Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Life, Famous Poetry and Books

About this novel

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was the most loved Urdu poet of the 20th century; read about his life, his famous poems and his books. This guide covers Hum Dekhenge, Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat and Bol, the singers who made them famous, and where to read his poetry.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz (فیض احمد فیض, 1911–1984) brought together two things that Urdu poetry had usually kept apart: the language of romantic love and the fight for justice. A teacher, soldier, newspaper editor and political prisoner, he wrote poems that are still sung at weddings and chanted at protests across Pakistan and India.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz: quick facts

• Born: 13 February 1911, Kala Qader near Sialkot (now Faiz Nagar, Narowal district)
• Died: 20 November 1984, Lahore
• Education: Government College Lahore (MA English) and Oriental College (Arabic)
• Wife: Alys Faiz; daughters Salima Hashmi and Muneeza Hashmi
• Famous poems: Hum Dekhenge, Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat, Bol, Subh-e-Azadi, Gulon Mein Rang Bhare
• Awards: Lenin Peace Prize (1962); Nishan-e-Imtiaz (1990, after his death)
• First book: Naqsh-e-Faryadi (1941)

Life of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Early life and teaching

Faiz was born in 1911 in Kala Qader, a village near Sialkot, the home city of Allama Iqbal. He studied at Murray College, Sialkot, and then at Government College Lahore, where he took an MA in English, and at Oriental College, where he studied Arabic. He began his career as a lecturer in English at the M.A.O. College in Amritsar and later taught at Hailey College of Commerce in Lahore. His first book of poems, Naqsh-e-Faryadi, came out in 1941, the same year he married Alys George, a British woman who became Alys Faiz.

Army officer and editor

During the Second World War Faiz joined the British Indian Army in 1942, working in public relations and rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He left the army in 1947. After Partition he became editor-in-chief of the English daily The Pakistan Times and the Urdu daily Imroze, and he was active in trade unions and the Progressive Writers’ Movement.

Prison years

In 1951 Faiz was arrested in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case, accused of being part of a plot against the government of Liaquat Ali Khan. He spent about four years in jail, including in Hyderabad and Montgomery (Sahiwal). Prison did not silence him: some of his most famous poems were written there and published in Dast-e-Saba (1953) and Zindan Nama. He was released in 1955.

Fame, exile and last years

In 1962 Faiz received the Soviet Union’s Lenin Peace Prize, and his poetry was translated into many languages. After the fall of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto he left Pakistan and lived for some years in Beirut, where he edited Lotus, a magazine of Afro-Asian writers. He returned to Pakistan in 1982 and died in Lahore on 20 November 1984. He had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature shortly before his death.

His poetry and style

Faiz wrote both ghazals and nazms. He kept the old images of Urdu poetry (the beloved, the garden, the wine-cup, the night of separation) but gave them new meanings: the beloved could also be the homeland, and the long night could be a time of injustice. His language is soft and musical, never shouting, yet full of hope that a better morning will come. That is why his verses work equally well as love songs and as protest songs.

Famous poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Faiz’s poems are still protected by copyright, so we do not print them here. Below are his most famous poems with a short note on what each one is about; you can read the full texts in the books and on the sites listed further down.

1. Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob Na Maang

From his first book, Naqsh-e-Faryadi. The poet tells his beloved that he cannot love her in the old, simple way any more, because the suffering of ordinary people now also claims his heart. It marked the turning point between romantic and socially committed Urdu poetry. Noor Jehan’s sung version made it famous across Pakistan.

2. Bol

A short poem that begins by telling the reader to speak because their lips are still free. It is a call to say the truth while there is still time, and it is often recited at protests and in classrooms.

3. Subh-e-Azadi (August 1947)

Written at the time of independence and Partition. Instead of celebrating, the poet describes a stained, scarred dawn and says this is not the morning people had waited for, because freedom came with violence and the hopes of the poor were still unfulfilled.

4. Hum Dekhenge

A poem about the promised day when tyranny will end and ordinary people will rule. Iqbal Bano’s performance of it in Lahore in 1986, under General Zia’s rule, became legendary, and the poem is still sung at protests today.

5. Gulon Mein Rang Bhare

A romantic ghazal that asks the breeze to bring colour to the flowers so that the garden can come alive. Mehdi Hassan’s classic version made it one of the best-known Urdu ghazals; it has since been sung by many others.

6. Hum Ke Thehre Ajnabi

A sad ghazal about friends who have become strangers, written after Faiz’s visit to Dhaka following the separation of East Pakistan. It is best known in the voice of Nayyara Noor.

Books (poetry collections)

These are Faiz’s main Urdu poetry collections, roughly in the order they appeared. He also wrote prose, letters and some Punjabi poetry.

Where to read Faiz’s poetry

The best way to read Faiz is in a printed copy of Nuskha-ha-e-Wafa, his collected poems, which is widely available from Urdu bookshops in Pakistan. Many of his poems can also be read online on Rekhta, the large Urdu poetry website. If you love his poems in song, look for the recordings by Noor Jehan, Iqbal Bano, Mehdi Hassan, Nayyara Noor and Tina Sani.

Frequently asked questions

When and where was Faiz Ahmed Faiz born? On 13 February 1911 in Kala Qader, near Sialkot. He died in Lahore on 20 November 1984.

Why was Faiz sent to prison? He was arrested in 1951 in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case and spent about four years in jail, where he wrote many famous poems.

What is Faiz’s most famous poem? Hum Dekhenge and Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob Na Maang are the two most often named, followed by Bol and the ghazal Gulon Mein Rang Bhare.

Which award did Faiz win? The Lenin Peace Prize in 1962. Pakistan honoured him with the Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 1990, after his death.

Why are Faiz’s poems not printed on this page? Because Faiz died in 1984, his poetry is still under copyright. We describe his work instead and point you to legal places to read it.

Read more in our Urdu Classics section: famous Urdu poets, Urdu ghazal, Allama Iqbal poetry (Faiz’s fellow poet from Sialkot), Mirza Ghalib shayari and Urdu poetry in English.