Faiz’s most famous poem “Hum Dekhenge” got both the writer and the singer in trouble. The year was 1985. A packed auditorium in Lahore, with more than 50,000 in attendance. It was the first death anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. A woman dressed in a black saree takes the stage and starts singing the poem.
This was followed by an immediate commotion in the crowd. The poem incited the passion of rebellion in the audience. This woman was none other than Iqbal Bano, one of the most beloved singers of Pakistan. “Hum Dekhenge”, was written by renowned Pakistani poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz. As per reports, Iqbal Bano was later banned from singing anywhere in Pakistan. The immortal lines of ‘Hum Dekhenge’ were written in 1979 after the religiously conservative and repressive Zia rose to power through a coup in 1977. Since poetry is considered to be the best language of dissent, through this poem, the poet tried to criticise the dictatorship of former Pakistani general-turned president Zia-ul-Haq.
Late Pakistani author, Faiz Ahmed Faiz's popular poem "Hum Dekhenge" has snowballed into a fresh controversy, this time in India, after some students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur recited it in protest against the government's alleged atrocity on students of Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. This happened when Jamia Milia students were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, has reportedly taken offence at Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s famous poem “Hum Dekhenge” recited by students against the Citizenship Amendment Act, on campus in December. Nevertheless, at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, too, a professor complained “that protesting students had made communal remarks at the event”.
The verse that gave offence was: Ab arz-e-Khuda ke Ka’abe se, sab but uthwaae jaayenge / Hum ahl-e-safa mardood-e-haram, masnad pe bithaaye jaayenge / Sab taaj uchhale jaayenge, sab takht giraaye jaayenge/ Bas naam rahega Allah ka, hum dekhenge (From the abode of God, when the idols of falsehood will be removed/ When we, the faithful, who have been barred from sacred places, will be seated on a high pedestal/ When crowns will be tossed, when thrones will be brought down, only Allah’s name will remain) .
Top poets and writers including Javed Akhtar, Rahat Indori and Vishal Bhardwaj have described attempts to paint Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s “Hum Dekhenge”, as anti-Hindu and pro-islam, as ridiculous and baseless attempts.
However, these writers and poets which also include those demonstrating protests against CAA across India, do not represent every Indian citizen. There are people, and certainly larger number of people who think, that their sentiments have been hurt through this poem. Given the selective media coverage, a clear picture of the whole story fails to reach the common man living in India. This can be said, because going back, one realises that whether its CAA, NPR, Abrogation of article 370 or Ayodhya issue, all these found a place in Bharatiya Janata Party’s poll manifesto.
It was on the basis of these poll promises that Indian citizens voted BJP to power and not any other party. Since BJP won 303 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 general election, a clear majority, which was also an indication that majority of Indian citizens agreed with the BJP’s policies and ideas. Army rule doesn’t exist in India, as is the case with Pakistan.
Given the fact that Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s “Hum Dekhenge” was an attempt to criticise the govt of that time, which was dominated by the Pakistani millitary. In India we have a democratically elected govt, hence reciting the same poem in Indian context which is entirely different, is all together an absurd idea and does not go by any logic.
Secondly, Faiz did not show any activism in support of minority Hindus of Pakistan. There exist no instances where this poet wrote anything revolutionary highlighting the plight of Hindu communities living in Pakistan. It is inappropriate for a writer/poet, to raise voice on one issue and neglect the other, when both of them are related with freedom and Human rights.
Thirdly, enough incidents have come into light which reveal that few among those who are protesting against CAA and reciting “Hum Dekhenge”, are neither aware of the Act nor do they know the meaning of this poem. These people are mostly those, who like easy things and as such it suits their convenience if they follow a herd.
It was Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto govt, that declared Ahmadis non-Muslims via a constitutional amendment in 1974. Faiz Ahmed Faiz was an aide of Bhutto. Faiz worked in various ministries in Bhutto government, in advisory and senior roles. He did not resign to protest what Bhutto did to Ahmediyas. A revolutionary poet should have done at least that. Similarly, his activism remained totally absent when Pakistan Army was involved in the genocide in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Unfortunately, Faiz’s revolutionary poetic style appears limited to opposing Zia-ul-Haq only, and a trigger for that might be a selfish reason because Zia had ousted Bhutto from power.
Lastly, “hum dekhenge” can be considered to be provocative since the poem includes metaphors where Islam prevailing over idolatry is being equated with an act of revolution. It is therefore necessary for those advocating for the recital of this poem to realise that one’s ‘Right to freedom of speech and expression’ should not compromise with the religious sentiments of another community. As responsible citizens we should be capable enough to distinguish between speech that only criticises an order and speech with malicious intent that incites people into disturbing public order.
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