Relevance of Marxist Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the

Age of Neo-liberalism

Dr Mazhar Hayat
Mrs Shahida Parveen Rai

ABSTRACT: Neo-liberalism is a modern politico-economic theory

which foregrounds trade liberalisation, removal of all barriers to
commerce and the privatisation of all available resources and services
as the sole parameters of economy which ensure economic growth,
prosperity and distributional justice. In the international sphere, neo-
liberalism advocates unhindered flow of goods, social services and
capital across national boundaries. It calls for the end of dialectical
reasoning in this unipolar world of capitalistic triumphalism. The critics
of neo-liberalism claim that due to its drive for dismantling of economic
regulation, neo-liberalism is posing a global threat to the rights of the
workers and the sovereignty of the less developed states to own their
national resources. Written in bi-polar world, the poetry of Faiz which is
modelled upon Marxist ideological and critical consciousness advocates
elimination of political, economic and social oppression across the
globe. A critique of capitalism, it lends intellectual authority to the forces
of resistance against bourgeois hegemony. Present study investigates the
relevance of the poetry of Faiz in the age of neo-liberalism (corporate
imperialism) which calls for the elimination of trade unions and welfare
states that have offered some protection to the working class from the
unbridled effects of corporate profiteering.

Keywords: Neo-liberalism, Distributional justice, capitalistic

triumphalism, unipolar world, dialectical criticism, bourgeois hegemony,
Marxist, economic regulation, trade union, globalization.
 Journal of Research (Humanities) 98

1-Introduction

Faiz Ahmed Faiz started his poetic career in 1930s during British
imperialism in India. It was a period of frenzied political activism across
the whole world. Anti-fascist movements in Europe and America
influenced literary circles and resulted in literature of social content. It
was the same period when a number of young Indian graduates of British
universities returned to India. They had turned Marxists. Two of them –
Mahmud-u-Zaffar and Rasheed Jahan – who were friends of Faiz,
introduced him formally to Marxism. Propounded by Karl Marx, Marxist
ideology is a set of politico-historical and economic theories which is
directed at social change through class struggle. It affirms political and
neo-historicist reading of literature and advocates politics of resistance.
Mahmud-u-Zaffar’s group of writers published the magazine “Angare”
(Ambers) in 1932. It was a collection of short stories by Sajjad Zaheer,
Rasheed Jahan and Mahmud-u-Zaffar and is acknowledged as the
harbinger of the progressive movement in India. During this period, the
content of the Urdu lyrical poetry became pre-dominantly political. The
same Oxford graduates founded ‘All-India Progressive Writers’
Association’ in 1936 which was the first literary-cum-political movement
of its kind in the sub-continent. Faiz was among the founding members
of this organisation. It was during this period that Faiz wrote his first
political poem “Mujh se Pehle si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob na Maang”
(Don’t Ask for More Love) in which he abandoned his agony of personal
love and started addressing bigger issues such as hunger and miseries of
the Indian masses.

Faiz actively participated in the liberation movement against British

Imperialism. But immediately after the liberation of the subcontinent
from British Raj and the creation of Pakistan, the poet realized that
freedom from foreign rule did not bring any qualitative change in the
socio-political system. The following lines from his famous poem “Subh-
e-Azadi” (Dawn of Freedom) reflect the poet’s disillusionment with the
march of freedom from imperial rule; “This stained light, this night-
bitten dawn/This is not the dawn we yeaned for” (Kamal and Hasan
102).

In post-independence period, Faiz embraced the cause of the powerless

and began to give his poetic responses to the glory of the struggle of the
oppressed masses. It is due to his faith and practical concern for the
cause of the oppressed that Dr. Muhammad Ali Siddiqui in Faiz Ahmed
 Relevance of Marxist Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the Age of Neo-liberalism 99

Faiz: Dard aur Darmaan ka Shair (Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Poet of Pain and
Cure) envisions Faiz as “the poet of pain and cure: theory and practice”
(2011: 10). Dialectical in vision, Faiz glorifies the struggle of the toiling
masses for social, economic and political justice throughout the history.
An excerpt from the renowned poem of Faiz “Nisaar mein teri Galliyon
pe” (Bury Me Under Your Pavement) depicts history as a class conflict
between forces of oppression and the forces of resistance; “This war is
old of tyrants and mankind/ Their ways not new, nor ours” (Kiernan
187).

