Harman Naseeb Na Thy Novel by Huma Waqas

About this novel

Hirmaan Naseeb Na Thay (Urdu: حرماں نصیب نہ تھے) by Huma Waqas is a complete Urdu romance about two people with an unfinished, bitter past. It opens with a tense, candle-lit reunion in a dark kitchen between Nudba and Taraz.

The novel begins in darkness. “Who’s there?” Nudba spins around in fright, one hand on her chest, the other holding a candle. A shiver runs through her voice. The electricity has been gone since morning, and the generator, as always, has failed exactly when it’s needed most. She had somehow found a candle, but no matchbox, and the job of finding one has fallen to her. It’s after one at night as she gropes around the kitchen – and then she hears footsteps behind her.

“It’s me… Taraz,” a deep male voice answers, and the flame of his lighter throws light across the darkness. He is standing right in front of her. “Oh… you scared me,” Nudba says, lowering her hand from her chest. He has arrived only today, slept all day after the long journey, and now, she realises, he looks completely changed – his moustache alone has transformed his face. “You still get scared that easily?” he asks with a meaningful look, narrowing his eyes. “That’s not what I meant,” she snaps, her brow creasing. “How are you?” His tone stays sharp.

آدھی رات کا اندھیرا، ایک موم بتی، اور تین سال بعد آمنا سامنا۔

Their exchange is full of sarcasm. “There’s a difference between your way of living and mine,” Nudba says, opening the kitchen cabinet. “Difference?” Taraz smiles, as if he’s won a small victory. “Well said… you never could lie.” She retorts that he still throws barbs, and he points out that she has changed a lot. “I think one should change with time,” she says, meeting his eyes for the first time. He hasn’t changed at all – the same Taraz from three years ago. When she asks to pass, he lets her go – but his parting line about someone called Hudail stops her in her tracks, and she walks away into the dark with a lump in her throat.

Huma Waqas builds a story of old wounds and lingering feelings, and the title – “we were not destined for loss” – hints at hope beyond heartbreak.

You can read Hirmaan Naseeb Na Thay online here or download the complete PDF for free. More by Huma Waqas: Husna, Mohay Piya Milan Ki Aas and Kali, or see all Huma Waqas novels and our Huma Waqas novel list with a short guide to each book.