March 21st, 2001
The reason for the destruction of the Bamiyaan Buddhas was iconoclasm. The anti-iconic attitude of Islam stems from Arabic history.
Allah, the name of God in Islamic belief, has as many as ninety-nine names detailing his various splendours qualities and attributes and no face or form is allowed to be given to Him. Except perhaps in the minds of the Faithful when they address their prayers to Him.
Pre-Islamic Arabia indulged in idol or icon worship. Numerous statues were set up for adoration including in the holy Ka’abaa sanctuary in the city of Mecca.
The Prophet Muhammad [On Whom Be Peace] removed all these icons and idols to make space for the exclusive worship of the formless [Niraakaar] One, Allah.
The heathen past remains a memory and nostalgia links the believing present with it again and again in Urdu poetry.
Faiz Ahmad ‘Faiz’ says
‘Dil* Meiyn Ub Youn Teyrey Bhooley Huwey Ghum Aatey Heiyn
Jaisey Bichhchhdey Huwey Kaabey Meiyn Sunnum Aatey Heiyn’
*Dil means Heart.
The heart to which Faiz is referring is that of the lover. This heart has been rendered desolate by the exile departure or going away of the Beloved.
Faiz likens the state or condition of his, the bereft Lover’s heart to the Holy Ka’abaa which has been emptied of its heretofore worshipped and adored icons images and statues. The coming again or return of nostalgic thoughts of the Beloved to the Lover’s desolate heart is likened by the poet to the imagined homecoming of the exiled icons idols and statues which used to be there to the Holy Ka’abaa.
A translation of Faiz’s verse could be:-
‘Thoughts and memories of You, O my one time Beloved and Lover, come back home to my desolate and empty wilderness of a heart ( and colour it with joy song music and dance) as if the idols icons and statues of the heathen gods of pre-Islamic Ka’abaa had staged a comeback from exile or a homecoming’
Faiz was a Marxist and a member of a self proclaimed and self conscious, ‘Progressive’ group of writers artists and intellectuals. He was part of the movement for change. He could be accused of indulging in innovation [biddat] which is severely looked upon by the orthodox. Faiz was part of an earlier tradition and we shall quote from earlier poets to show that nostalgia for the past, including even for the pre-Islamic period usually dismissed as the era of ignorance [Jahaalat] is a part of the tradition of Urdu poetry.
Lest this moving verse be dismissed as the innovation [biddat] of a self proclaimed Marxist ‘progressive’ we shall mine the golden vein of Urdu poetry in earlier centuries.
The 18th Century poet, ‘Saudaa’, [Mirza Muhammad Rafi] contemporary and rival of the great Mir Taqi ‘ Mir’ says
‘Humaarey Kufr* Kay Pehlou** Sey Deen*** Kee Raah Yaad Aawey
Sunnum**** Kehtey Heiyn Jiskoa Deykh Kar Allah Yaad Aawey’
*‘Kufr’ means ‘non-acceptance’. The Arabs who did not accept Islam were called ‘Kaafir’ non-believers or non-acceptors of the revelations.
**‘Pehlou’ means ‘ribcage’ ‘side’ ‘direction’ ‘style’ ‘mystery’ and, at a pinch, ‘subterfuge’.
*** ‘Deen’ means Faith or Belief Religion or Path.
**** ‘Sunnum’ means ‘Icon’, ‘Image’ ‘Statue’ ‘The Beloved’’ The Adored or Worshipped’
A translation would be ‘ my lack of belief or non-acceptance is in itself something which indicates the direction to the strait narrow and true path way of Belief, Religion or the true Faith : The icon statue or idol the yearned for and worshipped Beloved is thus named because its seeing or vision reminds one of Allah, the formless and the Almighty.
A third verse we can offer reads
‘Goe Waan Nuhein Pe Waan Kay Nikaalay Huwey Toa Heiyn
Ka’abey Sey In Butoan Koa Nisbet* Hey Door Sey’
*Nisbet means ‘relationship’ ‘connection’ ‘attraction’ and is used to refer to the engagement of a boy and a girl.
A translation would be ‘Although it cannot be said that they are from that place but everyone knows that they are exiles from it and used to belong there;
These icons idols and statues are related to and connected with the Holy Ka’abaa albeit from some distance in Time and Space.’
In this verse the word used for icon or idol is ‘But’ which is a corruption of the word Buddha. This brings us to the great Buddhas of Bamiyan which have been destroyed this March .
Alas! Alas! for the gentle colossi, the Buddhas of Bamiyaan. We hope the above will comfort some of those traumatized by the first great act of vandalism in the 21st century of the Christ.