Poetry of Faiz is a critique of capitalistic culture. His political lyricism is

in reality disenchantment with bourgeois literary practices which
alienates the writers from the people. Reflecting upon the role of the
artist today, Faiz (n.d.) in “What is the Role of International Exchange in
Cultural Development” says:

Developing societies of Asia today demand of their

artists that this allusion should end, that their artists
should talk to them in their own language, that he should
hide and seek, laugh and weep, sing and mourn in unison
with them all (65).

Certain dissidents of Faiz have dubbed his poetry as outdated in the age
of neo-liberalism. They argue that the end of the ‘Cold War’ and the
disintegration of the Communist bloc have endorsed the validity of social
stratification based on the principles of Capitalistic economy. They also
announce the end of ideology and dialectical thinking. So, the
progressive poetry of Faiz which advocates the politics of resistance
against bourgeois ideology has become obsolete.
However, Marxist critics claim that contrary to the bourgeois claims of
world-wide prosperity and increase in per capita income, the economic
facts and figures establish that the gap between the rich and the poor has
increased. Commenting on the growing economic disparity in west,
Stiglitz (2002) says, “During the last two decades of the twentieth
century, the number of those in the world living on less than two dollars
a day has increased by almost one hundred million” (5). Under the
pretext of globalization, plurality of cultures is endangered.
Commodification of the individual is on the rise.
To add to it, Terry Eagleton (2011) in Why Marx Was Right states that
per statistics, during recent years of capitalistic globalization, wealth and
 Journal of Research (Humanities) 100

resources are more concentrated than ever before. So communism with

its claim of equitable distribution of surplus and its recognition of diverse
cultural and economic patterns of behaviour remains a valid alternative.

In this atmosphere of neo-imperialistic drive for self-aggrandisement and

reification of the worker, it sounds logical to reread the poetry of Faiz
which envisions an exploitation free world through social praxis.

2- Literature Review

The poetry of Faiz has been critically evaluated by numerous literary

critics. They have evaluated the content and form of his poetry as a blend
of romance and revolution, tradition and modernity and pain and cure.
The most conspicuous among them are V. G. Kiernan (1971), Estelle
Dryland (1993), Fateh Muhammad Malik (2008), Dr Muhammad Arif
Hussain (2010), Nosheen Tauqeer (2011) and Dr Muhamad Ali Siddiqui
(2011) and Gobi Chand Narang (2013). Dr Zia-ul-Hassan (2012) in “Faiz
Ki Shairi Aur Hamara Ehed” (The Poetry of Faiz and Our Age) has
claimed that the popularity of Faiz has increased tremendously in recent
years. “In my analysis, after the death of Faiz, the number of his readers
has increased manifold and the influence of his poetry continues to grow
unabated” (170). The author has mainly emphasised upon the aesthetic
value of the poetry of Faiz in retaining its appeal and popularity in this
age of capitalistic economy. He has made only a passing reference to the
significance of dialectical role of his poetry in current politico-economic
scenario. The present study intends to undertake a re-reading of the
poetry of Faiz in the light of its relevance in the age of neo-liberalism.

3- Analysis and Discussion

3.1 Dialectical Value of the Poetry of Faiz:

Advocates of neo-liberalism claim that globalization of economy based

on capitalistic values has once for all established the assumption that
capitalism is the future of the world. Whereas the socio-political and
economic facts reveal that in recent times capitalism has become more
complex, more dehumanising and exploitative. As Capitalistic bloc is
hunting for more lands and resources outside their national boundaries
particularly in the postcolonial world, the world peace is endangered
more than ever. Commenting on the dangers of the exploitative nature of
corporate imperialism, Ellen Meiksins Wood says;
 Relevance of Marxist Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the Age of Neo-liberalism 101

It seems to me axiomatic that the expansionary,

competitive and exploitative logic of capitalistic
accumulation in the context of nation-state system, must,
in the longer or shorter term, be destabilizing, and that
capitalism...is and will for the foreseeable future remain
the greatest threat to the world peace (Eagleton 236).

Furthermore, Noam Chomsky (2002) in “Globalisation and War” argues

that future wars are likely to be fought over energy, material resources
and water in third world countries under the pretext of war on terror. He
further elaborates that after Second World War the Western powers have
agreed not to fight against each other due to the fear of extinction by the
use of nuclear weapons. But to satisfy their instinct for savagery and
material aggrandisement, they have selected third world as the future
battlefield.

