Urdu Ghazals

A Ghazal (pronounced "Ghuzzle") is a set of couplets or sher, which is sung as a short song. It is just a musical recitation of a poem. It said to have originated as early as in 10th century Persian poetry and is highly influenced by Arabic and Persian forms of literature. It was given a sense of mysticism in the Urdu language. Ghazals in Urdu language are an extraordinary way to express your innermost feelings of love and romance. Urdu Ghazals have found their way into many Hindi films and music. The couplets used in a ghazal have their own independent essence, but when used together in a sequence, they form a beautiful ghazal.

Though prominently used in the Urdu language, the Ghazals have influenced many other languages and many Ghazals have been composed in Hindi as well. In fact, now-a-days, ghazal is being composed in English as well. The pronunciations and phonetics of the Urdu language are very exotic and unique and can be perfected only after much practice. The ghazal culture spread into South Asia around the 12th century through wandering Islamic and Sufi mystics.

Many Persian mystics and poets have penned down many famous ghazals. Among the famous poets, one finds the name of Mirza Ghalib at the top. A very famous Urdu poet of the 18th century, he epitomized the genre of romantic ghazals in his time. Among other famous Urdu poets who wrote Ghazals are Rumi (13th century), Hafez (14th century) and Muhammad Iqbal (19th century) to name a few. Iqbal wrote poems in both Urdu and Persian.