Word Meaning
तजाहुल
tajahul
Meaning
Feigned ignorance, pretending not to know, deliberate indifference.
Detailed Meaning
The term refers to the pretense of ignorance or deliberately acting as though one does not know or recognize someone. In the couplet, it describes the beloved recognizing the lover yet turning their face away, maintaining a cruel posture of feigned unawareness. In classical literature, it is closely linked with the rhetorical trope of pretending naive disregard.
Etymology
Arabic, derived from the root j-h-l (ج-ہ-ل) on the measure of tafā'ul (تفاعل), indicating the feigning of ignorance.
Usage
Commonly invoked in the ghazal to portray the beloved's calculated neglect, as well as in the poetic trope 'tajahul-e-arifana' (feigned innocence).
Examples
Is this feigned ignorance or did they truly forget?
Hurting the lover with an air of feigned indifference.