Born
Faiz Ahmad Faiz
13 February 1911
Kala Kader, Sialkot,
Montgomery District,
British Indian Empire
Died
20 November 1984
(aged 73)
Lahore, Punjab
Province, Pakistan
Occupation
Urdu poet, journalist
Language
English
Russian
Urdu
Arabic
Persian
Nationality
Pakistani
Ethnicity
Kashmiri
Education
Arabic literature
B.A. (Hons) , M.A.
English Literature
Master of Arts
Alma mater
Murray College at
Lahore
Government College
University
Punjab University
Genres
Ghazal, Nazm
Literary movement
Progressive Writers'
Movement
Communist Party of
Pakistan
Notable work(s)
Naqsh-e-Faryadi
Dast-e-Sabah
Zindan-nama
Notable award(s)
MBE (1946)
Nigar Awards (1953
Lenin Peace Prize
(1963)
HRC Peace Prize
Nishan-e-Imtiaz
(1990)
Avicenna Prize (2006)
Spouse(s)
Alys Faiz
Children
Salima (b. 1942)
Moneeza (b. 1945)
Influences
Allama Iqbal
Karl Marx
Syed Mir Hasan
Yousuf Saleem
Chishti
Influenced
Urdu poetry, Ibn-e-
Insha
Signature
Faiz Ahmad Faiz
(Urdu: ),
(born 13 February 1911
20 November 1984)
MBE, NI, was an
influential left-wing
intellectual,
revolutionary poet, and
one of the most
famous poets of the
Urdu language from
Pakistan. A notable
member of the
Progressive Writers'
Movement
(PWM), Faiz was an
avowed Marxist and a
recipient of Lenin Peace
Prize by the Soviet
Union in 1962. Despite
being repeatedly
accused of atheism by
the political and military
establishment, Faiz's
poetry suggested a
complicated relationship
with religion in general
and with Islam in
particular. He was,
nevertheless, inspired
by South Asia's Sufi
traditions.
Faiz was controversially
named and linked by
Prime minister Liaquat
Ali Khan 's government
for hatching the
conspiracy (see
Rawalpindi conspiracy
case
) against Liaquat Ali
Khan's government,
along with a left-wing
military sponsor Major-
General Akbar Khan.
Having been arrested by
Military police, Faiz
among others received
a maximum sentence
by JAG branch, although
his sentence was
commuted after the
assassination of
Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951.
Biography
Early life and
education
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was
born on 26 October
1911, in Sialkot.[1][2]
Faiz hailed from an
academic family that
was well known in
literary circles. His home
was often the scene of
a gathering of local
poets and writers who
met to promote the
literacy movement in
his native province.[2]
His father was a
barrister[1] who
worked for the British
Government, and an
autodidact who wrote
and published the
biography of Amir
Abdur Rahman, an Emir
of Imperial Afghanistan.
[2] Although his family
were devoted Muslims,
Faiz was brought up in a
Secular tradition of
Islam
.[1] Following the Muslim
South Asian tradition,
his family directed him
to study Islamic studies
at the local Mosque to
be oriented to the
basics of religious
studies by Maulvi
Ibrahim Mir. According
to Muslim orthodox
tradition, he learned
Arabic, Persian, Urdu
language and the Quran.
[1][2] According to a
book written by Sarvat
Rehman, while Faiz was
brought up as an
orthodox Muslim, he
saw himself as an
agnostic.[1] Faiz was
also a Pakistan
nationalist, and often
said Purify your hearts,
so you can save the
country....[1]
His father later took
him out of Islamic
school as he wanted his
son to follow the
footsteps of the great
Indian Muslim
educationist Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan, sending
him to attend the
Scotch Mission School,
which was managed
and run by a local British
family. After
matriculation, he joined
the Murray College at
Sialkot for intermediate
study.[2] In 1926, Faiz
enrolled in Department
of Languages and Fine
Arts of the Government
College University
(GCU), Lahore. While
there, he was greatly
influenced by Professor
Mir Hassan and
Professor Shamsul
Allam who taught
Arabic language.[2]
Professor Hasan had
also taught the
renowned philosopher,
poet, and politician of
South Asia, Dr.
