Word Meaning
ख़ानकाह
khānqāh
Meaning
A Sufi hospice, monastery, or retreat for spiritual devotion.
Detailed Meaning
A khanqah is a traditional hospice or monastery dedicated to Sufi spiritual gatherings, contemplation, and ascetic practice. In this couplet, it represents severe ascetic seclusion and ritual withdrawal, which the poet urges the seeker to abandon in favor of the fresh, blooming life of the garden. Along with the mosque, it stands as an emblem of cloistered piety set against worldly or mystical delight.
Etymology
Persian (خانقاہ / خانقہ), originally an institution or lodge for Sufi dervishes and travelers.
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, the khanqah is frequently juxtaposed with the tavern (maikhāna) to contrast rigid orthodoxy and ascetic retreat with authentic spiritual abandon.
Examples
leaving the quiet of the khanqah for the street
the ascetic bound to the walls of the khanqah