Meaning
The ascetic, the abstinent pietist who renounces worldly pleasure.
Usage & notes
The zahid, the dry ascetic, often stands in Iqbal's verse for a faith of rule and renunciation without love or vision. He measures the zahid against the rind and the true lover and frequently finds him wanting.
Related words
PERSIAN
Rind
The free-spirited libertine of the tavern, who scorns hypocritical piety in favour of sincere, intoxicated devotion.
ARABIC
Shaikh
An elder, religious authority, or head of an order; in the ghazal often the orthodox, worldly cleric set against the lover.
ARABIC
Sufi
A Muslim mystic who seeks direct experiential knowledge of God.