Muhammad Iqbal. In
1926, Faiz attained his
B.A. with Honors in
Arabic language, under
the supervision of
Professor Mir Hassan. In
1930, Faiz joined the
post-graduate
programme of the GCU,
obtaining M.A. in English
literature in 1932. The
same year, Faiz passed
his post-graduate exam
in the 1st Division from
Punjab University's
Oriental College, where
he obtained a Master's
degree in Arabic in 1932.
[2] It was during his
college years that he
met M. N. Roy and
Muzaffar Ahmed who
influenced him to
become a member of
the Communist Party.
[1]

Military service
In 1935 Faiz joined the
faculty of
Muhammedan Anglo-
Oriental College
at Aligarh, serving as a
lecturer in English and
British literature.[2][3]
Later in 1937, Faiz
moved to Lahore to
reunite with his family
after accepting the
professorship at the
Hailey College of
Commerce
, initially teaching
introductory courses on
economics and
commerce.[2] During
the midst of World War
II, he enrolled in the
British Indian Army in
1942.[2][3] He was
commissioned and
attained the rank of
Captain.[3] Faiz served
with the unit led by
Akbar Khan, a left-wing
general. Although, he
was kept out of war
operations, Faiz was
given a desk
assignment when he
joined the Inter-
Services Public Relations
(ISPR) in New Delhi. In
1943, Faiz was
promoted to Major rank,
and then Lieutenant-
Colonel in 1944.[3] In
1947, Faiz opted for
newly established State
of Pakistan. However,
after witnessing the
1947 Kashmir war with
India, Faiz decided to
leave the army and
submitting his
resignation in 1947.[3]
Academia and
literacy
In 1936, Faiz joined a
literary movement,
Progressive Writers'
Movement
(PWM) and was
appointed its first
secretary by his fellow
Marxist Sajjad Zaheer.
[1] In East and West-
Pakistan, the
movement gained
considerable support in
civil society.[1] In 1938,
he became editor-in-
chief of the monthly
Urdu magazine Adab-e-
Latif (lit. Belles Letters)
until 1946.[1] In 1941,
Faiz published his first
literary book Naqsh-e-
Faryadi (lit. Imprints)
and joined the Pakistan
Arts Council (PAC) in
1947.[1] From 195962,
Faiz served as the
secretary of Pakistan
Arts Council, and later
became Rector of
Abdullah Haroon College
in 1964.[4] The same
year, Faiz became the
vice-president of
Pakistan Arts Council in
1964.
Faiz was a good friend
of Soviet poet Yevgeny
Yevtushenko who once
said In Faiz's
autobiography... is his
poetry, the rest is just
a footnote.[4] During
his lifetime, Faiz
published eight books
and received accolades
for his works.[4] Faiz
was a humanist, a
lyrical poet, whose
popularity reached
neighbouring India and
Soviet Union.[5] Indian
biographer Amaresh
Datta, compared Faiz as
equal esteem in both
East and West.[5]
Throughout his life, his
revolutionary poetry
addressed the tyranny
of military
dictatorships, tyranny,
and oppressions, Faiz
himself never
compromised on his
principles despite being
threatened by the right-
wing parties in Pakistan.
[5] Faiz's writings are
comparatively new
verse form in Urdu
poetry based on
Western models.[5] Faiz
was influenced by the
works of Allama Iqbal
and Mirza Ghalib,
assimilating the modern
Urdu with the classical.
[4] Faiz used more and
more demands for the
development of
socialism in the country,
finding socialism the
only solution of
country's problems.[5]
During his life, Faiz was
concerned with more
broader socialists ideas,
using Urdu poetry for
the cause and
expansion of socialism
in the country.[5] The
Urdu poetry and Ghazals
influenced Faiz to
continue his political
themes as non-violent
and peaceful, opposing
the far left politics in
Pakistan
.[5]
Internationalism and
communism
Main article:
Communism in Pakistan
Faiz believed in
Internationalism and
emphasised the
philosophy on Global
village.[1] In 1947, he
became editor of the
Pakistan Times and in
1948, Faiz became vice-
president of the
Pakistan Trade Union
Federation
(PTUF).[1] In 1950, Faiz
joined the delegation of
Prime minister Liaquat
Ali Khan , initially leading
a business delegation in
the United States,
attending the meeting
at the International
Labour Organization
(ILO) at San Francisco,
California.[1] During
194850, Faiz led the
PTUF's delegation in
Geneva, and became an
active member of World
Peace Council (WPC).[1]
Faiz was a well-known
communist in the
country and had been
long associated with
the Communist Party of
Pakistan
, which he founded in
1947 along with Marxist
Sajjad Zaheer and
Jalaludin Abdur Rahim.
