Word Meaning
असनाम
asnaam
Meaning
Idols, statues, or imagined figures and illusions.
Detailed Meaning
'Asnaam' is the Arabic broken plural of 'sanam', denoting idols or stone statues. In this verse, it appears in the compound 'asnaam-e-khayaali', referring to the illusory forms and mental constructs manufactured by the human mind. The poet laments that these figments of imagination, which project multiplicity upon the indivisible divine unity, have effectively turned him into an infidel.
Etymology
Arabic, broken plural form of 'ṣanam' (صنم), meaning an idol or image.
Usage
In ghazal poetry, 'asnaam' is frequently invoked allegorically to symbolize seductive worldly distractions, beloveds, or false dogmas of the intellect that divert the seeker from singular divine truth.
Examples
The mind's idols vanish once the truth of divine unity appears.
He bowed before the graceful idols carved by his own longing.