Word Meaning
वक़्फ़
waqf
Meaning
Dedicated, consecrated, given over to, or subjected to something.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning an endowment or setting aside, in poetic usage 'waqf' describes a person or object entirely surrendered or dedicated to a certain state. In this couplet by Ghalib, in the compound 'waqf-e-kashmakash', it signifies that every single thread of the bedsheet has become subjected and given over to perpetual agony and turmoil. It reflects a total surrender of an object's existence to suffering.
Etymology
Arabic root و-ق-ف (w-q-f), meaning to stop, stand, or dedicate property as an endowment.
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, 'waqf' is commonly used in izafat constructions to depict absolute surrender to sorrow, pain, or devotion.
Examples
Dedicated to the agony of waiting.
A heart given over to sorrow.