Word Meaning
याक़ूब
Yaqoob
Meaning
The prophet Jacob; archetype of intense sorrow, separation, and weeping until blindness.
Detailed Meaning
Yaqoob (the biblical Jacob) is a venerated prophet in Islamic and Abrahamic tradition, celebrated in classical Urdu poetry for his immense grief over the loss of his beloved son Yusuf (Joseph). According to legend, his constant weeping in separation eventually cost him his eyesight until the scent of Yusuf's tunic restored it. In this couplet, Yaqoob's weeping eyes in his state of confinement and longing are metaphorically cast as window openings in the prison wall.
Etymology
Arabic (يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb), from Biblical Hebrew (יַעֲקֹב, Yaʿăqōḇ).
Usage
In the classical ghazal, Yaqoob is primarily invoked alongside Yusuf and Canaan as the supreme emblem of inconsolable grief and steadfast paternal devotion in separation.
Examples
the weeping eye of Yaqoob
like Yaqoob in the sorrow of separation