Meaning
A devout worshipper given to constant prayer and ritual devotion.
Literally: worshipper, one who serves
Usage & notes
The aabid's diligent worship is honoured yet questioned by Iqbal when it lacks the inner fire of love. He asks whether mere ritual devotion, without the awakened self, truly reaches its object.
Related words
ARABIC
Zaahid
The ascetic or abstinent pietist who shuns worldly pleasure; in the ghazal a figure of dry, often self-righteous renunciation.
PERSIAN
Parsa
A chaste, pious, and abstinent person; the outwardly virtuous one of the ghazal world.
PERSIAN
Parhezgaar
An abstinent, scrupulously pious person who avoids all that is forbidden.