Maulana Sahib in Zakir's thoughts

Zakir may not be his father, but it is hard to ignore the fact that he remembers his father’s words throughout the narrative, and can feel their presence when he is trying to make sense of the turbulent times he lives in. Sometimes, it seems as if Zakir is like the Maulana Sahib in more ways than we, as readers, would like to think. I would go so far as to argue that Zakir’s conception of history, as it unfolds trance-like in the novel, is strongly influenced by his father’s religious beliefs, or, at the very least, runs parallel to them. Zakir’s encounter with Anisa is very telling in this regard. When she asks him to explain to her why Imperial has declined over the years, he gives her a lesson on Zawal instead. Her reply is amusing: “Ye to tum qaumon ke zawal ki baat karne lage ho. Mein Imperial ki baat kar rahee thee” But it is important, because it shows how Zakir thinks about progress in general. Interestingly, Abba Jan holds similar views. He is a sad man. Just before he dies, he says to Zakir and his mother: “…jab hee to Rabia Basry ne aisa jawaab dia tha. Kisi ne poocha ke aap ne duniya mein aa kar kya kia? Farmaia, afsos!” Even though he is a religious man who finds comfort in Islam in times of trouble, the Maulana Sahib is unable to account for everything. Khvajah Sahib, after the death of Zakir’s father, tells our protagonist: “Waise to Pakistan par waliyon ka saaya hai, par kabhi kabhi dar lagta hai. Pakistan pe koi aanch to nahin aae gi?...Kaka, yahi sawaal mein ne Maulana Sahib se kia tha. Har sawal ka jawab woh Ayat Hadith se detay they. Is sawaal pe chup ho gaye. Aise chup hue ke phir hamesha ke liye chup ho gaye” In my opinion, both father and son hold a very similar worldview. Zakir’s critique of society, Muslim society in particular, is analogous to his father beliefs pertaining to decline in morality of Muslim men and women (“Halaat ke behtar hone se kuch nahin hota. Amaal behtar hone chahiyen”). In my opinion, it is too much of a coincidence that Zakir seems to be echoing his father’s beliefs in different settings. There has to be a link between the two.