1.

Religion:
"The Waste Land" portrays a modern world that has lost its connection to traditional religious
beliefs and is replaced by a sense of emptiness and despair. The famous opening lines, "April
is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land," suggest a world in which
nature has lost its vitality and meaning, leaving people feeling lost and disconnected.

This religious disconnectivity and deep nihilism can also be traced in modern urdu poetry of
21st century. But before indulging modern urdu poetry, lets see how classic urdu poetry of
early 20th century was dealing with the theme of religion and God.

In the 20th century, religion was a central theme in Urdu poetry. Many poets of that era
turned to Islamic teachings and mysticism to create their poetic works. These poets believed
in God and saw Him as the ultimate source of guidance and meaning in life.

One of the most prominent poets of this era was Allama Iqbal, who is often referred to as the
"Poet of the East". Iqbal's poetry was heavily influenced by his deep faith on religion and
God. He believed that the purpose of human existence was to seek knowledge and
understanding of God, and he saw poetry as a means of achieving this goal.
Iqbal borrowed the concept of khudi from Nietzsche's idea of the Ubermensch or the
superman, but he transformed it into a more spiritual concept. So, Nietzshe’s Ubermensch
who was ging to born after the death of god changed into a man who is a naib of God on this earth.
Iqbal addresses Nietzsche in one of his Ghazal like this

‫گر ہوتا وہ مجذوبِ فرنگی اس زمانے میں‬

‫تو اقبال اس کو سمجھاتا مقامِ کبریا کیا ہے‬

‫خودی کو کر بلند اتنا کہ ہر تقدیر سے پہلے‬

‫خدا بندے سے خود پوچھے بتا تیری رضا کیا ہے‬

He believed that every individual has the potential to become a "naib" or representative of
God on this earth, and that it is our duty to strive towards this goal.

In contrast to the nihilistic themes of 20th century English poetry, Urdu poetry of that era can
be seen as a counter-attack, promoting the idea of spirituality and the importance of religion
in one's life.
However, in the late 20th and early 21st century, we see a shift in Urdu poetry where some
poets started to question the role of religion in our lives. Contemporary Urdu poets such as
noon meem Rashid, Jaun Elia and Ateef Toqeer took a critical stance towards organized
religion and beliefs.

For example following verses from Rashid poetry are feeling like the direct translation of
Nietzsche’s quote “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”

‫خدا کا جنازہ لیے جا رہے ہیں فرشتے‬

 ‫اسی ساحر بے نشاں کا‬

‫جو مغرب کا آقا تھا مشرق کا آقا نہیں تھا‬

This shift in Urdu poetry towards the questioning of traditional beliefs can be seen as a
reaction to the changing social and political environment of the world.
This pessimism and nihilism can also be seen in Ateef Tuqeer poetry and make us amazed
that how urdu poetry shifted from

So optimistic urdu poetry of 20th century changed from an optimism and surety of God
existence to denial and nihilism.
We shifted from
‫خودی کو کر بلند اتنا کہ ہر تقدیر سے پہلے‬
‫خدا بندے سے خود پوچھے بتا تیری رضا کیا ہے‬
To

‫وجود عشق کا کوئی سرا مال؟ نہیں مال‬

‫ خدا مال؟ نہیں مال‬,‫خودی ملی؟ نہیں ملی‬

‫تمھیں ہماری روح کے نشاں ملے؟ نہیں ملے‬

‫ہمیں تمھارے جسم کا پتہ مال؟ نہیں مال‬

‫یہ عہد رد کا عہد ہے! سو رسم مسترد ہوئی‬

‫🖤🙏مسیح وقت دار پر کھڑا مال؟ نہیں مال۔۔۔۔‬

‫ خدا مال؟ نہیں مال‬,‫خودی ملی؟ نہیں ملی‬

Which suggest a sense of futility and frustration in the search for meaning and purpose in
life.