koi samjhe to ek baat kahun
ishq taufiq hai gunah nahin
if someone were to listen, one thing i will opine
love is not a crime forsooth it is grace divine
the speaker feels surrounded by misunderstanding and offers a single, clarifying truth to anyone capable of insight. by calling love “taufiq,” he frames it as a gift that elevates the heart rather than a moral offense. the couplet defends love against social or religious blame, turning accusation into spiritual dignity. its emotional core is quiet insistence: love deserves reverence, not condemnation.
ek fursat-e-gunah mili wo bhi chaar din
dekhe hain hum ne hausle parwardigar ke
aata hai dagh-e-hasrat-e-dil ka shumar yaad
mujh se mere gunah ka hisab ai khuda na mang
ghalib turns inner regret into a vivid image: the heart is covered with countless “stains” of unfulfilled desires. remembering their number already overwhelms him, so the thought of a divine audit feels unbearable. the plea is not denial but helplessness—his failings and disappointments are too many to be tallied. the couplet captures guilt, exhaustion, and a trembling appeal for mercy.
yun zindagi guzar raha hun tere baghair
jaise koi gunah kiye ja raha hun main
mere gunah ziyaada hain ya teri rahmat
karim tu hi bata de hisab kar ke mujhe
whether my sins are greater of your mercy pray?
my lord take account and tell me this today
farishte hashr mein puchhenge pak-bazon se
gunah kyun na kiye kya khuda ghafur na tha
teri bakhshish ke bharose pe khataen ki hain
teri rahmat ke sahaare ne gunahgar kiya
is bharose pe kar raha hun gunah
bakhsh dena to teri fitrat hai
i keep on sinning as i do believe
it is your nature to grant reprieve
gunah gin ke main kyun apne dil ko chhota karun
suna hai tere karam ka koi hisab nahin
apne kisi amal pe nadamat nahin mujhe
tha nek-dil bahut jo gunahgar mujh mein tha
gunah-garon mein shamil hain gunahon se nahin waqif
saza ko jaante hain hum khuda jaane khata kya hai
wo kaun hain jinhen tauba ki mil gai fursat
hamein gunah bhi karne ko zindagi kam hai
who are those that seem to find the time for to repent
for us this life is too short to sin to heart's content
na-karda gunahon ki bhi hasrat ki mile dad
ya rab agar in karda gunahon ki saza hai
for the sins uncommitted, i hope to get applause
if sins one did commit for punishment are due cause
the poet enters into a bold negotiation with the divine regarding the nature of sin and justice. ghalib argues that if he is to be held accountable and punished for his actions, he should conversely be rewarded or compensated for the suffering caused by his unfulfilled desires to sin. it highlights that the pain of suppressed longing is as significant as the act of sinning itself.
puchhega jo khuda to ye kah denge hashr mein
han han gunah kiya teri rahmat ke zor par
gunahgar to rahmat ko munh dikha na saka
jo be-gunah tha wo bhi nazar mila na saka
shirkat gunah mein bhi rahe kuchh sawab ki
tauba ke sath todiye botal sharab ki
dekha to sab ke sar pe gunahon ka bojh tha
khush the tamam nekiyan dariya mein dal kar
wo jo raat mujh ko bade adab se salam kar ke chala gaya
use kya khabar mere dil mein bhi kabhi aarzu-e-gunah thi
mere khuda ne kiya tha mujhe asir-e-bahisht
mere gunah ne rihai mujhe dilai hai
suna hai khwab mukammal kabhi nahin hote
suna hai ishq khata hai so kar ke dekhte hain
khud-parasti khuda na ban jae
ehtiyatan gunah karta hun
gunahon se hamein raghbat na thi magar ya rab
teri nigah-e-karam ko bhi munh dikhana tha
o lord, i was not drawn to sinning all the time
how else could i confront your mercy so sublime
rahmaton se nibah mein guzri
umr sari gunah mein guzri
mohabbat nek-o-bad ko sochne de ghair-mumkin hai
badhi jab be-khudi phir kaun darta hai gunahon se
mujhe gunah mein apna suragh milta hai
wagarna parsa-o-din-dar main bhi tha
lazzat kabhi thi ab to musibat si ho gai
mujh ko gunah karne ki aadat si ho gai
yaad aae hain uff gunah kya kya
hath uthae hain jab dua ke liye
ruh mein rengti rahti hai gunah ki khwahish
is amarbel ko ek din koi diwar mile
ishq mein wo bhi ek waqt hai jab
be-gunahi gunah hai pyare
mahsus bhi ho jae to hota nahin bayan
nazuk sa hai jo farq gunah o sawab mein