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| Image credit: TANK RAIDER, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
Sir Muhammad Iqbal was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, and politician whose poetry in the Urdu language is considered among the greatest of the twentieth century.
Born and raised in Sialkot, Punjab, Iqbal completed his B.A. and M.A. degrees at the Government College Lahore and taught Arabic at the Oriental College, Lahore from 1899 until 1903. He wrote prolifically during this time and is best known for his poetic works.
Iqbal was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilization across the world, but especially in South Asia. He was elected to the Punjab Legislative Council in 1927 and held several positions in the All-India Muslim League.
Background
Iqbal was born in a Punjabi-speaking Kashmiri family from Sialkot in the Punjab Province of British India (now in Pakistan). He often mentioned and commemorated his Kashmiri lineage in his writings.
Iqbal's father was a tailor, and his mother was a polite and humble woman who helped the poor and her neighbors with their problems.
Early education
Iqbal was four years old when he was sent to a mosque to receive instruction in reading the Qur'an. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree from Government College University in Sialkot.
Marriages
Iqbal married four times under different circumstances, the first time to Karim Bibi, who had a sister who was the mother of Khwaja Khurshid Anwar. They had two children, Miraj Begum and Aftab Iqbal.
Iqbal's first marriage ended in divorce, and he continued to financially support Karim Bibi till his death. His second marriage ended in divorce, and his third marriage ended in death.
Higher education in Europe
Iqbal was influenced by Sir Thomas Arnold to pursue higher education in the West, and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1907. He would later meet Hans-Hasso von Veltheim, who would later visit Iqbal the day before Iqbal died.
Iqbal had a close friendship with the writer Atiya Fyzee in both Britain and Germany and mastered German in three months. He began writing poetry in Persian during his study in Europe.
Academic career
Iqbal began his career as a reader of Arabic at Oriental College, became a junior professor of philosophy at Government College Lahore, and later became the general secretary of Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam. He was profoundly influenced by Western philosophers such as Nietzsche, Bergson, and Goethe.
Iqbal was strongly influenced by Rumi's poetry and philosophy, and his works focus on reminding his readers of the past glories of Islamic civilization and delivering the message of a pure, spiritual focus on Islam.
Final years and death
After returning from Spain and Afghanistan, Iqbal suffered from a mysterious throat illness, spent his final years helping to establish the Dar ul Islam Trust Institute, and advocated for an independent Muslim state. He died in Lahore on 21 April 1938.
Political
Iqbal first became interested in national affairs in his youth and was made one of the first three joint secretaries of the Punjab Muslim League by Mian Muhammad Shafi. He was disappointed with the Muslim League when it became absorbed in factional divides between the pro-British group led by Shafi and the centrist group led by Jinnah.
Iqbal contested the election for a seat in the Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1926 and defeated his opponent by 3,177 votes. He worked with Aga Khan and other Muslim leaders to mend the factional divisions.
Iqbal, Jinnah and the concept of Pakistan
Iqbal was ideologically separated from Congress Muslim leaders and disillusioned with the politicians of the Muslim League. He believed that only Jinnah was a political leader capable of preserving unity and fulfilling the League's objectives.
In 1930, Iqbal espoused the idea of Muslim-majority provinces, and in 1940, Jinnah officially embraced the goal of Pakistan. Iqbal's correspondence with Jinnah is speculated to have been responsible for Jinnah's embrace of the idea of Pakistan.
Iqbal criticized Jinnah's political actions, including an agreement with Sikandar Hyat Khan, but encouraged Muslim leaders and masses to support Jinnah.
Madani–Iqbal debate
Iqbal and Hussain Ahmed Madani held a famous debate on the question of nationalism in the late 1930s. Madani insisted on a religiously defined, homogeneous Muslim society, while Iqbal insisted on a culturally plural, secular democracy.
Revival of Islamic policy
Iqbal's six English lectures were published in 1930 and 1934, and dwell on the role of Islam as a religion and as a political and legal philosophy in the modern age. They express fears that secularism will weaken the spiritual foundations of Islam and Muslim society.
Iqbal was elected president of the Muslim League in 1930 and 1932 and outlined a vision for an independent state.
Iqbal emphasized that Islam comes with legal concepts with "civic significance", and that blending the Muslim population into a wider society not based on Islamic principles is undesirable. He rejected secularism and nationalism, but would not specify if his ideal Islamic state would be a theocracy.
