By Dr. Maqsood Jafri
Labour Day, observed on May 1, commemorates the historic struggle of workers for fair hours, wages, and dignity. Its roots lie in the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago, where workers rallied for an 8-hour workday. When a peaceful protest turned violent, several labor leaders were executed. In 1889, the Second International Labor Day was declared May 1 as International Workers’ Day to honor their sacrifice. Today, over 80 countries observe it as a public holiday.
Labour Day is not just a holiday. It is a reminder that every brick in a city, every field harvested, every machine run, rests on human hands. It affirms three truths:
First; Dignity: No work is menial if done honestly.
Second; Rights: Fair wages, safe conditions, and rest are not favors — they are rights.
Third; Solidarity: Progress of a nation is tied to the welfare of its workers. The poverty stricken society of Europe and the exploitation of the poor people can be read in the novel of Charles Dickens titled “ Great Expectations”.
Islamic Perspective on Labor is quite clear. Fourteen centuries before modern labor movements, Islam enshrined the worker’s honor. The Prophet Hazrat Muhammad ( PBUH) said: “Pay the laborer his wages before his sweat dries.” (Ibn Majah).
He kissed the calloused hand of a worker and declared: “This is a hand that Allah and His Messenger love.”
The Qur’an links work to worship: “And say: Work, and Allah will see your work.” (9:105).
Islam condemns : “ Woe to those who give less than due” (83:1).
Adam was a farmer, David was a blacksmith, and the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad a shepherd and merchant. Labor is prophetic. So many prophets are mentioned in history who were shepherds.
Allama Iqbal gave voice to the worker’s pain and dignity. In Shikwa he wrote:
تُو قادرو عادل ہے مگر تیرے جہاں میں
ہیں تلخ بہت بندۂ مزدور کے اوقات
“You are All-Powerful and Just, yet in Your world,
The days of the laborer are exceedingly bitter”.
And in Persian he had said:
خواجہ از خونِ رگِ مزدور سازد لعلِ ناب از جفاۓ دہخدایان کشتِ دہقاناں خراب
انقلاب، انقلاب ، اے انقلاب
“The capitalist fashions rubies from the lifeblood of the laborer.
Through the tyranny of landlord, the farmer’s crops are ruined.
Revolution, Revolution, O; Revolution”.
For Allama Iqbal, true revolution was not godless class war as Lenin and Mao did, but a moral and social revolution where Khudi( Egohood) awakens and justice replaces exploitation. His Mard-e-Momin earns through labor and spends for God.
In 2026, Labour Day still matters. From factory workers in Karachi to gig workers in Islamabad, from farmers to coders, exploitation has new forms: wage theft, unsafe sites, unpaid overtime, and denial of social security. Labour Day asks us: Has the “idol-house” Iqbal spoke of been demolished ,or just repainted?
How to Honor It:
As employers: Pay on time, ensure safety, listen to workers.
As citizens: Buy ethically, respect domestic workers, support unions that fight peacefully for rights.
As a state: Enforce labor laws, minimum wage, and workplace safety.
Labour Day is a pledge. A society that dishonors its laborers dishonors itself. As Iqbal reminded us, a nation’s Shaheen cannot soar if the hands that feed it remain in chains.
Revolution, revolution — O Revolution! — but a revolution of justice, dignity, and Tawheed.
Very briefly, I would like to mention the role of some great poets of English and Urdu who gave the clarion call for social justice and political freedom. In English literature, Shelley is known as a poet of revolution for his intense passion for social justice. He is considered the most revolutionary and is known for his visionary ideas and challenging of established authorities. His poem” To a Skylark”, is one of the most famous poems of English literature. This poem depicts his deep passion for social change. Lord Byron is also well known for his quest for political satire. He is called the Rebel Poet and is recognized for his rebellious nature. His works include “ Don Juan”, and “ Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”, which are the voices of his pensive heart questing for liberty. Besides, we find revolutionary ideas in the poetry of William Wordsworth, Browning and William Blake.
In Urdu poetry, we find the potent voices of revolution such as Dr. Allama Iqbal, Josh, Faiz, Ihsan Danish, Habib Jalib and Ahmed Faraz.
This was the blood of the martyrs of Chicago, that emerged in the form of tulips and the radiance of this blood brightened the dark alleys of life. The people in Europe raised a voice for the reforms and eventually, the capitalism received big jolts. The capitalists had to surrender and labor laws were made. Karl Marx wrote “ Das Capital” and laid the foundations of Scientific socialism. To date, we find welfare states in Europe and in Scandinavian countries, it is all because of the blood of the martyrs of Chicago. We salute them and take them as the beacons of light and liberty in the dark and dreary ways of life. The world wants the obliteration of feudalism and capitalism. Even today, we need strenuous struggle to wipe out the vestiges of capitalism and need the establishment of welfare states. Mao had rightly said: “ Workers rise up and fight capitalism; you have nothing to lose except chains”.
May First 2026
Islamabad
