Song lyrics

Dar al-Shifa

📜 Lyrics

They went to the beloved's door thinking it a house of healing, Such was the cure that they sat there and died. My own people were around me, the enemy faced me— Why did the arrows pierce my body at such an angle? That hand slipped from my hand, and after that Whichever hand touched hers, became hers. Yes, became hers! She lives in that humble home today, still content, The princes who yearned for her have passed from life itself. Men of small capacity came seeking the fief, They turned back alive and dishonored the desert. They turned back alive and dishonored the desert! That hand slipped from my hand, and after that Whichever hand touched hers, became hers. Whichever hand touched hers, became hers...

💡 Meaning & story

Friends! Today's ghazal is based on these verses of Saber Zafar that reflect human psychology, betrayal, and ego. This is the story of someone who set out to seek a cure for wounds, but reached such a place of pain where death itself became the remedy. In this poetry, where there is mention of the hypocrisy of loved ones, there is also remembrance of the glory of this humble dwelling for which princes sacrificed their lives. And its most powerful aspect is that 'deception' which befalls a person when they place their hand in another's hand. 1. Annihilation at the beloved's threshold: The poet says that I went seeking peace at my beloved's doorstep, but the love or coldness there killed me while I still lived. That is, love itself was the illness and love itself proved to be the final verdict. 2. Wounds from the beloved: When the enemy stands before you, one prepares oneself, but when arrows come from the side, know that they were not shot by the enemy but by those standing beside you—your own. This is a lamentation for the betrayal of loved ones. 3. The truth of the humble dwelling: This verse is a slap in the face of materialism. On one side is that woman of the humble home content in her simplicity, and on the other are those princes who destroyed their lives in the desire to possess her. 4. Insult to the desert: Here honor and dignity are spoken of. Those who tread the path of love only for greed and gain return empty-handed and thus insult this sacred path and the 'desert' of love's valley. 5. They deceived: This is the most famous part of the ghazal. "To deceive" is an idiom meaning to betray. When my hand left his hand, whoever offered him shelter after that deceived him too. This is a beautiful picture of consequence and retribution.