ज़माना-साज़

Meaning

Opportunistic, time-serving, or accommodating worldly ways to suit circumstances.

Detailed Meaning

Literally meaning 'one who conforms to the times', it denotes a time-server, hypocrite, or someone who compromises principles for worldly convenience. In this couplet, it describes love as entirely free from opportunism or political calculation, which is the precise reason love never manages to establish worldly dominion.

Etymology

Arabic 'zamāna' (time, era, world) + Persian '-sāz' (present stem of 'sākhtan', meaning maker or adapter).

Usage

In classical Urdu poetry, it usually carries a pejorative connotation of superficial worldly compromise, juxtaposed against the steadfast and uncompromising nature of love.

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