Word Meaning
इज्ज़
'Ijz
Meaning
Helplessness, powerlessness, inability, or humble submission.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'ijz signifies the profound state of human helplessness, inability, and humble submission before fate, the beloved, or the divine. In this couplet, it combines with himmat ('ijz-e-himmat) to denote the paralysis or exhaustion of human resolve caught between despair and hope. It conveys an existential boundary where human effort reaches its ultimate limit.
Etymology
Arabic root 'a-j-z (ع-ج-ز), meaning weakness, incapacity, or failure to accomplish something.
Usage
In the ghazal, 'ijz is celebrated both as a mark of the lover's utter vulnerability and as an essential virtue of spiritual humility.
Examples
dast-e-ijz (hand of helplessness)
ijz-o-niyaaz (humility and supplication)