aahon ke silsile mire siine mein gaaD kar — Muhammad Shakeel Akhtar

"paarsaaon ne baDe zarf kaa izhaar kiyaa mujh ko bhi hurmat-e-zebaa kaa kharidaar kiyaa vo jo thaa khud ki numaaish kaa taraf-daar badan khud ko khvaabida kiyaa aur mujhe bedaar kiyaa baandh kar shaakh labon par vo tabassum ke gulaab meri maa'sum tamanna ko talabgaar kiyaa tum ne tohfe mein diye the jo dahakte bose un ki khushbu ne hi rusvaa sar-e-baazaar kiyaa ek lamhe ko sahi diid kaa mausam Thahre kuchh saraabon ne mujhe tishna-e-didaar kiyaa qalb aashob-zada 'isyaan se hotaa kyon hai roz-e-mahshar kaa mujhe jis ne khataavaar kiyaa apni sochon ki lakiron se taraashaa thaa tumhein khitta-e-jaan pe magar tum ne hi aazaar kiyaa dard ki dhuup mein saaya thaa sukunat kaa jo shaam aai to lipaT kar mujhe bezaar kiyaa jis ki maa'sum adaaon pe yaqin thaa 'akhtar' us ne paakizgi se mujh ko gunahgaar kiyaa"

"mumkin kahaan ghamon kaa nayaa silsila na ho jo ramz-e-iltifaat se dil aashnaa na ho vasl-e-nigaar ki nahin manzil ho dastyaab raah-e-talab mein koi agar naqsh-e-paa na ho hai mauj-e-dard ki baDi be-ghairati agar parvaaz dard-e-'ishq ki be-intihaa na ho jab husn ke hijaab mein aayaa hai inqalaab tab ishtihaa-e-did bhi kyun-kar sivaa na ho rusvaaiyon se pur hai agar 'ishq kaa mizaaj behtar hai tab dilon mein koi raabta na ho ashkon kaa khaandaan hai arfa' na mo'tabar khun-e-jigar kaa is mein agar zaaiqa na ho duniyaa maqaam-e-ibtilaa hai jaante hain sab phir kyaa javaaz-e-hashr jo mutlaq khataa na ho 'akhtar' na hogi nudrat-e-fikr-e-sukhan agar nok-e-qalam mein zauq-e-tajassus bharaa na ho"

"ik zalzala sukut kaa tanhaaiyon mein hai kitnaa sukun 'ishq ki rusvaaiyon mein hai hote rahein tavil nigaahon ke faasle dil kaa milan to yaadon ki gahraaiyon mein hai sab se baDaa fareb hai duniyaa ki zindagi duniyaa to chand roz ki shahnaaiyon mein hai ghultaa hai ab nigaahon mein nisfunnahaar-e-mehr itni tapish jamaal ki angDaaiyon mein hai karne lage hain log gunah ki vazaahatein paakizgi nigaahon ki sachchaaiyon mein hai 'akhtar' ko hai gumaan ki adab kaa hai vo nisaab lekin ghazal to qaafiya-paimaaiyon mein hai"

"lahu ki dhaar se jazbon ki tughyaani se niklungaa main sajda ban ke ik din teri peshaani se niklungaa tiri aankhon se honTon kaa safar mamnu' hai to phir samundar ban ke teri aankhon ke paani se niklungaa chamak aai hai aankhon mein musalsal ratjage paa kar main suraj ban ke furqat ki faraavaani se niklungaa agar uljhungaa lahje se tire ho jaaungaa paspaa main apne zabt ki had se pareshaani se niklungaa mohabbat ki shu'aa'on se bikhar kar rah gai hasti main kaise hasraton ki ab nigahbaani se niklungaa basaayaa hai muqaddar ne mujhe teri lakiron mein agar niklaa to main apni hi naadaani se niklungaa miri hasti miTaa denaa nahin mumkin hai kuza-gar agar miTTi mein gundhegaa to main paani se niklungaa main khud apni musibat aap ban ke aayaa huun 'akhtar' fanaa ho kar hi ab main soz-e-laafaani se niklungaa"

"ugaa rahe hain sabhi aankhon mein babulon ko ki jis se noch sakeinge badan ke phulon ko chalan jo dekhaa zamaane kaa bad-chalan jaisaa to main ne tark kiyaa jiine ke usulon ko tilaai bundon ki jhaDiyaan lagin jo saavan mein kunvaariyon ne shajar pe lagaayaa jhulon ko jigar pighaltaa hai to shaa'iri mein Dhaltaa hai to kaun rokegaa phir she'r ke nuzulon ko kisi kaa 'aib chhupaanaa bhi ik 'ibaadat hai farogh detaa nahin 'aib ke husulon ko buDhaapaa aayaa to aayaa khudaa bhi yaad 'akhtar' rulaa rahaa huun javaani ki apni bhulon ko"