Iqbal's political activity was concentrated on rallying Muslims across India as a single political entity. He criticized feudal classes in Punjab as well as Muslim politicians opposed to the League.
Patron of Tolu-e-Islam
Iqbal wanted a journal to propagate his ideas and the aims of the All-India Muslim League. Syed Nazeer Niazi initiated and edited the journal, which would later play an important role in the Pakistan movement.
Persian
Iqbal's poetic works are written primarily in Persian rather than Urdu, and his first collection of poetry, the Asrar-i-Khudi, is considered to be his finest poetic work. It emphasizes the spirit and self from a religious perspective and condemns self-destruction.
Iqbal's Rumuz-i-Bekhudi is a collection of poems on the ideal community, Islamic ethical and social principles, and the relationship between the individual and society. It complements the emphasis on the self in Asrar-e-Khudi.
Iqbal's 1924 publication, The Message of the East, is closely connected to the West-östlicher Diwan by the German poet Goethe. It includes the poems "Gulshan-e-Raz-e-Jadeed" and "Bandagi Nama", which denounce slavery and attempt to explain the spirit behind the fine arts of enslaved societies.
Iqbal's 1932 work, the Javed Nama, is named after and addressed to his son Javed and includes the poem "Musafir" (The Traveller), in which the Pashtun people are counseled to learn the "secret of Islam" and to "build up the self" within themselves.
Urdu
Muhammad Iqbal's The Call of the Marching Bell is a collection of Urdu poetry written in three distinct phases of his life. It includes the patriotic "Saare Jahan se Accha" and poems on the historical and cultural heritage of Islam.
After 1930, Iqbal's works were mainly in Urdu and focused on Islam and Muslim spiritual and political reawakening. His most famous work, Bal-e-Jibril, was inspired by his visit to Spain. Allama Iqbal's political manifesto Zarb-i-Kalim was published in 1936, and his final work Armughan-e-Hijaz was published posthumously in 1938. It contains quatrains in Persian and some poems and epigrams in Urdu.
English
Iqbal wrote two books and many letters, in which he revealed his thoughts regarding Persian ideology and Islamic Sufism. He also discussed philosophy, God and the meaning of prayer, the human spirit, and Muslim culture.
"Poet of the East"
Iqbal has been referred to as the "Poet of the East" by academics, institutions, and the media, but he is also a universal poet.
Iran
Iqbal's Asrare-i-Khudi and Bal-i-Jibreel are particularly popular in Iran, and many scholars have recognized the importance of Iqbal's poetry in inspiring and sustaining the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
Iqbal was a non-Persian-speaking poet who spoke Urdu at home and talked to his friends in Urdu or English. He cast with great mastery the most delicate, most subtle, and radically new philosophical themes into the mold of Persian poetry.
By the early 1950s, Iqbal was known among the intelligentsia of Iran. Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq broadcast a special radio message on Iqbal Day and praised his role in the struggle of the Indian Muslims against British imperialism.
Iqbal became popular in Iran in the 1970s and inspired many intellectuals, including Ali Shariati, Mehdi Bazargan and Abdulkarim Soroush.
Khamenei, Shariati, and Soroush were influential Iranian thinkers who were influenced by Iqbal's poetry. Khamenei stated that Iran was "exactly following the path that was shown to us by Iqbal".
Arab World
Iqbal has an audience in the Arab world, and among his modern admirers are influential literary figures such as Farouk Shousha.
The West
Others, including Wilfred Cantwell Smith, stated that Iqbal was anti-intellectual because he believed that capitalism fosters intellect, but critics noted that Iqbal was raised and educated in the European way of life.
Legacy
Iqbal is regarded as the ideological founder of Pakistan and is the namesake of many public institutions, including the Allama Iqbal Campus Punjab University in Lahore, the Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, and the Allama Iqbal Open University in Pakistan.
The Government of Madhya Pradesh in India awards the Iqbal Samman to Indian writers for their contributions to Urdu literature and poetry. The Pakistani government has sponsored the establishment of educational institutions, colleges, and schools dedicated to Iqbal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
When was Allama Iqbal died?
He was died on 21 April 1938 at the age of 60 in Lahore, Punjab, British India but now in Punjab, Pakistan
Where is the tomb of Allama Iqbal?
The tomb of Allama Iqbal is located at outside the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Punjab in Pakistan.