Word Meaning
ख़ानक़हों
khānqahoñ
Meaning
Sufi hospices, monasteries, or spiritual retreat centers (oblique plural).
Detailed Meaning
A khanqah is a traditional hospice or monastery designated for Sufi spiritual gatherings and contemplation. In this couplet, the term evokes historic spiritual sanctuaries that have degenerated into sites of timid passivity and cunning rather than fostering lion-hearted courage. It serves as an oblique plural form of 'khanqah'.
Etymology
Persian (خانقاہ / khānqāh), a compound word referring to a hospice, monastery, or convent for Sufi dervishes.
Usage
In classical and modern Urdu poetry, particularly in Iqbal, the khanqah often represents institutionalized Sufism, frequently contrasted with true spiritual dynamism.
Examples
The faded grandeur of old khanqahs
Finding no true guidance in these formal khanqahs