Draft:Muhammad Iqbal
| Muhammad Iqbal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Muhammad Iqbal |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | Sialkot, Punjab, British Raj (present-day Pakistan) |
Muhammad Iqbal Lahori, also known as Allama Iqbal (November 9, 1877, Sialkot – April 21, 1938, Lahore), was a poet advocating unity throughout the Muslim world. He was also a philosopher, politician, and Muslim thinker from Pakistan, leaving behind a vast corpus of poetry in both Persian and Urdu. Iqbal was the first to propose the idea of an independent nation for the Muslims of India, a vision that ultimately led to the creation of Pakistan. He is revered as the "National Poet" of Pakistan. [1]
Biography
Muhammad Iqbal was born in 1294 AH in the city of Sialkot, located in what is now western Pakistan. At the age of four, he began his studies under Maulana Ghulam Hassan and started learning the Holy Quran in a mosque. After some time, he commenced studying Urdu, Persian, and Arabic literature [2]. This period of study lasted three years, reflecting Iqbal's intelligence and aptitude. Following these initial studies, his father enrolled him in the Scottish Mission School. In 1895 CE, Iqbal gained admission to Government College Lahore [3]. While studying philosophy and English at Government College, he simultaneously pursued Arabic language and literature at the Oriental College, which was then housed within the Government College building. In 1896 CE, Iqbal obtained his Bachelor's degree with honors in Arabic and English. Due to his keen interest in philosophy, he enrolled in a Master's program in the same field [4]. In 1904 CE, he left Lahore for England. After completing his PhD in Philosophy at the University of Munich and obtaining a law degree from the University of London, Iqbal returned to his homeland in July 1908.
Thoughts on Approximation and Unity
Unity among Muslims worldwide was one of Iqbal's greatest aspirations, and this unifying thought occupies a significant place in his poetry. In his view, the factor uniting Muslims is Islam itself, particularly its two fundamental principles: the Oneness of God and the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He regarded monotheism (Tawhid) as the spiritual secret behind the unity of the Muslim Ummah: In the world of quality and quantity, intellect prevailed / For the people of truth, the secret of Tawhid is supreme. The white nation has no body or soul but 'La ilaha' / 'La ilaha' is the capital of our mysteries. Our instrument's curtain-turner is 'La ilaha' / Its thread is the binding of our thoughts. [5]
The Prophet of Islam (PBUH) in Iqbal's Poetry
Iqbal considered the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) the tangible symbol of Islamic unity: His love is the capital of unity / Love resides in the soul, lineage in the body. His Ummah, like him, is the light of God / Like blood flowing through the veins of the nation. [6] According to Iqbal, the bond among Muslims is not based on lineage; rather, the secret of their connection is that "Beloved of Hejaz": Our bond is not from Rome or Arab / Our hearts are attached to the Beloved of Hejaz. The thread of our birth from him is sufficient / One must transcend love of lineage. Our connection is not bound by lineage / Therefore, we are united with one another. The ecstasy of his wine is enough for our eyes / One must transcend both Iran and Arab. [7].
Division in Iqbal's Poetry
In Iqbal's view, what pains the heart of the Prophet of Islam is the division within the Islamic Ummah: You were one Ummah, now you have become many nations / Whoever is freed from the bonds of selfhood is a true man. What you have done to yourselves, no one else has done / You have scattered your own gathering. Whoever allies with strangers meets their end / The pure spirit of Mustafa is grieved. [8]
Islam as the Factor of Ummah's Unity
According to Iqbal, Islam is not tied to any specific land or country; it gathers believers from conflicting races together. [9] This unifying ideology, transcending geographical borders, is emphasized throughout Iqbal's diwan: O child, discipline your nature / Born a Muslim, abandon lineage. If the Arab boasts of red color, blood, veins, and skin / Then, O Turk, abandon the Arab. We are neither Afghan, nor Turk, nor Tatar / We are born of the same garden, from the same branch. [10] The foundation of Iqbal's thought is that Islam has no ultimate location or geographical limits: Our heart belongs neither to Hind, nor Sham, nor Rum / Its homeland's border is nothing but Islam. [11] Comparing Muslims to a hundred-petaled rose, he considers them members of a single community, despite apparent differences: Like our hundred-petaled rose, our scent is one / Its unity is direct amidst multiplicity. [12] Furthermore, Sayyid Jamal al-Din's new interpretation of the Hadith and Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) greatly influenced Iqbal's thoughts. Iqbal held Sayyid Jamal in high esteem for spreading social thought based on Islam. He believed that had Sayyid Jamal concentrated his tireless energy without dispersion, and had there been a foundation for genuine cohesion and unity among Islamic countries, the condition of Islamic societies would undoubtedly be far better than it is today. [13]
Iqbal and Nationalism as a Cause of Division
In the thought of Allama Iqbal Lahori, nationalism is among the concepts propagated by Westerners and colonialists among Eastern nations, particularly Muslims.[14] Thus, patriotism and nationalism constitute a significant and prominent factor causing division among Muslims:
If you possess the discernment to distinguish good from evil,
Do not bind your heart to clods, stones, and bricks.
That handful of soil which you have named "homeland",
Which you call Egypt, Iran, or Yemen—
There exists a bond between a people and their homeland,
For from its soil arises a nation.
