And They Called Faiz an Unbeliever, an Atheist, a Communist and All Sorts Of Names

 

The title is a comment under Sabhi Kuch Hai Tera Diya Hua Ghazal sung by Iqbal Bano and penned by Faiz Ahmad Faiz.

 

Iqbal Bano has sung select verses from Faiz’s ghazal. Full ghazal and its English translation are below. The translation is from me and is of course not perfect or anywhere close to poetic brilliance of Faiz but is only offered for those who don’t understand Urdu and can get some idea about what Faiz is trying to say.

सभी कुछ है तेरा दिया हुआ सभी राहतें सभी कुल्फ़तें
कभी सोहबतें कभी फ़ुर्क़तें कभी दूरियाँ कभी क़ुर्बतें

All comforts, all hardships, everything is granted by you
Moments of togetherness, separation, at times distance and intimacy

ये सुख़न जो हम ने रक़म किए ये हैं सब वरक़ तिरी याद के
कोई लम्हा सुब्ह-ए-विसाल का कोई शाम-ए-हिज्र की मुद्दतें

The pages that I have filled are in your memory
Some moments of morning’s union, some of evening’s separation

जो तुम्हारी मान लें नासेहा तो रहेगा दामन-ए-दिल में क्या
न किसी अदू की अदावतें न किसी सनम की मुरव्वतें

What will remain in this heart if I cede your counsel
Not the rage of enemy nor the kindness of love

चलो आओ तुम को दिखाएँ हम जो बचा है मक़्तल-ए-शहर में
ये मज़ार अहल-ए-सफ़ा के हैं ये हैं अहल-ए-सिद्क़ की तुर्बतें

Come lemme show you what remains in the blood soaked city
the shrines of revered saints here, in dirt the truthful people there

मिरी जान आज का ग़म न कर कि न जाने कातिब-ए-वक़्त ने
किसी अपने कल में भी भूल कर कहीं लिख रखी हों मसर्रतें

Don’t cry over today’s agony my love maybe the writer of destinies
By chance in his past has written happiness somewhere

Notice the tenderness of Faiz’s words, his complaints and requests. This is not someone who does not completely believe in god. There is no sarcasm in his tone. There is no snarkiness in the complaint.

Only when you believe in god so much, to an extent that you completely and unabashedly submit yourself, will you end up being disillusioned with his existence or extent of his power. It is in the moments when life pushes you to its extremities, to the limits of your being and to the verge of your strength and sustenance, in the moment when nothing appears to work or comes to your aid, you seek his intervention, you raise your hands in prayer, but no such solace comes. In those moments comes the realisation, the sense of abandonment, the apathy, more than disregard.

To believe a Faiz or Ghalib did not believe in god would be an oversimplification. They did not care enough to bother themselves about that question. Whether god existed or not ceases to matter when you’re at your wits' end and you do not see any help that is on your way. The realisation that you are by yourself in this life, that you only have yourself to blame or rely on, moots that question. For even if so and so exists, to him you do not matter, your struggles do not matter, at least not enough to intervene and help. And so Faiz and Ghalib lived their lives without desiring or inventing the imaginary intervention. They simply did not bother. They instead believed in taking complete control of their life and its means. They relied on themselves and people around them. But still, beyond their means, beyond their ability to sprout change, they hoped for help to come but above and beyond what they could do to the best of their abilities. They did not relax and sit themselves down in prayer and wasted theirself instead they put themselves to use by writing poetry which even today wakes up the tired and sleepy and moves them to action.

And they called him an unbeliever, an atheist, a communist and all sorts of names.