Word Meaning
असतग़्फ़िरुल्लाह
astaghfirullah
Meaning
May God forgive me; God forbid; an expression of shock or repentance.
Detailed Meaning
Literally translating to 'I seek forgiveness from God', this Arabic expression is used in Urdu poetry to indicate scandalized shock, dismay, or pious horror. In this couplet, it is employed with ironic remorse at the sheer heresy of showing lack of faith in the tavern-keeper (Pir-e-Mughan). The poet uses this holy formula satirically in the profane space of the tavern to treat the elder of the magi with mock-religious reverence.
Etymology
Arabic: compound phrase from 'astaghfiru' (I ask forgiveness, root gh-f-r) and 'Allah' (God).
Usage
In classical ghazal, it is often employed ironically by poets to feign pious horror or to mock conventional orthodoxy in wine-drinking themes.
Examples
To doubt the master of the tavern? God forbid, God forbid!
Hearing of his false promises, she exclaimed, 'Astaghfirullah!'