Word Meaning
तफ़रा
tafra
Meaning
A leap, bound, or jump; especially an illusory or futile skip.
Detailed Meaning
In classical philosophy and Islamic scholastic theology (Kalam), 'tafra' designates a discontinuous jump from one point to another without traversing the space in between. In this couplet, it represents an illusory or hollow leap, questioning the divine revelation upon Mount Sinai (Tur). The poet suggests that had that spiritual manifestation not been merely a deceptive jump, he too could have dashed forward and leaped across it.
Etymology
Arabic root ṭ-f-r (طفرة), denoting a leap, spring, or sudden bound; notably used as a technical term by the Mu'tazilite thinker al-Nazzam.
Usage
A rare philosophical term in Urdu ghazal, used metaphorically to satirize an incomplete or illusory mystical attainment.
Examples
a futile leap across the abyss
making a bound past all limits