Muslims from the Indian subcontinent organized several functions to mark the 136th birth anniversary of the great poet and philosopher Allama Dr. Muhammad Iqbal. He was born in Pakistan's Sialkot on 9 Nov. 1877, corresponding to 3 Dhul Qada 1294. He received primary education from his province of Punjab where he studied the Arabic and Persian languages apart from the language of Urdu. He then moved to Europe where he studied philosophy in Germany and law in Britain. He later returned to the then undivided India. He was appointed professor of philosophy at the Government College of Lahore. At the same time, he began practicing law at the courts in Lahore. The Pakistani community in Jeddah, represented by the Pakistan Repatriation Council, commemorated recently the birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal. A number of prominent Pakistani community leaders and some Saudi personalities attended the event. Some of them spoke while others recited poems about the life, activities and struggle of this multi-faceted personality who was a versatile poet, philosopher and politician, and who immensely influenced the political, cultural and literary life of the subcontinent. Allama Iqbal left behind a rich legacy of poems in the Urdu and Persian languages, and many people are still fond of reciting his poems and repeating his quotations. His poetry recalls his struggle and his ideas, the most important of which was the very name of Pakistan which was his brainchild. Allama Iqbal joined hands with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the struggle to liberate India from British colonial rule and establish an independent entity for Muslims in the subcontinent. He crystallized his dream by naming the entity Pakistan, which is an abbreviation of the letters of the Muslim majority provinces that the Muslim League leaders planned to be part of the new state of Pakistan. When commemorating the name of Allama Iqbal in the Arab world, people recall the popular song "Hadeeth Arrouh" (the talk of the soul), which was sung by the renowned Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, who took words of this song from Allama Iqbal's poem titled "Shikwa Jawabe Shikwa", which was translated into Arabic by the famous Egyptian poet Al-Sawi Shaalan. His translation was precise and excellent while Umm Kulthum improvised in a superb way while singing it. The song, which highlights the significance of spiritual life, begins with a description of the soul and its influence on hearts. It then deals with true belief, saying that nobody can feel safe without it, and even this world is not a worthy one for one who fails to lead a religious life. The song also underscores the meaninglessness of the material world without a spiritual one, and stresses the significance of supplicating to God as well as praising the Almighty Allah's glory and majesty. There is a reference to the old Hejaz province where the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah are situated. There are also references to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the song. In most of his poems, Allama Iqbal frequently referred to the Prophet (pbuh) when he spoke about individuals and to Hejaz when he mentioned particular places. Allama Iqbal was acclaimed for his determination, self-esteem and ambitions that had no borders. It was reported that Iqbal's father used to say to him while he was a child: “You must learn Qur'an after visualizing as if it was revealed to you. In another words, you have to study the Holy Book in depth through understanding its rules, implications and underlying meanings.” Such an understanding helped him tremendously to become a great champion of Muslims and enabled him to motivate them to seek progress and always be ambitious to attain glory. It was reported about Allama Iqbal that he used to pray thus: "Oh God, give me the strength to say no; give me the intelligence to know how to say it, and give me the ability to know when to say it.” Let me quote from his famous words: “The ultimate objective of human activities is to live a glorious life,” and “education is the acid that dissolves the personality and then remoulds it.” Allama Iqbal was widely known as the “Poet of the East.” Several other titles are also attributed to him, such as the “Poet of Islam,” and the “Thinker of Pakistan.” He authored more than 20 books that dealt with a wide variety of subjects, such as economics, politics, education, ideology and philosophy. A large number of Europeans were highly impressed by his poetry and style of presentation. They included Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator and leader of the fascists, who extended an invitation to Allama Iqbal to visit Italy. Accepting this invitation, he visited Italy after attending the round table conference in London. Iqbal met Mussolini and delivered a lecture in Rome in which he elucidated the difference between European and Communist culture and Islamic culture. He also paid a visit to Spain where he read his poetry in Cordova, and then visited Palestine. He used to say: “It is a must for every Muslim to take a pledge to save Jerusalem.” The great poet cum philosopher Allama Iqbal died on 21 April 1938. The entire Indian subcontinent mourned his demise and people throughout the country were grief-stricken. When the news of his death spread, government offices closed and commercial shops shuttered. India's Hindu and Muslim leaders expressed their condolences over the death of this great personality. The Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore said in his condolence message: “The death of Iqbal left a great void in our literature, and this deep wound can be healed only with the passage of a long period of time. The death of the internationally acclaimed poet is a calamity that is beyond the capacity of India to bear.” May Allah forgive Allama Iqbal and accommodate him in His Paradise.
– Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
