aab o havaa hai barsar-e-paikaar kaun hai — Saleem Kausar

"ye log jis se ab inkaar karnaa chaahte hain vo guftugu dar-o-divaar karnaa chaahte hain hamein khabar hai ki guzregaa ek sail-e-fanaa so ham tumhein bhi khabar-daar karnaa chaahte hain aur is se pahle ki saabit ho jurm-e-khaamoshi ham apni raae kaa izhaar karnaa chaahte hain yahaan tak aa to gae aap ki mohabbat mein ab aur kitnaa gunahgaar karnaa chaahte hain gul-e-umid farozaan rahe tiri khushbu ki log use bhi giraftaar karnaa chaahte hain uThaae phirte hain kab se azaab-e-dar-badri ab is ko vaqf-e-rah-e-yaar karnaa chaahte hain jahaan kahaani mein qaatil bari huaa hai vahaan ham ik gavaah kaa kirdaar karnaa chaahte hain vo ham hain jo tiri aavaaz sun ke tere hue vo aur hain ki jo didaar karnaa chaahte hain"

"achchhaa hai isi surat-e-haalaat mein rahnaa din shahr mein aur raat mazaafaat mein rahnaa har raat sitaaron ko zamin par liye phirnaa har subh kahin hamd-o-munaajaat mein rahnaa is bhiiD mein gard-e-dar-o-divaar hai itni mumkin hi nahin haath kisi haat mein rahnaa us shakhs ki chaahat bhi ajab hai ki hamesha khaatir mein na laanaa to mudaaraat mein rahnaa ye shahr samundar ke kinaare pa hai aabaad is shahr mein rahnaa bhi to auqaat mein rahnaa ham ahl-e-tariqat ki yahi rasm rahi hai zindaan mein yaa halqa-e-saadaat mein rahnaa dikhnaa to 'salim' apne ravayye hi pe dikhnaa khush rahnaa to apni hi kisi baat mein rahnaa"

"tujh se baDh kar koi pyaaraa bhi nahin ho saktaa par tiraa saath gavaaraa bhi nahin ho saktaa paanv rakhte hain phisal saktaa hai miTTi ho ki ret har kinaaraa to kinaaraa bhi nahin ho saktaa us tak aavaaz pahunchni bhi baDi mushkil hai aur na dekhe to ishaara bhi nahin ho saktaa tere bandon ki maishat kaa ajab haal huaa aish kaisaa ki guzaaraa bhi nahin ho saktaa apnaa dushman bhi dikhaai nahin detaa ho jise aisaa lashkar to saf-aaraa bhi nahin ho saktaa husn aisaa ki chakaa-chaund hui hain aankhein hairat aisi ki nazaaraa bhi nahin hain aankhein vaise vo shakhs hamaaraa to kabhi thaa hi nahin dukh to ye hai ki tumhaaraa bhi nahin ho saktaa duniyaa achchhi bhi nahin lagti ham aison ko 'salim' aur duniyaa se kinaaraa bhi nahin ho saktaa"

"main use tujh se milaa detaa magar dil mere mere kuchh kaam nahin aae vasaail mere vo junun-khez masaafat thi ki dekhaa hi nahin umr bhar paanv se lipTi rahi manzil mere tu milaa hai to nikal aae hain dushman saare vaqt kis kis ko uThaa laayaa muqaabil mere abr-e-girya ne vo tufaan uThaae ab ke mere dariyaaon ko kam paD gae saahil mere jitnaa hal kartaa huun utnaa hi bigaD jaate hain tu nahin jaantaa ai dost masaail mere ishq mein haar ke maani hi badal jaate hain tujh ko maalum nahin hai abhi qaatil mere be-ant safar meraa muqaddar hai 'salim' mujh mein tai kartaa hai ye kaun maraahil mere"

"junun tabdili-e-mausam kaa taqriron ki had tak hai yahaan jo kuchh nazar aataa hai tasviron ki had tak hai ghubaar aasaar karti hai musaafir ko subuk-gaami tilism-e-manzil-e-hasti to rahgiron ki had tak hai zamaane tu ne gham ko bhi numaaish kar diyaa aakhir nashaat-e-girya-o-maatam bhi zanjiron ki had tak hai"

"tu suraj hai teri taraf dekhaa nahin jaa saktaa lekin dekhne vaalon ko rokaa nahin jaa saktaa ab jo lahar hai pal bhar baad nahin hogi yaani ik dariyaa mein dusri baar utraa nahin jaa saktaa ab bhi vaqt hai apni ravish tabdil karo varna jo kuchh hone vaalaa hai sochaa nahin jaa saktaa us ki gali mein jaane se use milne se khud ko rokaa jaa saktaa hai par rokaa nahin jaa saktaa kisi ko chaahat aur kisi ko nafrat maarti hai koi bhi ho use marte to dekhaa nahin jaa saktaa ek taraf tire husn ki hairat ek taraf duniyaa aur duniyaa mein der talak Thahraa nahin jaa saktaa"

"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"