Bahr ki tareekh

AaThweeN sadi ʿīsavi mein, junoobi ʿIrāq ke shahr Basra mein, ek ʿālim ne wo daryāft ki jis ne ʿilm-e-ʿarūḍ ki bunyaad rakhi. Un ka naam tha Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (wafāt 786 ʿīsavi). Khalil lughwi the — unhoN ne pehli Arabic lughat Kitāb al-ʿAyn murattab ki, aur nahw, mauseeqi aur ramziyāt par bhi likha. Rivāyat hai ke wazn ka inkishāf unheN ek ghair-mutawaqqaʿ jagah par hua: wo Basra ke bāzār se guzar rahe the ke kisi taambe ke kaarigar ki hathauRi ki taal ne un ki tawajjuh apni taraf khaichi — aur us taal mein unhoN ne wahi rabt dekha jo us waqt ki tamām Arabic shayari mein maujood tha.

Khalil se pehle Arab shoara kaan ke zariye seekhi hui lay mein sheʿr kehte the. Buzurgon ke sikhāye hue “aṭwār” the, jin ki naujawān naqal karte. Lekin kisi ne in aahangoN ko ʿalāmat mein tabdeel nahin kiya tha. Khalil ne daryāft kiya ke har classical aahang ko taweel aur qaseer hijaaon ki ek mutayyan tarteeb ke taur par bayaan kiya jaa sakta hai, aur Arabic shayari ke sab mutanawwiʿ aahang ek hi riyāḍiyāti sākht se nikalte hain — paanch dawā'ir, har dāira arkān ka ek halqa, jin ke gird tamām bahrein tarteeb paati hain.

Khalil ka qaayam karda yeh ʿilm ʿarūḍkehlaaya. Yeh Arabic se Farsi, aur Farsi se Urdu mein muntaqil hua. Har zubaan ne Khalil ke dawā'ir ko apnaaya, naam aur arkān wahi rakhe, magar apni muqāmi tabdeeliyaan shāmil ki. Aaj jis dhaanche se aap kisi Urdu ghazal ki taqti karte hain — uske naam, arkān, zihafāt — yeh sab apni haDDiyon mein wahi dhaancha hai jo Khalil ne bāra sau saal qabl qaayam kiya tha.

Khalil ka pehla qadam tha kuchh mukhtasar dohraai jaane wāli ikaaiyaan shanaakht karna — arkān (wāhid rukn) — jin se har classical misra banta hai. Har rukn taweel o qaseer hijaaon ki ek mutayyan mukhtasar tarteeb hai, jise Arabic fiʿl ke maadde fa-ʿa-la se akhz karda yaad-dahaani ka naam diya jaata hai. Yeh naam hijaaon ki taʿdaad aur taweel/qaseer ki tarteeb donon ko zaahir karta hai: fāʿilunka Arabic mein matlab hai “karne wāla”, lekin ahl-e-ʿarūḍ ke nazdeek yeh aahang 2 1 2 hai — taweel, qaseer, taweel.

Yahi arkān ʿimārat ki eeNTein hain. Bahr sirf in arkān ki ek mutayyan tarteeb ka kisi makhsoos taʿdaad mein dohraaya jaana hai.

Urdu ʿarūḍ mein muntaqil hone wāle aaTh classical arkān:

Khalil ki sab se gehri daryāft yeh thi ke bahrein ek doosre se alag nahin — balke khāndaan banaati hain. UnhoN ne apne zamāne ki pehchaani hui pandrah bahron (un ke shaagird al-Akhfash ne baʿd mein solahveeN ka izāfa kiya) ko paanch dawā'ir mein tarteeb diya — har dāira arkān ka ek gol halqa. Ek dāire ki bahrein usi gol halqe ko mukhtalif nuqton se paRhne se hāsil hoti hain. Yeh sab ek hi bunyaadi aahang ki gardishein hain.

Paanch dawā'ir se kul solah bunyaadi bahrein nikalti hain. Har Urdu kitāb-e-ʿarūḍ mein jis bahr ka naam aata hai, wo inhi solah mein se kisi ek ka koi roop hai.