"ik jang ke andaaz mein guftaar khaDi thi bad-rang anaa miTne ko tayyaar khaDi thi kyon 'ishq ke hi shahr pe TuuTaa thaa faqat qahr jab husn ki basti bhi gunahgaar khaDi thi ik khvaab bhi sharminda-e-taa’bir nahin thaa ik niind shabistaan mein bedaar khaDi thi aahaT hui gungi yaa samaa'at hui bahri darvaaze pe yaa phir koi divaar khaDi thi qadmon ki jasaarat rahi manzil ki taraf-daar par raahon se lipTi hui raftaar khaDi thi ehsaas ke par kaaT ke dil kar ke shikasta honTon se lagi tanz ki talvaar khaDi thi kyon husn ke baazaar mein chaltaa miraa sikka jab chashm-e-‘adu dil ki kharidaar khaDi thi ik aanch thi har naqsh-e-rukh-e-yaar mein pinhaan vo husn thaa yaa aatishi yalghaar khaDi thi rotaa rahaa 'akhtar' main gunaahon se lipaT kar aur meri khirad ik taraf bimaar khaDi thi"

"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"

"tere tasavvuraat se aage nahin gayaa ye dil tavahhumaat se aage nahin gayaa jo biich raah chhoD gayaa shukr hai vo shakhs meri tavaqqu'aat se aage nahin gayaa shaayad use pasand thiin jhuTi numaaishein lekin main dil ki baat se aage nahin gayaa jazbaat-e-dil ko vo bhi na kuchh Dhang de sakaa main bhi takallufaat se aage nahin gayaa tohfa bhi us ke vaaste kangan liyaa 'zarim' vallah main us ke haath se aage nahin gayaa"

"taavil-e-ahd-e-fan hi to vahshat kaa hal nahin pesh-e-nazar junun hai yaaro ghazal nahin ab is ke baad ahd ki taarik raat hai ye ikhtitaam-e-shaam hai subh-e-azal nahin ai dost ishq mansab-e-fahm-o-shuur hai ye irtiqaa hai zehn kaa koi khalal nahin ik umr ratjagon ki aziyyat mein kaaT di ab mere khvaab niind kaa radd-e-amal nahin kyaa kyaa ataa-e-neamat-e-rabb-e-karim hai lekin 'samir' dard kaa nemul-badal nahin"

"na koi dost ho meraa na ho adu meraa tum apne munh se agar kah do mujh ko tu meraa fasurdagi mein junun-e-havaa-e-gul yaani khizaan ke daur mein saudaa-e-rang-o-bu meraa jo tum nahin to bahaar-e-jinaan mein khaak nahin bahut vasia hai daamaan-e-aarzu meraa nibhegi ai dil-e-aavaara ab na tujh se miri bas aaj se na main teraa huun aur na tu meraa banaa rahe hain vo jalve ki apne tasvirein dikhaa dikhaa ke tamaashaa-e-rang-o-bu meraa kisi ki zulf-e-siyah kah rahi hai khul khul kar ghaTaa ne rang uDaayaa hai hu-ba-hu meraa mah-e-siyaam kaa aur intizaam kyaa karte janaab-e-shaikh uDaa le gae subu meraa jafaa kaa rang judaa hai vafaa kaa rang judaa malo na dast-e-hinaai mein tum lahu meraa taDap rahi hai jo abr-e-siyaah mein bijli firaaq mein yahi naqsha thaa hu-ba-hu meraa suhaani raat hai chhiTki hai chaandni 'muztar' miri nigaah mein phirtaa hai maah-ru meraa"

"zindagi bojhal hui aazaar se jism jhuktaa jaa rahaa hai baar se doston ne is qadar dhoke diye aur raghbat baDh gai aghyaar se zindagi kaa ik nayaa imkaan huaa ik daricha khul gayaa divaar se ab bayaan kaise karun rudaad-e-gham kaam mushkil hai dil-e-naa-chaar se hijr ki raaton mein bahtaa hi rahaa ek naala chashm-e-dariyaa-baar se misl-e-majnun regzaaron mein rahe sar paTakte ret ki divaar se ham asiraan-e-mohabbat hain yahaan uljhe hain ab gesu-e-khamdaar se 'qalb' teri ghazlein yuun shaadaan karein dard nikle hai tire ashaar se"

"chaahe khoTe hain yaa khare hain ham Dast-e-qudrat ke laaDle hain ham 'aks-e-rafta ko dekhiye saahib kitne maa'sum lag rahe hain ham raat jivan kaa giit gaati hai khvaab-e-tanvim dekhte hain ham 'umr lag jaaegi sanbhalne mein kis bulandi se yuun gire hain ham ek hangaam hai taghayyur kaa kunj-e-nisyaan mein paDe hain ham ab bhi mehndi kaa rang gahraa hai sandalin haath par rache hain ham ik tamaashaa hai kaar-zaar-e-hayaat dekh kar ser ho chuke hain ham jhilmilaate hain aarzu ke kanval dil-jharoke se jhaankte hain ham"