Arabic · noun · The Heart & the Body
Intezaar
इंतज़ार
said in-te-zaar
also written: Intizar, intizar, intzaar
Meaning
Waiting or expectation.
Literally: waiting, expectation
How Iqbal uses it
Intezaar is the act of waiting for the beloved — eyes on the door, time stretched thin by hope. It is one of the great emotional engines of the ghazal: the lover who waits is more alive than the one who arrives, because longing keeps the heart in motion. In a spiritual key, patient waiting on the Beloved becomes a discipline, a way of staying turned toward what one does not yet possess.
See it in the verse
Intezaar in Iqbal’s couplets
Bagh-e-bahisht se mujhe hukm-e-safar diya tha kyun
Kaar-e-jahan daraz hai ab mera intzar kar
Kaar-e-jahan daraz hai ab mera intzar kar
Why did You order me out of the garden of paradise? The work of the world is long now — so wait for me.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Courage
Mana ki teri deed ke qabil nahin hoon main
Tu mera shauq dekh mera intizar dekh
Tu mera shauq dekh mera intizar dekh
Granted, I am not yet worthy of the sight of you — but look at my longing, look at how I wait.
Humility · Love · Aspiration
Baagh-e-bahisht se mujhe hukm-e-safar diya tha kyun
Kaar-e-jahan daraaz hai ab mera intezaar kar
Kaar-e-jahan daraaz hai ab mera intezaar kar
Why was I given the command to depart the garden of paradise? The work of the world is long now — so wait for me.
Action · Aspiration · Restlessness