The Significance of Declarative and Non-Declarative Styles in the Ghazal

In poetry, particularly in the art of the Ghazal, the manner of expression is just as important as the subject matter itself. According to rhetoric Ilm-e-Bayan, there are two fundamental types of sentences: declarative Khabariya and non-declarative Inshaiya. While critiquing the Ghazal, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi brilliantly elucidates the difference between the two and the superiority of the Inshaiya style in the Ghazal.   The Khabariya declarative style involves a straightforward statement that can be judged as either true or false. For instance, if someone says, 'It is raining today,' it is a declarative sentence. In contrast, the Inshaiya non-declarative style cannot be judged as true or false. It encompasses interrogative, exclamatory, or optative wishful expressions.   The classical masters believed that in poetry, the Inshaiya style—especially the interrogative approach—is vastly superior to the Khabariya style. This is because an interrogative tone illuminates multiple possibilities of meaning within a couplet, compelling the reader to reflect. This couplet by Ahmad Mushtaq serves as an excellent example:   Ab batayen bhi to kaise dil ke bujhne ka sabab Ham ke apne aap se pehlu-tahi karte rahe   How do we even explain the reason for this extinguished heart, We, who have been evading our very own selves. oetry  The interrogative style adopted in the first line 'How do we even explain...' combines with the second line to unfold multiple layers of meaning. It can be interpreted in three different ways: First, what reason can we possibly give when we have forgotten our own selves? Second, since we have forsaken ourselves, the heart was bound to extinguish. Third, you cannot comprehend the reason for this extinguished heart because it is beyond your understanding.   If this same thought had been expressed in a straightforward declarative style, the couplet would have fallen flat and lacked this profound depth. One of the greatest merits of the poetry of Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib is the abundant use of Inshaiya and interrogative styles in their work. Instead of handing the reader a definitive conclusion, they place a question mark before them, which immensely enhances the impact and semantic richness of the verse.