Word Meaning
दाद-ख़्वाहों
dād-khwāhon
Meaning
Seekers of justice, petitioners, or complainants demanding redress.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'dād-khwāh' refers to a petitioner or seeker of justice who cries out against cruelty, usually suffered at the hands of the beloved or fate. In this couplet, it designates those aggrieved souls whose clamor for justice is answered by the divine creative command ('kun') on the Day of Judgment. The plural oblique suffix '-on' marks them as the collective assembly of complainants.
Etymology
Persian compound of 'dād' (justice, redress) and the stem 'khwāh' (desiring, seeking; from 'khwāstan', to wish or seek), with the Hindustani plural oblique marker '-on'.
Usage
In the ghazal, it typically depicts lovers pleading for redress against the beloved's tyranny or standing before the divine tribunal on the Day of Reckoning.
Examples
The court was crowded with seekers of justice.
None remained to hear the cry of the petitioners.