In this environment of unhindered exploitation of man, nature and

environment, dialectical logic of Faiz remains valid. Faiz does not agree
with capitalistic propaganda in favour of uneven distribution of material
resources as an imperative of economy. He considers human beings as
basically benign and does not acknowledge human nature as
unchangeable in its formation. For him, the existing socio-economic
injustice is the result of the manipulation of wealth and comforts by the
few. Under normal socio-political conditions, human relations must be
built on the principles of social, economic and political justice. People
must work for their collective welfare. The capital produced should be
shared equitably whereas history tells that ordinary people are denied
their share out of the collective labour. They live in pain, hunger and
destitution. Faiz has encapsulated his dialectical view of history in his
speech on the eve of Lenin peace prize in Moscow in the following
words:

There has always been a struggle between people who

believe in progress and the evolution of the human
beings and people who want to prevent progress and
evolution. The struggle between people who want
humanity to progress and those who want it to regress
has been going on for centuries and is even present in
our time (Sohail 54).

Faiz took oppression for a global issue which was perpetrated at the
workers, peasants and all the honest beings who did not determine their
 Journal of Research (Humanities) 102

hours of work. Their potential, intelligence, vision and labour are

exploited by those who regulate their wages. Hence, majority is
subjected to the will of minority. An excerpt from the poem “Raqeeb Se”
(To the Rival) depicts the plight of the humiliated who are reified as
objects / unit of production and are pushed into helplessness by those
who have monopolised the resources and determine their hours of work
and wages:

Where ever now the friendless crouch and wail

Till in their eyes the trickling tears grow cold
Are where the vultures hovering on broad pinions
Snatches the morsel from their feeble hold (Kiernan 69).
The metaphor of vulture, which refers to the exploitative and greedy
ruling elites who are so materialistic and selfish that they do not grant the
poor even their bare subsistence level of existence, sounds more
plausible in this age of corporate profiteering. They do not acknowledge
their basic human needs. The above-mentioned excerpt points to the gulf
that exists between the hegemonic class and the working class. It also
points to the non-existence of humanistic values in capitalistic culture.

Furthermore, Faiz unmasks the enigmatic nature of capitalistic economy.

In “Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob na Maang” (Do not
Ask), he unveils the misery, disease and hunger in the world which is
booming under the much publicized façade of growth, prosperity and
enlightenment. The poet indirectly castigates bourgeois historians and
writers who have painted a rosy picture of human history. They have
established history as a march towards social emancipation, economic
prosperity and intellectual freedom. The poet says that the path of history
is highly enigmatic because the dominant class has interspersed the
centuries held oppressions with ‘silk’ and ‘gold cloth’ to conceal its
materialistic designs.

On the dark loom of centuries

Woven into silk, damask and gold cloth
Is the oppressive enigma of our life (Kamal and Hasan 164).
The enigmatic picture of Capitalistic economy which Faiz presented
before the age of corporate imperialism sounds a more appropriate
estimation of the paradoxical nature of neo-imperialism.
 Relevance of Marxist Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the Age of Neo-liberalism 103

3.2 Cultural Value of the Poetry of Faiz

Poetry of Faiz retains its appeal as a cultural reaction in the wake of
technocratic neo-liberalism. Culture in its classical form refers to the
customs and beliefs, art forms and the patterns of thought and behaviour
of a society. So, culture is a repository of humanistic values. The true end
of culture is the suspension of reification of the individual and his
realignment with the diversities of actual life processes in society. The
entanglement of culture with commerce and economy under capitalism
has deprived it of its humanistic role and has resulted in commodification
of the individual. “Culture today is infecting everything with sameness.
Film, radio and magazines form a system. Each branch of culture is
unanimous within itself and all are unanimous together” (Horkheimer et
al. 94).
The advocates of corporate imperialism consider diverse cultural and
economic patterns as an obstacle to their global materialistic interests.
Indigenous cultural patterns of behaviour which are born out of
interaction between men and their environment act as symbols of
national identity and offer a sense of shared belonging to the members of
that cultural community. The ideals of national freedom and autonomy
are in reality based on common cultural heritage. Faiz believes that the
resources and wealth of a particular region belong to its cultural
community which has the privilege to utilise these resources in order to
satisfy its human, social and cultural needs. Referring to the redemptive
role of indigenous culture, Faiz in “The Quest for Identity in Culture”
says, “If there is one thematic thread which runs through the history of
cultural substance it is the refusal of our people to permanently accept
injustice” (30). Throughout his poetry, Faiz persistently invokes themes,
legends, myths and historical personages from his indigenous culture and
traditions.
In “Rabba Sachaya” (Supplication), the poet invokes the myth of vice-
regency of man in the wake of reification of individual under capitalism.
He laments that under bourgeois hegemony man has been alienated from
his human glory. Faiz uses the analogy of ‘trapped animals’ to reflect the
miserable condition of man under the coercive and repressive bourgeois
super-structure. He is robbed of the ‘grace’ and ‘dignity’ bestowed on
him by God as enunciated in the Holy Quran. Similarly, the poet invokes
the legend of the Iraqi mystic – Mansoor Hallaj who had to suffer at the
hands of hegemonic order. Mansoor symbolises commitment and love
for truth and resistance against ruling ideology.
 Journal of Research (Humanities) 104

