyaa ye to mai-kade kaa nizaam hai ye janaab-e-shaikh kaa falsafa hai 'ajib saare jahaan se jo vahaan piyo to halaal hai jo yahaan piyo to haraam hai tujhe apne husn kaa vaasta mere shauq-e-did pa rahm khaa zaraa muskuraa ke naqaab uThaa ki nazar ko shauq-e-salaam hai na sunnaa to huur o qusur ki ye hikaayatein mujhe vaa'izaa koi baat kar dar-e-yaar ki dar-e-yaar hi se to kaam hai na to e'tikaaf se kuchh gharaz na savaab-o-zuhd se vaasta tiri diid aisi namaaz hai na sujud hai na qayaam hai ye durust ki 'aib hai mai-kashi ye ba-jaa ki baada haraam hai magar ab savaal ye aa paDaa ki tumhaare haath mein jaam hai jo uThi to subh-e-davaam thi jo jhuki to shaam hi shaam thi tiri chashm-e-mast mein saaqiyaa miri zindagi kaa nizaam hai miraa farz hai ki paDaa rahun tiri baargaah mein saaqiyaa koi tishna-lab hai ki sair hai yahi dekhnaa tiraa kaam hai isi kaaenaat mein ai 'jigar' koi inqalaab uThegaa phir ki buland ho ke bhi aadmi abhi khvaahishon kaa ghulaam hai"