[6] Faiz had his first
exposure to socialism
and communism before
the independence of
State of Pakistan which
he thought he was
consistent with his
progressive thinking.[4]
Faiz had long associated
ties with the Soviet
Union, a friendship with
atheist country that
later honoured him with
high award. Even after
his death, the Russian
government honoured
him by calling him our
poet to many Russians.
[4] However his
popularity was waned
in Bangladesh after
1971 when Dhaka did
not win much support
for him.[4] Faiz and
other pro-communists
had no political role in
the country, despite
their academic brilliance.
[6]
Although Faiz was a not
a hardc*re or far-left
communist, he spent
most of the 1950s and
1960s promoting the
cause of communism in
Pakistan.[6] During the
time when Faiz was
editor of the Pakistan
Times, one of the
leading newspapers of
the 1950s, he lent
editorial support to the
party. He was also
involved in the circle
lending support to
military personnel (e.g.
Major General Akbar
Khan
). His involvement with
the party and Major
General Akbar Khan's
coup plan led to his
imprisonment later.
Later in his life, while
giving an interview with
the local newspaper,
Faiz was asked by the
interviewer as if he
was a communist, Faiz
he replied in his usual
nonchalant manner: No.
I am not, a communist
is a person who is a
card carrying member
of the Communist party
ever made. The party is
banned in our country.
So how can I be a
communist?....[7]
Rawalpindi plot and
exile
Main article: Rawalpindi
conspiracy
The Liaquat Ali Khan's
government failure to
Indian-held Kashmir had
frustrated the military
leaders of the Pakistan
Armed Forces in 1948,
including Jinnah himself
serious doubt on Ali
Khan's ability to ensure
the integrity and
sovereignty of Pakistan.
[8] After returning from
the United States, Ali
Khan imposed
restrictions on
Communist party as
well as Pakistan
Socialist Party. Although
the East Pakistan
Communist Party
had ultimate success in
East-Pakistan after
staging the mass
protest to recognised
Bengali language as
national heritage.
The Muslim League
after Jinnah founded
struggling to survive its
existence in West-
Pakistan. Therefore,
Prime minister Liaquat
Ali Khan imposed
extreme restrictions
and applied tremendous
pressure on communist
party for not being
properly allowed to
function openly as a
political party. The
conspiracy had been
planned by left-wing
military officer and
Chief of General Staff
Major-General Akbar
Khan . On 23 February
1951, a secret meeting
was held at General
Akbar's home, attended
by other communist
officers and communist
party members,
including Marxist Sajjad
Zaheer and communist
Faiz.[9] General Akbar
assured Faiz and Zaheer
that the communist
party would be allowed
to function as a
legitimate political party
like any other party and
to take part in the
elections.[9] But,
according to communist
Zafar Poshni who
maintained, in 2011,
that no agreement
was reached, the plan
was disapproved, the
communists weren't
ready to accept
General's words and the
participants dispersed
without meeting again.
[9] However the next
morning, the plot was
foiled when one of the
communist officer
defected to ISI
revealing the motives
behind the plot. When
the news reached to
Prime minister, the
orders of massive
arrests were ordered to
Military Police by the
Prime minister. Before
the coup could be
initiated, General Akbar
among other
communists were
arrested, including Faiz.
[10] In a trial led by the
Judge Advocate General
branch's officers in a
military court, Faiz was
announced to spent
four years in
Montgomery Central Jail
(MCJ),[11] due to his
influential personality,
Liaquat Ali Khan's
government continued
locating him in Central
Prison Karachi and the
Central Jail Mianwali.[12]
His case later proceeded
by socialist Huseyn
Suhravardie as his
defence counselor.[12]
Finally on 2 April 1955,
[2] Faiz's sentence was
commuted by the Prime
minister Huseyn
Suhrawardy, and
departed to London,
Great Britain soon after.
