Rules of Ghazals

What is a Ghazal...? 
A Ghazal is a combination of :- 

1.Beher (Meter 
2.Radeef 
3.Kafiya 
4.Matla 
5.Maktaa 

1. What is Beher (Meter) ...? 

Beher is the rhythm of a sheyr which compliments the connecting misra's (lines) of a ghazal...all the misra's in a sher and all the sheyrs in a ghazal has to follow the same beher. There are many different beher's and it demands serious studies to be understood.Apart from those set beher's a shayar can also creat his own beher as long as the sheyr is easy to recite and can be pronounced in rhythm n match the "wazan" of the ghazal..

2.What is Radeef...? 

Radeef is the word(s) which ends the first two misra's and the second misra of every sheyr in a Ghazal.it is not necessary to use radeef in all the Ghazals...such Ghazals are called "gair-muraddaf" ghazals...but this is not what tradition allows...!! 

Example of a Ghazal with radeef and kafiya :- (Abdul Hameed "adam") 

phuuloN kii aarazuu meN baDe zaKhm khaaye haiN 
lekin chaman ke Khaar bhii ab tak paraaye haiN

us par haraam hai Gam-e-dauraaN kii talKhiyaaN 
jiske nasiib meN terii zulfoN ke saaye haiN 


mahashar meN le gaii thii tabiyat kii saadagii 
lekin baDe Khuluus se ham lauT aaye haiN 


aayaa huuN yaad baad-e-fanaa unako bhii 'Adam' 
kyaa jald mere siikh pe imaan laaye haiN


***here.."haiN" is the radeef of this Ghazal*** 



ai maigusaaro savere savere 
Kharaabaat ke gird phere pe phere 

(Abdul Hameed "adam")

here....radeef is missing...as last words of the sheyr are not same so its a "Ghair-muraddaf" ghazal...so radeef is that exact word or words that ends the first two lines and every second line of a ghazal...!! 

3. What is Kafiya...? 

Kafiya is that common sounding word that's used before "radeef"...for example in first ghazal mentioned above "khaaye".."paraaye"...."laaye" is the kafiya or should is say "aaye" is the kafiya because "aaye" is the sound that gives "wazan" to the radeef of the ghazal. 

4.What is Matla...? 

The very first sheyr or the first two misra's of a ghazal where radeef is used in both misra's is the "Matla" of a ghazal...!! 

for example... 

saaGar se lab lagaa ke bahut Khush hai zindagii 
sahan-e-chaman meN aake bahut Khush hai zindagii


Matla is very necessary for the weight of a ghazal because the whole ghazal depends on kafiya and radeef used in the Matla. 

5.What is Maktaa 

Maktaa is the last sheyr of a ghazal where shayar use his "takhhallus" to leave his signature on his composition...A poet rather not have a maktaa rather than having a meaningless maktaa...its one of those finer points of shayri where shayar can express himself or his feelings or talk about anything using the rhythm of the ghazal...!! 

example... ( Shakeel Badayuni ) :-

Khush huuN ki meraa husn-e-talab kaam to aayaa
Khaalii hii sahii merii taraf jaam to aayaa

log un se ye kahate haiN ki kitane haiN "Shakeel" aap
is husn ke sadaqe meN meraa naam to aayaa

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These are just the basic points that someone needs to look at before writing or understanding a ghazal...