Urdu ghazal

The Urdu ghazal is a literary form of the ghazal-poetry unique to the Indian subcontinent, written in the Urdu standard of the Hindostani language. It is commonly asserted that the ghazal spread to South Asia from the influence of Sufi mystics in the Delhi Sultanate.

A ghazal is composed of ashaar, which are similar to couplets, that rhyme in a pattern of AA BA CA DA EA (and so on), with each individual she'r (couplet) typically presenting a complete idea not necessarily related to the rest of the poem. They are often described as being individual pearls that make up a united necklace.

Classically, the ghazal inhabits the consciousness of a passionate, desperate lover, wherein deeper reflections of life are found in the audience's awareness of what some commentators and historians call "The Ghazal Universe", which can be described as a store of characters, settings, and other tropes the genre employs to create meaning.

A ghazal is composed of five or more ashaar (singular she'r), which are complete texts even when pulled from the rest of the ghazal. In the vast majority of ghazals, there is not logical connection or flow between ashaar in terms of content or theme.

They are often described as couplets by Western audiences and critics, yet using the word "couplet" to describe a she'r is not entirely accurate, as ghazals do not have the rhyme scheme of couplets, nor are they a Western poetic form.

A she'r will often contains what Agha Shahid Ali described as "voltas" or "turns" from the first misra (line) to the second, where the intention of the poet is to surprise the reader or invert expectations.

The matla is the first she'r of a ghazal. In this she'r, the poet established the radif, qaafiya, and beher (meter) that the rest of the ghazal will follow.

The maqta is the final she'r of a ghazal, where the poet will often include their Takhallus. These ashaar tend to be more personal by the poet referring to themselves, diverting from the ghazal's universal and self-transcendent qualities.