Word Meaning
ख़ानक़ाहों
khaanqaahon
Meaning
Sufi hospices, monasteries, or spiritual sanctuaries.
Detailed Meaning
A khanqah is a residential sanctuary or hospice designated for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, spiritual retreats, and mystical practice. In this couplet, it represents the realm of inner esoteric knowledge and spiritual intimacy (lazzat-e-asraar), placed alongside the formal scholastic intellect found in the maktab. It evokes an environment steeped in Sufi tradition, contemplation, and mystical secrets.
Etymology
Persian (خانقاہ / xānaqāh, historically derived from Persian 'khāna' meaning house/abode combined with a suffix, or Arabicized Persian).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, the khanqah is frequently contrasted either with the formal academic madrasa or the unbound, wine-soaked tavern (maikhana).
Examples
The mystic seekers found sanctuary within the quiet khanqahs.
Secrets of the soul were whispered in the khanqahs.