Word Meaning
बद-ख़्वाह
bad-khwah
Meaning
An ill-wisher, malevolent person, enemy, or someone wishing harm upon another.
Detailed Meaning
The compound refers to someone who harbors malice or desires misfortune for someone else. In the provided couplet, the poet ironically laments that had he been his own ill-wisher, good might have come about, since wishing for good has only led to ruin. It presents a classic expression of paradoxical regret in classical Urdu poetry.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'bad' (bad, evil) and 'khwah' (present stem of khwastan, to wish/desire).
Usage
In ghazal poetry, 'bad-khwah' frequently contrasts with 'khair-khwah' (well-wisher) to dramatize hostility, fate, or self-reproach.
Examples
Beware of the ill-wisher who masks enmity as friendship.
Destiny turned into our greatest ill-wisher at every turn.