Ishq
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- This article is about the word Ishq. For the 1997 Indian movie, see Ishq (film).
Ishq (Arabic: عشق) is an Arabic word which literally means love (with no lust). The word is derived from Ashiqa, a vine- that when love takes its root in the heart of a lover, everything other than God is effaced.[1] In Islam's Sufi and mystic doctrine it is a concept which refers to divine love or a creature's love for its creator; i.e. man's love for God.
Ishq in both of its contexts, word and concept, has almost the same meaning with a little difference when conceptualised in detail in Sufism.
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[edit] As a word
This word has made its way to many other languages which were influenced by Arabic in one way or another. Some of the most notable languages which have borrowed it are Persian, Turkish, Sindhi, Urdu and Hindi.
Ishq literally means love with no lust.[2] In Arabic, which is its language of origin, it is a noun. However, in Urdu and Hindi it is used as both verb and noun. Aashiq (male) and Aashiqah (female) are its subjective forms. Maashooq (male) and Maashooqah (female) are its objective forms. In addition to Arabic, these forms are used in Persian, Urdu and sometimes in Hindi also.
In Urdu, Ishq (عشق) is used to refer to fervent love for any object, organism or God. However, as Urdu is predominantly a language of Muslims, it is mostly used in its religious context. In Urdu, three very common religious terminologies have been derived from Ishq. These terminologies are Ishq-e-Haqiqi (love of God), Ishq-e-Majaazi (love of God's creation i.e. a human), and Ishq-e-Rasool or Ishq-e-Muhammadi (love of Muhammad). Other than these, in non-religious context, Ishq is a synonym for obsessive love.
In Hindi, Ishq (इशक़) is mostly used to refer to romantic love in its extreme passion between a man and a woman. This interpretation of Ishq is mostly popularised by Bollywood movies and Indian filmi music.
[edit] As a concept
In religious context, Ishq is a very important but rather complex concept of Sufi tradition of Islam. The concept of Ishq is mostly divided into three kinds:
- Ishq-e-Haqiqi
- Ishq-e-Majaazi
- Ishq-e-Rasool or Ishq-e-Muhammadi
[edit] Ishq-e-Haqiqi
Ishq-e-Haqiqi (Persian/Urdu: عشق حقیقی) literally means the real love but metaphorically it means the love of God (Allah). It refers to the belief that only God is worth loving and He is the only one who can return His creature's love for Him.
[edit] Ishq-e-Majaazi
Ishq-e-Majaazi (Persian/Urdu: عشق مجازی) literally means metaphorical love. It refers to the love for God's creation i.e. love of a man for a woman and vice versa. It is said to be generated by Maashooq's (beloved) external beauty. According to some schools of thought in Sufism, Ishq-e-Majaazi can eventually lead to Ishq-e-Haqiqi.
[edit] Ishq-e-Rasool or Ishq-e-Muhammadi
Ishq-e-Rasool (Persian/Urdu: عشق رسول; in Arabic: Ishq Arasool, عشق الرسول) or Ishq-e-Muhammadi (Persian/Urdu: عشق محمدی) means love of Muhammad, an important part of being a Muslim.
[edit] Use in pop culture
Ishq both as a word and a concept has been extensively used in pop culture. Pakistani pop culture, with its roots in Islamic society, has used its religious context and used it in mystic Qawwalis, music, poetry and literature. Ashfaq Ahmed wrote many short stories and TV dramas about mysticism involving Ishq.
Bollywood movies have mostly promoted romantic context of Ishq by many romantic movies with titles containing the word Ishq. Countless filmi songs have used this word in a purely romantic context with male/female duets.
The term has also been applied in various popular-culture contexts, including the name of a record company[3], and the title of a music CD by Abida Parveen. The British musician Mark Hillier has released his ambient music recordings under the name Ishq.
