Word Meaning
ज़ाहिद
zaahid
Meaning
An ascetic, pious devotee, or austere religious puritan.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, the 'zahid' represents the self-righteous ascetic or puritan who strictly observes formal rites and scorns love and wine. In this couplet, the speaker taunts the pious moralizer for refusing the goblet, mockingly defending wine against orthodox repulsion. The figure serves as a conventional foil to the free-spirited lover or 'rind'.
Etymology
Arabic (زَاهِد), active participle from the root z-h-d (زَهَدَ), meaning to abstain, renounce worldly pleasures, or practice asceticism.
Usage
The zahid is a stereotypical stock character in ghazal poetry, routinely mocked by poets for hypocrisy and superficial piety.
Examples
The ascetic sits aloof from the joyful tavern.
What does the austere preacher know of divine love?