Word Meaning
क़ाज़ी
qāzī
Meaning
An Islamic judge, magistrate, or legal arbiter.
Detailed Meaning
In Islamic jurisprudence, a Qazi is a magistrate who dispenses justice based on Sharia law. In classical Urdu poetry, the figure often stands as an archetype of rigid orthodoxy, formal piety, and social authority contrasted against the unconventional sincerity of the lover or rind. In this verse, the white beard of the Qazi serves as a satirical image for the cotton stopper sealing the wine flagon.
Etymology
Arabic qāḍī (قَاضِي), active participle of the root q-ḍ-y (قضى), meaning to judge, execute, or decide.
Usage
In the ghazal, the Qazi frequently serves alongside the Sheikh and Waiz as an object of satire, representing dry legalism against authentic spiritual or romantic intoxication.
Examples
The decree of the Qazi could not restrain the intoxicated.
Before the court of love, the Qazi stood perplexed.