Ghalib, An Extraordinary Freethinker

Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib needs no introduction. His couplets are evocative and emotive . Countless couplets  penned by Ghalib have attained proverbial status. For example,

Tum salaamat raho hazaar baras

Har baras ke hon din pachaas hazaar.

Or savour this one :

Mout ka ek din muayyan hai

Neend kyu raat bhar nahin aati.

Or take this one :

Hum ko ma’loom hai jannat ki Haqeeqat lekin,

Dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achha hai.

 These couplets are so simple in style and lucid in meaning that they render the translation redundant for anyone knowing even a smattering of Hindustani language.

Ghalib was not a stickler for religious regimen, yet he had not renounced Islam. He bibbed two or three small potations of wine at night only and never boozed.

He says:

Mai sey gharaz nishaat kis roo-siyaah ko,

Yak goonah beykhudi mujhe din raat chaahiye.

(Who on earth says I desire pleasure by wine-boozing. All I want is just a unique ecstasy day and night.)

Dr Abdul Rehman Bijnauri , a foremost literary critic remarked:

‘There are only two divine scriptures in India- one , the Vedas and the other ‘Deewan-e-Ghalib.’

Despite being a free thinker, Ghalib was fully aware of the subtleties of sin and virtue. He perceived the frailties of man with the human eye. We can describe him in the following lines:

Na soofi bood, nay mulla, na bey taufeeq roohani,

Faqat mee karad bar duniya nigaah ba chashm-e- insaani.

(He was neither a mystic nor a cleric, yet he was not sans the gift of spirituality. He perceived the world with the eye of a common man.) Ghalib condemned mummery in observing religious rituals and strongly deplored the hypocritical attitude of such people as observe fast just to feed themselves luxuriously at the time of Iftaar- the time of breaking fast.

He says :

Tan parvari khalq fazoon shud zi riyaazat,

Juz garmi- e- Iftaar na daarad Ramzaan heych.

 People have become more interested in feeding their bellies than in doing any supplications. Such people  see nothing worthy in Ramadan except a strong desire to feed on the delicacies at the time of Iftaar.)

 As regards the existence of Paradise, Ghalib condemned the desire for paradise just for relishing the promised  luxuries and houries. He , however, believed in absolute obedience to God without the greed of being rewarded with Paradise,  as is evident from this couplet.

Ta’at mein taa rahey na mai-o-angbeen ki laag,

Dozakh mein daal do koyi le kar Bahisht ko.

Someone should dump the Paradise into the Hell so that obedience to God may not be influenced by the love of being rewarded with wine and honey.)

At another place Ghalib says:

Ba soz-e- Ghalib aazaada raa-o-baak madaar,

Ba shart aan ke tuaan guft naa musalmaananish.

You may cast down the libertine and outspoken Ghalib into the fire provided you can first pronounce him a non-muslim or a  non-believer.)

Asserting his self-respect, he says:

Bandagi mein bhi woh aazaadah-o- khud been hain ke hum

Ultey phir aaye dar-e-ka’ba agar wa na hua.

Even in servitude we are so headstrong

And opinionated, that finding

The gate of the Ka’ba shut

We forthwith beat a retreat.)

We, therefore, must say:’Haq maghfirat karey, ajab aazaad mard tha’ (May Allah be forgiving towards him, he was an extraordinary free-thinker.)