Faiz Ahmed Faiz, a revolutionary Urdu stalwart who hardly needs any introduction. Faiz was a child of the incessant Indian tradition which constantly challenged the authority. Faiz was one of the founding members of Progressive Writers’ Association and was a self declared Leftist and atheist. Faiz was born in undivided India, received his education in Amritsar and got married in Srinagar. At the age of 36, in 1947, he left India with a heavy heart and mournful words, ‘ye daaġh daaġh ujālā ye shab-gazīda sahar/ vo intizār thā jis kā ye vo sahar to nahīñ’ (This light marred with darkness, this dawn poisoned by night/ this is not the dawn which we longed for so long). For the rest of his life in Pakistan, Faiz was constantly persecuted for his anti-establishment and anti-fundamental stance. Faiz was even exiled from Pakistan for being ‘Un-Islamic’ and ‘Anti-Pakistan’. True patriots are seldom recognized and revered in their time, unfortunately, Faiz met the same fate.
Poetry is the amplification of sentiments and the condensation of imagination precipitated into infinite realities within the finite realms. It is a mirror in which each sees their own reflection. It is the horizon where fantasy meets the truth, where limit meets limitlessness. It is a junction from where the spirit is free to delve in either. To escape rigidity and definiteness, Poets express their emotions through symbols. They mould their raw imaginations in the shape of relatable worldly entities. Symbols, metaphors, similes and allegories thus become the most dependable tools of poetry because they are fluid and provide a greater frequency for a reader to connect with. Hence, any student of poetry knows that the words should never be taken at face value.
Hum Dekhenge
‘Hum Dekhenge’ was written by Faiz in 1979 against the authoritarian and fundamentalist regime of Zia Ul Haq. Zia Ul Haq, the military dictator of Pakistan, laid the foundation of ultra-fundamentalist Islamic regime in Pakistan. The rendition of the song by Iqbal Bano at a stadium in Lahore in 1985 struck the chord with thousands of people in direct presence and millions more spread over the globe and decades. Iqbal Bano donned a black sari and hummed the melodies of freedom in the confines of fundamentalism and dictatorship.
‘Hum Dekhenge’ eventually became anthem of the popular resistance.
ham dekheñge
lāzim hai ki ham bhī dekheñge
vo din ki jis kā va.ada hai
jo lauh-e-azal meñ likhkhā hai
We shall see, it is consequential that we shall see
The day that is promised, the day that is engraved in our destinies
(The ‘day that is promised’ is the day of justice, when there will be no oppressors and no oppressed, the day, when mankind will be free from the shackles of tyranny, the day when equality, freedom and justice will not just be a cruel doublespeak. )
jab zulm-o-sitam ke koh-e-girāñ
ruuī kī tarah uḌ jā.eñge
ham mahkūmoñ ke pāñv-tale
jab dhartī dhaḌ-dhaḌ dhaḌkegī
When the mountains of oppression and tyranny will be blown away like cottons in the wind
When the earth will beat under our feet, we the oppressed/ ruled
(A future when there will be no tyranny and oppression, and the land will beat under the feet of those who inhabit it. Here Faiz present a picture of a society where the land will belong to those who live on it, those who toil it with their blood and sweat and not to an overlord.)
aur ahl-e-hakam ke sar-ūpar
jab bijlī kaḌ-kaḌ kaḌkegī
jab arz-e-ḳhudā ke ka.abe se
sab but uThvā.e jā.eñge
When the lightnings will thunder over the heads of the oppressors
When the false gods will be removed from the holy land of gods of earth
(Faiz say that the thunders of revolution will usurp the oppressors. The rulers who claim to be invincible are termed as false gods. Faiz here says that the true gods are the populace of the land. He says that the false gods will be dethroned and the power shall return to the common men)
ham ahl-e-safā mardūd-e-haram
masnad pe biThā.e jā.eñge
sab taaj uchhāle jā.eñge
sab taḳht girā.e jā.eñge
We who have rejected the holy sanctuary will be throned
All the crowns will be tossed away and the thrones demolished
(The term ‘Holy sanctuary’ used here is for the idea of divinity and invincibility of the rulers in general and for the Islamist rule propagated by Zia-ul-Haq in particular. He rebuts and refutes the idea of unlimited or divine authority of the rulers. He says that their crowns will be thrown away and their thrones will be demolished. He says that the authority will be restored to the common man, we the people will rule)
bas naam rahegā allāh kā
jo ġhā.eb bhī hai hāzir bhī
jo manzar bhī hai nāzir bhī
Only the name of Allah will remain, who is both absent and present
Who is both the spectacle and the spectator
(Here Faiz uses Allah as a symbol who denotes righteousness and justice. Just as Dharma is used in Bhagwata Gita for righteousness and justice rather than the literal meaning which is Religion. He says that only righteousness and justice will prevail, and nothing else)
Note: Here Faiz subtly questions the existence of Divinity/ God.
uTThegā anal-haq kā na.ara
jo maiñ bhī huuñ aur tum bhī ho
aur raaj karegī ḳhalq-e-ḳhudā
jo maiñ bhī huuñ aur tum bhī ho
The slogans of ‘I am god’ will only be raised, which you are and which I am
And the creation of god will rule the land, which you are and I am
(The phrase ‘anal-haq’ used here is taken from the Sufi tradition, which has its roots in Vedic school of thoughts. It literally translates to ‘Aham Bramhasami’ in Sanskrit which means ‘I am God’ or that each and every human is the manifestation of divine; here divinity is the idea of justice and righteousness. This particular thought at its core is anti-Islamic. Here Faiz bats for the rule of people and the rule of popular will of people, which in spirit is the foundation of democracy)
navneetspeaks 
jab arz-e-ḳhudā ke ka.abe se
sab but uThvā.e jā.eñge
The above two lines are the most objectionable ones in the poem and cannot be accepted under any circumstances. They may be acceptable 1400 years back in some alien country to some uncivilized populace, but not acceptable to Indians.
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The couplet should be understood in the context of politics not theology. The nazm was written during the dictatorial regime of Zia Ul Haq. The kaaba here referred is the political theater where the ruler is stone hearted. ‘But’ has numerous meanings in Urdu literature ranging from idols to lovers. Poetry should not be taken at face value. Faiz was neither a bigot nor an Islamist. And he most certainly didn’t mean this in context of Hindu religion. I advise you to glance upon more of his works to understand what he meant and what he stood for.
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Dear Navneet, have you seen the profile of the protesters? Most of them are illustrated daily wagers kind of people. Do you seriously think that they understand the deeper philosophical meaning of the poetry? Kaaba was built after destroying the temple and most of the busts of the gods(and poetry certainly refers to that). If you ask any Muslim they talk about it with pride, that their ‘Nabi’ destroyed those idols at Kaaba. I know the history of the Middle East well and particularly Pakistan’s very well.
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