Word Meaning
मीज़ान
mizaan
Meaning
A balance, weighing scale, or measure of justice.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'mizaan' refers to a pair of scales or balance, especially the eschatological scale of divine justice on the Day of Judgment. In this couplet, it appears in the compound 'mizaan-e-adl' (scale of justice), where the poet portrays his own heedlessness as the weight or commodity resting in the balance pan. The image evokes spiritual accountability and the dread of divine reckoning.
Etymology
Arabic (مِيزَان), derived from the triconsonantal root w-z-n (وزن), meaning 'to weigh' or 'balance'.
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, 'mizaan' is primarily employed in metaphors of divine judgment, fairness, and the weighing of human flaws versus divine mercy.
Examples
deeds placed upon the scale of judgment
trembling before the divine scale