Word Meaning
ज़ोहद
zohd
Meaning
Asceticism, piety, religious austerity, or renunciation of worldly pleasures.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry and Sufi thought, 'zohd' denotes pious austerity and the strict detachment from worldly luxuries. In this couplet, it represents formal religious observance and puritanical self-denial, whose spiritual reward the speaker intellectually acknowledges yet feels emotionally detached from. It is conventionally set in contrast to the spontaneous passion of divine love and bohemian freedom.
Etymology
Arabic root z-h-d (ز-ه-د), meaning to abstain, lead an austere life, or withdraw from worldly desires.
Usage
In the classical ghazal tradition, zohd is commonly depicted as dry or rigid self-denial, contrasted against the sincere ecstasy of ishq and the free-spiritedness of rindi.
Examples
Do not preach piety and austerity inside the tavern.
What concern do true lovers have with the cold renunciation of ascetics?