[12] In 1958, Faiz again
returned but was again
detained by President
Iskander Mirza,
allegedely blamed Fiaz
for publishing the pro-
communist ideas and
advocacy for pro-
Moscow government.
[10] However, due to
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's
influence on Ayub Khan,
Faiz's sentence was
commuted in 1960 and
he was departed to
Moscow, Union of
Soviet Socialist
Republics
; he later settled in
London, United Kingdom.
[12]

Return to Pakistan
and government
work
In 1964, Faiz finally
returned to his country
and settled down in
Karachi, and was
appointed Principal of
Abdullah Haroon College.
[2] In 1965, Faiz was
first brought to
government by
charismatic democratic
socialist Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto who was
tenuring as Foreign
minister in the
presidency of Ayub
Khan.[2] Bhutto lobbied
for Faiz and giving the
honorary capacity at
the Ministry of
Information and
Broadcasting
(MoIB) working to
rallying the people of
West-Pakistan to fight
against India to defend
their motherland.[2]
During the 1971 Winter
war, Faiz rallied to
mobolize the people,
writing patriotic poems
and songs that opposed
the bloodshed during
separation of
Bangladesh from
Pakistan.[13]
In 1972, Prime minister
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
brought him back when
Bhutto appointed Faiz
as Culture adviser at
the Ministry of Culture
(MoCul) and the Ministry
of Education (MoEd).[1]
[4] Faiz continued
serving in Bhutto's
government until 1974
when he took
retirement from the
government
assignments.[1][4]
Faiz had strong ties
with Bhutto, and had
been deeply upset upon
Bhutto's removal by
Chief of Army Staff
General Muhammad Zia-
ul-Haq in 1977, in a
military coup codename
Fair Play.[9] Again, Faiz
was monitored by
Military Police and his
every move watched.
[9] In 1979, Faiz
departed from Pakistan
after learning the news
of Bhutto's execution
had been taken place.[9]
Faiz took asylum in
Beirut, Lebonan, but
returned back to
Pakistan in poor health
after renewal of the
Lebanon War in 1982.
[14] In 1984, Faiz died in
Lahore, Punjab Province,
shortly after hearing a
nomination of Nobel
Peace Prize.[14]
Jump back a section
Personal life
In 1941, Faiz became
affectionate to Alys
Faiz, a British national
and a member of
Communist Party of the
United Kingdom
, who was a student at
the Government College
University
where Faiz taught
poetry.[15] While Alys
opted for Pakistan
citizenship, she was a
vital member of
Communist Party of
Pakistan
, played a significant
role in Rawalpindi
Conspiracy Case
when she brought
together the
communist mass.
Together, the couple
gave birth two
daughter Salima and
Moneeza Hashmi.[15]
Sufism
This section does
not cite any
references or
sources
. Please help improve
this section by adding
citations to reliable
sources
. Unsourced material
may be challenged and
removed. (January
2012)
Faiz was an avowed
supporter of Sufism. He
had close relations with
several Sufi saints of
his time. He was a
favourite of Baba
Malang Sahib, a Sufi of
Lahore, Wasif Ali Wasif,
Ashfaq Ahmad, Syed
Fakhruddin Balley and
other renowned sufis.
Once when he was
asked how he could
compare Sufis with
socialist comrades, he
replied, They [Sufis]
are the real comrades.
He is also credited for
coining the term Ana al-
Haqq in the political
sense.
