Word Meaning
बीनाई
binaa'ii
Meaning
Sight, vision, power of seeing, perception.
Detailed Meaning
Binaa'ii refers to the physical faculty of eyesight as well as inward spiritual perception or contemplation. In this couplet by Iqbal, it denotes the lover's gaze or sight, which ironically contains the conditions for the beloved's concealment (masturi) even as the beloved is compelled to manifest. The poet contrasts the outward revelation of beauty with the covering nature of the beholder's own vision.
Etymology
Persian: from 'bīnā' (seeing, watchful; from 'dīdan' to see) + the abstract noun suffix '-ī'.
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, binaa'ii often symbolizes spiritual illumination or inner sight, frequently juxtaposed with weeping and the loss of physical vision in separation.
Examples
Dil ki binaai se haqeeqat dekhiye.
Aankhon ki binaai chhin gayi intizaar mein.