Radif is a rule in Persian, Turkic, and Urdu poetry

Urdu poetry

Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....

 which states that, in the form of poetry known as a Ghazal

Ghazal

The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...

, the second line of all the couplets (bayts or 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

Qaafiyaa

Qaafiyaa is a device employed in a form of Urdu poetry known as Ghazal . The Qaafiyaa is the rhyming pattern of words that must directly proceed the Ghazal's Radif...

, 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.

aafat kii shoKhiyaa.N hai.n tumhaarii nigaah mein

mehashar ke fitane khelate hai.n jalwa-gaah mein

wo dushmanii se dekhate hai.n dekhate to hain

mai.n shaad huu.N ke huu.N to kisii kii nigaah mein

aatii baat baat mujhe yaad baar baar

kahataa huu.N dau.D dau.D ke qaasid se raah mein

is taubaah par hai naaz mujhe zaahid is qadar

jo TuuT kar shariik huu.N haal-e-tabaah mein

mushtaaq is adaa ke bahot dard-ma.nd the

ae DaaG tum to baiTh gaye ek aah mein