In the poem “Zalim” (Tyrant), Faiz resorts to the Quranic truth of the
resistance of Hazrat Ibrahim against Nimrod. In the poem, the oppressor
rejoices over the death of hope, humanistic values and the voice of
resistance. He is sure to have manipulated ideology in his favour. He
claims that there is no ‘Ibrahim’ to challenge the hegemony of ‘Nimrod’.
Ibrahim was the Prophet of God and Nimrod, the tyrant of the day.
Nimrod threw the Prophet into the fire. As a Divine marvel, the fire was
transformed into the flowers. The tyrant brags of having reversed the
value. The pious will no longer defy the falsehood. The voice of
conscience is suppressed. The devotion to the cause of truth is crushed.
The poet says:

I have strangled every aspiration

No more will the rose bend with blossoms.
The spring will wreath in the fire of Nimrod […]
I owe allegiance to a new creed (Kamal and Hasan 154).
The poem underpins not only the physical victory of the forces of evil
against the icons of resistance but also establishes the culture of protest,
rebellion and sacrifice against cruelty and injustice. It also establishes
divine blessings for the apostles of truth.

Furthermore, Faiz uses culture-specific poetic tools to represent his

socialistic vision. He borrows his poetic tools from the Persian-Urdu
literary tradition. The most favourite poetic tools of Faiz are “Dua”
(invocation), “Qawali” (devotional song) and “Tarana” (Anthem). In
Islam, invocation is the essence of our prayers. In the words of Iqbal, “In
Islam, prayer and Dua are linked with a collective spiritual activity
because the spirit and the essence of Islamic rituals are purely socialistic”
(In Malik 2008: 184). Faiz, like his predecessors and contemporaries, has
used the Islamic religious tool of Invocation to serve his socialistic poetic
aims. Faiz’s poem “Dua” (Invocation) which is an embodiment of his
Islamic socialistic ideology reflects the consciousness of the poet about
the cultural influences on the ideological commitments of the artist. In
the poem, the poet prays to his God to bestow strength upon the
humiliated and the oppressed sections of society to rise up against the
exploitative forces to materialise the myth of the vice-regency of man on
earth as ordained by God. An excerpt from the poem testifies to this
message of intellectual and political revolt for the oppressed ones: “Let’s
pray that those who follow false gods/ Find the courage to defy and the
strength to question” (Kamal and Hasan 274).
 Relevance of Marxist Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the Age of Neo-liberalism 105

