This article is about radif in Urdu poetry. For the radif in Iranian music theory, see Musical radif.
Radif (Arabic: رديف) is a rule in Urdu poetry which states that, in the form of poetry known as a Ghazal, the second line of all the Shers must end with the same word/s. This repeating of common words is the "Radif" of the Ghazal. It is proceeded by a Qaafiyaa, which is a repeating pattern of words. The following is an example of a Ghazal by Daag Dehelvi. In this example the Radif is mein. The Qaafiyaa is the following pattern of words: Jalwa-gaah, nigaah, raah, haale-tabaah and aah.
wo dushmanii se dekhate hai.n dekhate to hain aatii baat baat mujhe yaad baar baar is taubaah par hai naaz mujhe zaahid is qadar mushtaaq is adaa ke bahot dard-ma.nd the
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