Ishq

transl|sem|ʻIshq (in Arabic alphabet: عشق) in Modern Persian word eshq (عشق) in Turkish aşk is meaning "love", classical Persian ishq. [M. Heydari-Malayeri [http://aramis.obspm.fr/~heydari/dictionary/esq_eng.html On the origin of the word ešq ] ] This word in Arabic literally means "love with no lust". The word is derived from "Ashiqa", a vine- that when love takes its root in the heart of a lover, everything other than God is effaced. [ [http://www.nfie.com/mirza.html Din al-Muhabbat] ] In Islam's Sufi and mystic doctrine it is a concept which refers to "divine love" or "a creature's love for its creator"; i.e. man's love for God.

"Ishq" in both of its contexts, word and concept, has almost the same meaning with a little difference when conceptualized in detail in Sufism.

As a word

This word has made its way to many other languages which were influenced by Arabic in one way or another. Some of the most notable languages which have borrowed it are Persian, Turkish, Sindhi, Urdu and Hindi.

"transl|sem|ʻIshq" literally means "love with no lust". [ [http://www.ghazalpage.net/prose/notes/ghazal_notes.html Ghazal Notes: Ishq] ] In Arabic, which is its language of origin, it is a noun. However, in Urdu and Hindi it is used as both verb and noun. "Āshiq" (male) and "Āshiqah" (female) are its subjective forms. "Māshūq" (male) and "Māshūqah" (female) are its objective forms. In addition to Arabic, these forms are used in Persian, Urdu and sometimes in Hindi also.

In Urdu, "Ishq" (عشق) is used to refer to "fervent love" for any object, person or God. However, it is mostly used in its religious context. In Urdu, three very common religious terminologies have been derived from "Ishq". These terminologies are "Ishq-e-Haqīqi" (love of God), "Ishq-e-Majāzi" (love of God's creation i.e. a human), and "Ishq-e-Rasūl" or "Ishq-e-Muhammadi" (love of Muhammad). Other than these, in non-religious context, "Ishq" is a synonym for obsessive love.

In Hindi, "Ishq" (इशक़) is mostly used to refer to romantic love in its extreme passionate form. This interpretation of "Ishq" is mostly popularised by Bollywood movies and Indian filmi music.

In Turkish, "Aşk" is commonly used to express love, passion or adoration. Clearly derived from the original "Ishq", the Turkish version replaces the 'q' with a 'k' (because Turkish lacks voiceless uvular plosive) and the letter 'ş' with the cedilla denotes the "sh" sound. In comparison to Arabic, Urdu or Hindi, the word is less restricted and can be applied to many forms of love, or simply romance. It is common in lyrics of Turkish songs.

As a concept

In religious context, Ishq, divided into three kinds, is a very important but rather complex concept of Sufi tradition of Islam.

Ishq-e-Haqīqi

"Ishq-e-Haqīqi" (Persian/Urdu: عشق حقیقی) literally means "the real love" but metaphorically it means "the love of God (Allah)". It refers to the belief that only God (Allah) is worth loving and He (huu) is the only one who can return His creature's love for Him.

Ishq-e-Majāzi

"Ishq-e-Majāzi" (Persian/Urdu: عشق مجازی) literally means "metaphorical love". It refers to the love for God's creation i.e. love of a man for a woman and vice versa. It is said to be generated by beloved person's external beauty. According to some schools of thought in Sufism, Ishq-e-Majāzi can eventually lead to Ishq-e-Haqiqi.

Ishq-e-Rasūl or Ishq-e-Muhammadi

"Ishq-e-Rasūl" (Persian/Urdu: عشق رسول; in Arabic: "transl|sem|ʻIshq Ar-rasūl", عشق الرسول) or "Ishq-e-Muhammadi" (Persian/Urdu: عشق محمدی) means "love of Muhammad", an important part of being a Muslim.

Use in music culture

"Ishq" both as a word and a concept has been extensively used in pop culture. Pakistani pop culture, with its roots in Islamic society, has used its religious context and used it in mystic Qawwalis, music, poetry and literature. Ashfaq Ahmed wrote many short stories and TV dramas about mysticism involving "Ishq".

Bollywood movies have mostly promoted romantic context of "Ishq" by many romantic movies with titles containing the word "Ishq". Countless film songs have used this word in a purely romantic context with male/female duets.

The term has also been applied in various popular-culture contexts, including the name of a record company [ [http://www.ishqrecords.com ISHQ Records] ] , and the title of a music CD by Abida Parveen.

ee also

* Ashik

References