Quite similar to the tool of Invocation is the poetic tool of Popular

Devotional Muslim Verse. Popular Devotional Muslim Verse is a song
which is sung in unison, by way of prayer. Faiz borrowed this form from
the traditional mystic practice of teaching Islam in the subcontinent in
Hindu society in which rhythmical devotional songs were much in
practice. Faiz’s famous poems which are classed as Devotional
Songs/Anthem are “Sar-e-Maqtal” (On the Martyr’s Field), “Udhar Na
Dekho” (Do not See over There) etc. Faiz also uses the musical device of
“Geet” which is a part of Hindu culture. Appreciating Faiz’s personal
love for rhythm and music, Dr Hussain (1989) says, “He (Faiz) is
temperamentally so musical (having had training in music) that he speaks
even of revolution in a symphonic manner giving the impression that
poetry and revolution have a kinship with music” (115).
One of the major achievements of Faiz as an artist and as a progressive
writer is to transform Urdu Ghazal alongwith its romantic content into a
socially-committed poetry. Faiz did not opt for new experiments in form
and diction. He has created new symbols and added new romantic
orientations to the old form and has affirmed that our traditional form
was capable of fulfilling the modern creative tasks. As Zaidi (1993) says,
“Its (ghazal’s) flexibility and manoeuvrability have been tested in
varying situations and it has acquired a multi-facetedness” (364).
Furthermore, Faiz has borrowed triangular Semantic structure from
romantic poetic tradition in Urdu and has added political connotations to
it. Dr Narang says:
Faiz demonstrates how a fine poet can transcend the
circumscribing restrictions placed upon him by the
conventions, for he has not only infused the conventions
with socio-political meanings, but at the same time
retained their universal structures – erotic, mystic and
spiritual (69).
In his poetry, Lover, Drinker and Freedom-fighter represent the forces of
resistance and revolution whereas Villain, Ombudsman and Ruler stand
for the hegemonic class, capitalists, civil and military bureaucracy.
Beloved represents the homeland which is at present under the
occupation of the forces of tyranny.
The cultural prototype of Faiz is the farmer of Punjab who works from
dawn to dusk to earn his livelihood and to contribute to the progress of
his country but he is deprived of his real share under exploitative system.
The miseries and agonies of this cultural prototype of Faiz are depicted
 Journal of Research (Humanities) 106

in “Rabba Sachaya” (Supplication), “Ye Fasl Umeedon ki Hamdam”

(This Crop of Our Hope) and “Intasaab” (Dedication). The farmer of
Faiz represents all the oppressed people of the world regardless of their
cultural, geographical and racial distinctions. Faiz’s concern for regional
and indigenous history, legends and cultural patterns is in line with post-
colonial discursive practice of counter-culture. His insistence on return
to origins and roots gains more prominence in the age of neo-liberalism
because it not only helps to decolonise precolonial plural cultural
heritages but also helps contain neo-imperialistic drive for the
elimination of regional popular mass-cultures.

3.3 Significance of Futuristic Design in the Poetry of Faiz

Neo-liberalism, which advocates status quo under capitalistic parameters
of economy, breeds loss of faith in change, struggle and future optimism.
The extinction of socialist bloc has resulted in political impotence.
Future optimism of Faiz in the face of pain and misery is essentially
based on the glory of human struggle and sacrifice, scriptural truth, and
historical evidence. Faiz’s faith in change via masses is rooted in the
history of perpetual battle between the forces of good and evil, between
those who aspire for worldly riches and those who yearn for society
based on fair play. For Faiz, receiving martyrdom for the sake of truth is
true heroism. Paying tribute to the glory of struggle against injustice,
Faiz uses ‘hands’ as the symbol of resistance and struggle. It is actually
through the use of hands that man conquered his surroundings and the
world of nature. Referring to the symbolic nature of hands in the poetry
of Faiz, says Dr Hussain (1989), “In fact it is the use of these very hands
which helped primitive man in prehistoric times to fight for his survival
against the hostile environment, and man’s hands still constitute a major
factor in his progress in later history – hands coupled with brain” (25).
The poems, “Siyasi Leader Ke Naam” (To a Political Leader) and “The
Sound of Two Musical Instruments” (Shorish-e-Barabt-o-Nay), provide
excellent instances of the imagery of hands as the source of resistance.
Faiz asserts that the wealth of the workers and the peasants lies in their
hands. It is these hands that assure hope and survival to the oppressed.
Throughout the history of perpetual conflict between the Kings, priests,
dictators and the marginalised, it is on the basis of hands that the masses
have resisted forces of dominance and these tools of resistance have
sometimes been mutilated. In “Siyasi Leader Ke Naam” (To a Political
Leader), Faiz says “You do not desire the victory of darkness, but/You
desire that these hands be cut off” (Kiernan 103).
 Relevance of Marxist Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the Age of Neo-liberalism 107

In “Nida-e-Ghaib” (Voice from the Unknown), the poet reiterates the

Islamic principle of eternal justice as envisaged by the victim. The poet
warns the tyrants and the dictators of their catastrophic end at the hands
of the oppressed who will eventually raise standards of revolt against
oppression. Their wrath and vengeance will not listen to any appeal for
mercy. The poet who represents the voice of God affirms that good and
bad deeds will be rewarded and punished over here. He rejects official
version of dogma which pleads for compensation in the hereafter world.
The poet creates analogy between his Marxist belief of the final victory
of the oppressed through proletariat revolution and the Day of judgement
as enshrined in the Holy Quran. This also affirms Faiz’s vision of future
utopia rooted in dialectical view of history. An excerpt from the poem
testifies to the note of the victim against tyranny:

