Word Meaning
अहवाल
ahwaal
Meaning
Circumstances, conditions, state of affairs, or plight.
Detailed Meaning
The term 'ahwal' is the Arabic broken plural of 'haal', signifying conditions, circumstances, or state of being. In this couplet, it refers to the pitiable plight of the beloveds (idols), whose nails are left bereft of the lover's blood that once served as henna. It conveys a poignant dramatic irony where the lover pities the beloveds' deprivation after his demise.
Etymology
Arabic أحوال (aḥwāl), the broken plural of حال (ḥāl, meaning state, condition, or situation).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, it is standardly treated either as a plural or a singular collective noun to narrate a lover's woes or the shifting tides of fortune.
Examples
Do not inquire about the condition of my heart.
Unaware of the state of the world.