Faiz was first accused
of Atheism during his
trial, when to the
Prosecutor-General, Faiz
famously quipped:
Dont you know
applying Fragrance is
Sunnah?....[9] The
questioner protested
and said: My dear sir, I
doubt if you are a great
one for following the
Sunnah and so on!,
then Faiz replied: Why
not, I am also a part of
the Islamic culture....[9]
Jump back a section
Legacy
Although living a
troubled life, Faiz's
work, political ideology,
and poetry became
immortal, and often
dubbed as greatest
poet of Pakistan.[16]
Faiz rema[17] ined
extremely popular and
infleuntial figure in the
development of arts
and drama in Pakistan's
drama and theatre
industry.[18] In 1962,
Faiz brought a great
name for his country in
the Soviet Union who
had been hostile and
antagonistic relations
with Pakistan.[19] The
Lenin Peace Prize, a
Soviet equivalent of
Nobel Peace Prize,
helped lift Faiz's image
even higher in the
international
community.[19] It
brought Soviet Union
and Pakistan much
closer, putting past
behind and working for
development of people
of both sides. Most of
his work was
translated in Russian
language.[19]
Faiz, whose work is
considered the
backbone of
development of
Pakistan's literature,
arts and poetry, was
one of the most
beloved poets in the
country.[19] Along with
Allama Iqbal, Faiz is
often known as Poet
of East.[20] While
commenting on his
legacy, classical singer
Tina Sani mesmerised
Faiz's legacy as she
puts it:

Faiz Ahmad Faiz...
(was) like a
comrade, his
thoughts were
soft but effective
and inspired the
classical singers as
it did others in the
plays we did...
Faizs poetry never
gets old because
the problems and
situations in this
country have not
changed. Today
we sing him
because of his
beautiful poetry,
missing out on the
reasons behind his
poems that had
predictions...
Tina Sani,
commenting the
legacy of Faiz, [18]

Major literary works
Naqsh-e-Faryadi
(1943)
Dast-e-Saba (1952)
Zindan-Nama (1956)
Dast-e-Tah-e-Sung
(1965)
Mere Dil Mere Musafir
Sar-e-Wadi-e-Sina
All these have been
combined as one book
Nuskha Haa-e-Wafa
( Urdu: ).
Accolades and
international
recognition
Faiz was the first Asian
poet to receive the
Lenin Peace Prize,
awarded by the Soviet
Union in 1962.[21] In
1976 he was award the
Lotus Prize for
Literature
.[21] He was also
nominated for the Nobel
Prize shortly before his
death in 1984.[22]
At the ceremony held in
grand Kremlin hall in
Moscow, Faiz received
the award with stage
full of Russian
attendees, Faiz thanked
the Russian
government for
conferring the honour,
and delivered the
acceptance speech at
the ceremony, which
appears as a brief
preface to his collection
Dast-i-tah-i-Sang (Hand
under the rock) is a
great piece of humanist
literature, as he
delivered:

Human ingenuity,
science and
industry have
made it possible to
provide each one
of us everything
we need to be
comfortable
provided these
boundless
treasures of
nature and
production are not
declared the
property of a
greedy few but
are used for the
benefit of all of
humanity
However, this is
only possible if the
foundations of
human society are
based not on
greed, exploitation
and ownership but
on justice, equality,
freedom and the
welfare of
everyone I believe
that humanity
which has never
been defeated by
its enemies will,
after all, be
successful; at long
last, instead of
wars, hatred and
cruelty, the
foundation of
humankind will
rest on the
message of the
great Persian poet
Hafez Shiraz:
Every foundation
you see is faulty,
except that of
Love, which is
faultless....
Faiz Ahmad Faiz,
1962, [9]

In 1990, his services
were belatedly
honoured by the
Pakistan Government
when ruling Pakistan
Peoples Party led by
Prime minister Be r
Bhutto , accepting the
recommendation, and
posthumously awarded
Faiz, the highest civilian
award, Nishan-e-Imtiaz
in 1990.[23] In 2011, the
Pakistan Peoples
Party's government
declared the year of
2011 as the year of
Faiz Ahmed Faiz.[23] In
accordance, the
Pakistan Government
set up a Faiz Chair at
the Department of Urdu
at the Karachi
University and at the
Sindh University,[24]
followed by the
Government College
University
of Lahore established
the Patras, Faiz Chair at
the Department of Urdu
of the university, also in
2011.[25] The same
year, the Government
College University
(GCU) presented the
golden presented
shields to the
University's Urdu
department, which was
issued and presented
by the GCU vice-
chancellor Professor Dr.