Patrons and influential friends will be of no use

Reward and punishment will be dispensed here
Here will be hell and paradise.
Here and now will be The Day of Judgment (Kamal and Hasan
158).
Faiz’s unflinching faith in the day of reckoning is also reiterated in his
poem “Hum Dekhain Gay” (We shall See). In his oracular voice, the poet
glorifies the affinity between his ideological commitments and the
socialistic spirit of Islam. In the poem, the mountains of oppression
which stand for repressive regimes will be dashed to the ground by the
revolutionary forces. An excerpt from the poem testifies to the
conviction of the poet:
We, the rejects of the earth,
Will be raised to a place of honour.
All crowns’ll be tossed in the air,
All thrones’ll be smashed (Kamal and Hasan 230).
The similar mood of reassurance about ‘eternal justice’, ‘reward and
punishment’ is reiterated by Faiz in another famous poem “Tarana”
(Anthem). He invokes analogy between the eventual victory of the
proletariat and the Doomsday where the oppressed will be raised to the
place of honour and the oppressors will be chastised. This assurance of
the apocalypse sets the mood of the whole poem. The poet anticipates the
 Journal of Research (Humanities) 108

imminent fall of the thrones and the crowns. He uses the metaphor of
rivers-in-flood for the popular uprising which will smash all the means of
oppression which are symbolized by chains and dungeons in the poem.
The poet exhorts upon the masses to leave no stone unturned as their
destination is ahead of them. They are to render sacrifices to achieve
social emancipation and to bring the oppressors to justice. He motivates
the oppressed to break their silence and speak against cruelty and
injustice. An excerpt from “Tarana” (Anthem) reflects the poet’s
sentiment for popular uprising against oppression:
Oh! People of the dust, rise
The time has come when thrones and crown
Will be tossed in the air,
And chains and prisons smashed (Kiernan 54-55).
Futuristic hope and reassurance about the victory of the marginalised
retains its appeal in the age of neo-imperialism which perpetuates
bourgeois hegemony and inevitability of administration of law according
to capitalistic principles of economy.
3.4 Relevance of Progressive Marxism of Faiz

Faiz rejects monolithic view of Marxist ideology. He does not agree with
the view that Russian model of Communist state is the only acceptable
version of the system. As a writer, he does not accept any official
formula regarding literature and upholds the principle of autonomy of art
despite his ideological affiliations. Estelle Dryland (1993) says:
He (Faiz) rejected the role of committed political poet in
favour of poetic liberator. He considered class struggle
to be a universal sociological fact, and in his poet’s role
of the conscience of the society, along with his fusion of
art and politics, commanded the attention of his audience
by protesting, warning, and continued stimulation of
thought (172).

Faiz appreciates adjustments and amendments in the practical framework

of Communist ideology subject to the materialistic and social conditions
of a society. Commenting on variations in Russian and Chinese
communist models, Faiz says:
 Relevance of Marxist Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the Age of Neo-liberalism 109

Both the countries share socialistic principles of

economy and politics. Both the countries are agreed
upon the policy of supporting the oppressed everywhere
in the world. However, the implementation of the
ideology varies according to the particular frames of
reference (Azhar 252).

To add to it, Marxism of Faiz endorses all those cultural patterns which
give preference to the social needs rather than the capital value of the
goods (c.f. 3.2). Furthermore, Faiz accepts those tenets of Marxism
which are acceptable to the socialistic vision of Islam. His God is no
longer the benefactor of the enemies of the masses. The theme of Vice-
regency of man which Faiz promotes in his poetry is not the prerogative
of the bourgeois class. This Scriptural truth demolishes man-made social
stratification based on material consideration and provides spiritual
strength to the deprived people to work for the recovery of their rightful
position. In “Rabba Sachaya” (Supplication), the poet clearly identifies
him with revisionistic view of socialism. The peasant in the poem does
not demand wealth and luxury. He only yearns for a livelihood with
respect and dignity. He says:

Who cares for

Wealth or power. All we want
Is honourable bread
And something
To cover our nakedness (Kamal 180).
This excerpt from the poem testifies to the progressive Marxist principle
of sufficiency for all. To sum up, progressive Marxism of Faiz gains
more prominence in this age of capitalistic triumphalism which validates
the principle of concentration of wealth as a parameter for economic
growth.