Dā'ira-e-Mujtaliba ko sab se aasaani se samjha jaa sakta hai — is se Urdu ki teen mashhoor tareen bahrein nikalti hain (Hazaj, Rajaz, Ramal). Tasavvur keejiye ke is dāire ka bunyaadi aahang ek nah khatm hone wāli gardish hai: qaseer, taweel, taweel, taweel — dāire ke gird baar baar dohraati hui. Neeche diye gaye bāra nuqte usi chaar hijaaon wāli gardish ki teen dohraaiyaan hain.

Ab is gardish par chaar hijaaon ki ek “khiRki” rakh deejiye. KhiRki ka aaghaaz kahaaN se hota hai, yahi tay karta hai ke kaun sa rukn — aur nateejatan kaun si bahr — paRhi jaa rahi hai:

Teen mukhtalif arkān — teen mukhtalif bahrein — magar ek hi bunyaadi aahang. Hazaj ka misra aur Ramal ka misra dar-aṣl ek hi gardish ko do mukhtalif nuqton se paRhne ka nateeja hain. Yahi wo riyāḍiyāti husn hai jo Khalil ne dāire mein dekha, aur yahi wajah hai ke bahrein qudratan khāndāno mein tarteeb paati hain.

Haqeeqi shayari mein kisi bahr ki “sālim” soorat kam istemaal hoti hai. Shoara aksar aakhri rukn kaaT dete hain, taweel hijaa ki jagah do qaseer kar dete hain, ya ikhtitām par ek hijaa gira dete hain. In tabdeelyon ko zihafāt (wāhid zihaf) kaha jaata hai. Khalil ki solah bunyaadi bahrein jab jā'iz zihafāt ke saath milti hain to sau se zaayad naam wāli bahrein banti hain — wahi jinheN aap kisi bhi Urdu kitāb-e-ʿarūḍ mein dekhte hain.

Kisi bahr ka poora naam us ki bunyaad, tool, aur tabdeelyon ko bayaan karta hai:

Musamman مثمن

8 arkān fi satar (4 fi misra) — taweel tareen soorat

Musaddas مسدس

6 arkān fi satar

Murabbaʿ مربع

4 arkān fi satar

Sālim سالم

“intact” — bina kisi tabdeeli ke

Mahzūf محذوف

aakhri rukn se ek hijaa hazf

Maqṭūʿ مقطوع

aakhri rukn numaayāN taur par chhota

Makhbūn مخبون

darmiyaani taweel hijaa qaseer ho jaati hai

Muḍāʿaf مضاعف

dohraai hui — satar apne aap ko dohraati hai

Yeh sab joR kar dekhein to bahr ka lamba naam aasaani se khul jaata hai. Misaal ke taur par:

Is ka tajzia yoon hai:

• Bahr-e-Hazaj— bunyaadi bahr Hazaj hai, Dā'ira-e-Mujtaliba se.
• Musamman — satar mein aaTh arkān hain (chaar fi misra).
• Mahzūf — aakhri rukn se ek hijaa hazf kar di gayi hai.

Kitāb-e-ʿarūḍ mein har bahr ka naam aise hi joR kar bana hai. Ek baar jab aap naam ke laahiqe pehchaan lein, to poora namoona aap naam se paRh lein ge.

Ek hi ghazal mein shayar ek bahr ki mukhtalif zihafati shaklon ko aazaadi se milaata hai. Pehla sheʿr Hazaj Musamman Sālim mein ho sakta hai, doosra Hazaj Musamman Mahzūf mein, aur teesra Hazaj Musamman Maqṭūʿ mein. Shayar aur ba-khabar qaari ke nazdeek teenoN ek hi bahr (Hazaj) hain, faqat aakhri rukn ki tabdeelyaan hain. Yeh kaan mein ek jaise sunaai dete hain.

Jab aap hamaare scanner mein koi bahr muntakhab karte hain, to hum har satar ka us bahr ki sab jā'iz zihafati shaklon ke saath muwaazna khud ba khud karte hain. Agar aap ki satar ṣāf ṣāf Hazaj Musamman Mahzūfpar utarti hai, to scanner use “mauzun” maan leta hai chaahe aap ne Hazaj Musamman Sālim chuna ho. Yeh hamaari narmi nahin — yeh Urdu ʿarūḍ ka ʿamal hai. Bunyaadi bahr khāndaan hai; zihafāt wo satahi intekhāb hain jo shayar har satar par karta hai.

Yahi wo khāndaani sākht hai jo Khalil ne bāra sau saal pehle daryāft ki thi, aur jo aaj bhi har sheʿr ki taqti mein zinda hai.