Khaleequr Rehman, who
noted and further
wrote: Fiaz was poet
of humanity, love and
resistance against
oppression.[20] In
2012, at the memorial
ceremony was held at
the Jinnah Garden to
honour the services of
Faiz by the left-wing
party Avami National
Party and Communist
Party, by the end of the
ceremony, the
participants chanted his
name: The Faiz of
workers is alive! The
Faiz of farmers is
alive...! Faiz is alive....!.
[26]

Translations
Faiz Ahmad Faiz's
poetry has been
translated into many
languages, including
English and Russian. A
Balochi poet, Mir Gul
Khan Nasir, who was
also a friend of Faiz
Ahmad Faiz, translated
his book Sar-e-Wadi-e-
Seena into Balochi with
the title Seenai Keechag
aa. This work by Faiz
was translated by Gul
Khan while he (Gul Khan)
was in jail during
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's
regime for opposing the
government's policies. It
was published in 1980,
after Zia-ul-Haq toppled
Bhutto's government
and freed all the political
prisoners of his
(Bhutto's) regime.
Victor Kiernan, British
Marxist historian
translated Faiz Ahmed
Faiz's works into
English, and several
other translations of
whole or part of his
work into English have
also been made by
others;[27] a
transliteration in Punjabi
was made by Mohinder
Singh.[28]
Faiz Ahmad Faiz,
himself, has also
translated works of
notable poets from
other languages into
Urdu. In his book Sar-i
Waadi-i Seena there
are some translations
of the famous poet of
Dagestan, Rasul
Gamzatov. Deewa, a
Balochi poem by Mir Gul
Khan Nasir, was also
translated into Urdu by
Faiz.[29][30]
Jump back a section
Plays and dramatic
productions on Faiz
Sheeshon ka
Maseeha by Omer
Khawaja and
Shabana Azmi.
Dard Aayega Dabe
Paon by Sheela
Bhatiya.
Kuchh Ishq kiya
Kuchh Kaam written
by Danish Iqbal and
staged by IPTA
Delhi. This multi-
media Stage
Production is being
premiered at Sri Ram
centre, New Delhi on
11 November 2011.
This Play is basically
a Celebration of the
Faiz's Poetry and
featuring events
from the early part
of his life, particularly
the events and
incidents of pre-
partition days which
shaped his life and
ideals. Directed by K
K Kohli this musical
Production featured
Artists like Shamir
Abadan, Jaishri Sethi,
Dr Naseem, Izhar,
Minhaj, Prateek
Kapoor, Twinkle
Khanna and Amit
Bajaj in lead roles.
This script is the
first part of Faiz
trilogy written by
Danish Iqbal at the
occasion of Faiz
Centenary
Celebrations.
Chand Roz Aur Meri
Jaan A dramatised
reading of Faiz's
letter and letters
written by his wife
Alys Faiz. This
Production was
initially done at the
start of his birth
centenary
celebrations at India
Habitat Center, New
Delhi by Danish Iqbal
and Salima Raza.
'Chand Roz Aur Meri
Jaan' was also done
at Amritsar Faiz
Festival organised by
Preet Ladi, at Punjab
Natshala, Amritsar,
on 6 October 2011.
This time it was
done by Suchitra
Gupta and Danish
Iqbal.
2011 Drama Festival
of Delhi Urdu
Academy is basically
devoted to
Productions about
Faiz. Apart from
'Kuchh Ishq kiya
Kuchh Kaam' by
IPTA, Delhi and
' Chand Roz Aur
Meri Jaan' by Wings
Cultural Society,[31]
this Festival will also
feature Plays by
Peirreot's Troupe on
Faiz, namely ' Jo Dil
Pe Guzarti Hai'. The
festival also
presented, for the
first time on stage
' Tera Bayaan
Ghalib', directed by
Dr Hadi Sarmadi and
performed by
Bahroop Arts Group,
[32] which was an
adaptation of one of
Faiz's few plays for
the radio.[33]
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In popular culture
A collection of some of
Faiz's masterpieces in
different genres and
tributes by his family,
contemporaries and
scholars who knew him
through his immortal
poetry was published in
2011, under the name
of Celebrating Faiz
edited by D P Tripathi.
The book was released
on Mahatma Gandhi's
birth anniversary in
Punjab province of
Pakistan.