4- Conclusion

Analysis and discussion regarding contemporary relevance of the poetry

of Faiz establishes that dialectical criticism in Faiz, his cultural reaction
in favour of pre-imperial indigenous cultural values, his faith in a better
world order in future and his progressive Marxism retain the validity of
Marxist poetry of Faiz in this unipolar world of neo-liberalism and
 Journal of Research (Humanities) 110

capitalistic triumphalism. Dialectical criticism in Faiz which exposes

inherent contradictions in the trenches of ruling ideology also takes on
the role of trade unions and left wing political forces as a voice of the
oppressed in their absence. Faiz’s endorsement of indigenous cultural
patterns of behaviour which aims at decolonising popular mass cultures
of the post-colonial societies also helps contain neo-liberalistic obsession
to homogenise diverse cultures of the world to create a society of
consumers. It also helps conceptualise a true planetary culture based on
multiculturalism. Furthermore, futuristic hope in Faiz gains prominence
in aesthetic and humanistic terms as it glorifies struggle and rejects status
quo and resignation which serves the materialistic interests of capitalist
class. Finally, progressive Marxism of Faiz retains its relevance in neo-
liberalistic world order because of its principle of moderation and self-
sufficiency against neo-imperialistic drive for materialistic
aggrandisement. So, it does not sound logical to underestimate the poetry
of Faiz as dated and obsolete.
 Relevance of Marxist Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the Age of Neo-liberalism 111

Works Cited
Azhar, Gh. H. “Adeeb aur Asri Taqazay.” Makalmaat-e-Faiz. Khalil
Ahmad, ed. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 1976. Print.
Chomsky, N. “Globalization and War.” Arguments Against G8. Gill
Hubbard and David Miller, ed. London: Pluto Press, 2002. Print.
Dryland, E. Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Urdu Poet of Social Realism. Lahore:
Vanguard Books (Pvt) Ltd, 1993. Print.
Eagleton, T. Why Marx was Right? New Haven & London: Yale
University Press, 2011. Print.
Faiz, F. A. “What is the Role of International Exchange in Cultural
Development.” Culture and Identity. Sheema Majeed, ed.
Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.
Faiz, F. A. “The Quest for Identity in Culture.” Culture and Identity.
Sheema Majeed, ed. Karachi: Oxford University Press, 1976.
Print.
Hassan, Dr. Z. “Faiz ki Shairi aur Hamara Ehed.” Fikr-e-Faiz. Nisar
Turabi, ed. Lahore, Pakistan: Multi Media Affairs, 2012. Print.
Horkheimer, M and Adorno, Th.W. “The Culture Industry:
Enlightenment as Mass Deception.” Dialectic of Enlightenment.
Trans. Edmund Jephcott USA: Stanford University Press, 2002.
Print.
Hussain, I. An Introduction to the Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Lahore:
Vanguard Books (Pvt) Ltd, 1989. Print.
Hussain, Dr. M. A. Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Romaan aur Shairi. Lahore,
Pakistan: Writers’ Cooperative Society, 2010. Print.
Kamal, D. and Hasan, K. O City of Lights: Faiz Ahmed Faiz.. Karachi:
Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
Kiernan, V. P, Trans. Poems by Faiz. London: Vanguard Books (Pvt)
Ltd. South Publications, 1971. Print.
Malik, F. M. Faiz: Shairi aur Siasat. Lahore, Pakistan: Sang-e-Meel
Publications, 70, 2008. Print.
Narang, G. Ch. “Tradition and Innovation in Faiz Ahmed Faiz.”
Daybreak: Writings on Faiz. Yasmeen Hameed, ed. Karachi:
Oxford University Press, 2013. Print.
 Journal of Research (Humanities) 112

Siddiqui, Dr. M. A. Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Dard aur Darmaan ka Shair.

Lahore: Peace Publications, 2011. Print.
Sohail, Kh. and Hussain, A. Faiz: A Poet of Peace from Pakistan.
University of Karachi: Pakistan Study Center, 2011. Print.
Stiglitz, J. Globalisation and its Discontents. United States: W.W.
Norton Company, 2002. Print.
Tauqeer, N. Faiz. “Ishq-o-Inqilaab ka Shair.” Shair-e-Khush Nawa –
Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Dr. T. Taunsvi, ed. Lahore: Nastaalique
Matboaat, 2011. Print.
Zaidi, A. J. A History of Urdu Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Academy,
1993. Print.