Word Meaning
अबजद-ख़्वाँ
abjad-khwān
Meaning
A beginner or novice learning the rudiments; an elementary student.
Detailed Meaning
Literally denotes one who recites or reads the traditional alphabet (abjad). Figuratively, it signifies an utter novice, schoolchild, or beginner in any field. In this couplet, the speaker ironically laments his audacity in arguing like an authority despite being merely a beginner who barely knows his fundamentals.
Etymology
Compound of Arabic 'abjad' (the traditional order of the alphabet) and the Persian suffix 'khwān' (reader, from 'khwāndan', to read).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, poets frequently cast themselves as an 'abjad-khwān' with modesty or irony to depict the soul starting from scratch in the school of love.
Examples
a novice at the threshold of the school of love
the beginner puzzling over complex mysteries