Though the sun rises from the East,
With radiant and unveiled manifestations.[15]
As Iqbal Lahori maintains, the tribulations of the Islamic world commenced with the severance of unity:
When the people lost the thread of unity,
We became scattered across the world like stars.
What you inflicted upon yourselves, none other did;
A hundred knots have fallen upon our affairs.[16]
Islamic Awakening in the Thought of Iqbal Lahori
The poetry of Iqbal Lahori expresses his heartfelt aspirations to achieve a grand objective: namely, attaining Islamic awakening and profound awareness among Muslims. He lamented, through his poignant verses, that Islamic societies had fallen into lethargy and weakness, and that their youth had become infatuated with the West. Through his cries for freedom, he strove to sensitize and awaken the Muslim Ummah, despite all racial and linguistic differences, to the conditions of the times:
O slumbering bud, arise like a watchful narcissus!
Our abode has been plundered by sorrows; arise!
Arise from the lament of the dawn bird, from the call of the Adhan!
Arise from the warmth of the tumult of fiery breaths!
Arise from this deep, deep slumber!
The East is merely like dust upon the path,
A silent moan, a sigh devoid of effect.
Every particle of this soil bears a knotted gaze;
Arise from India, Samarkand, Iraq, and Hamadan!
Arise from this deep, deep slumber![17]
Iqbal considers the first step toward the awakening of Muslims to be the purification of their thoughts from foreign ideologies:
Until I bring the night of Eastern thoughts to day,
Until Eastern thought is liberated from the West.
When a people's intellect becomes corrupted,
The sound heart within their breast perishes.
The wave diminishes in height from its sea;
Thus, the purification of thought must come first.[18]
Colonialism as the Cause of Muslim Misery
He regards Western countries and colonialism as the source of Muslim misery and strives with all his capacity to awaken and enlighten Muslim societies:
Humanity lamented in humiliation before the West;
A wolf concealed within the skin of a lamb.
The difficulties of humankind stem from it;
European law is nothing but endless dispute and clamor.
Life has been dismantled by the West;
At every moment, it lies in ambush for a lamb.[19]
The Importance of Knowing the Enemy
Iqbal's desire is that Muslims thoroughly recognize their enemies:
I sacrifice myself for him who has recognized himself;
The Westerners possess sorcerous methods.
He has rightly assessed the present age;
To rely on anyone other than oneself is infidelity.[20]
In the introduction to Payam-i Mashriq (Message of the East), Iqbal writes: "The land of the East, and particularly the Muslim East, has opened its eyes after a long slumber."[21] Referring to the awakening of Muslims, he advocates transformation and revolution within Islamic societies.
Return to the Quran as the Path to Salvation
He regarded this transformation as the way and method of Islam, the essential requirement of which is placing the Holy Quran at the core of individual and social life for Muslims:
Once the imprint of the Quran settled upon this world,
I openly declare what lies hidden in the heart.
When it enters the soul, the soul becomes anew;
The schemes of the sorcerer and the Pope are shattered.
This is not merely a book; it is something else entirely;
When the soul becomes anew, the world becomes anew.[22]
Works
Numerous works remain as the legacy of Allama Iqbal, including: Asrar-i Khudi (Secrets of the Self), Rumuz-i Bekhudi (Mysteries of Selflessness), Payam-i Mashriq (Message of the East), Javid Nama (Book of Eternity), Zabur-i Ajam (Persian Psalms) [in Persian], Bang-i Dara (Call of the Caravan Bell) [in Urdu], Musafir (The Traveler), Bal-i Jibril (Gabriel's Wing), Pas Cheh Bayad Kard Ay Aqwam-i Sharq (So What Should Be Done, O Peoples of the East?), and others.
Death
Iqbal Lahori passed away at dawn on April 21, 1938, and was buried beside the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore.
Footnotes
References
1. The Holy Quran.
2. Abul-Futuh Razi, Tafsir Abul-Futuh Razi, Mashhad, Islamic Research Foundation of Astan Quds Razavi, 1408 AH.
3. Iqbal Lahori, Muhammad, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, translated by Ahmad Aram, Tehran, Center for Publication and Islamic Studies, 1346 SH.
4. Ibid., Complete Works of Iqbal Lahori, Tehran, Sana'i Publications, 2nd edition, 1366 SH.
5. Iqbal, Javid, Life and Thoughts of Allama Iqbal Lahori, translated by Shahindokht Kamran-Moghadam, Mashhad, Islamic Research Foundation of Astan Quds Razavi, 2nd edition, 1372 SH.
- ↑ The Sayings of Rumi and Iqbal, p9
- ↑ Iqbal, 1993 SH, Vol. 1, p. 82
- ↑ Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 115
- ↑ Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 118
- ↑ Iqbal Lahori, 1987 SH, p. 63
- ↑ Ibid., p. 110
- ↑ (Ibid.)
- ↑ Ibid., p. 480
- ↑ Iqbal Lahori, 1967 SH, p. 191
- ↑ Iqbal Lahori, 1987 SH, p. 203
- ↑ Ibid., p. 76
- ↑ Ibid., p. 16
- ↑ Iqbal Lahori, 1967 SH, p. 97
- ↑ Iqbal, 1372 SH, vol. 2, p. 181
- ↑ Iqbal Lahori, 1366 SH, p. 305
- ↑ Ibid., p. 408
- ↑ Iqbal, 1372 SH, vol. 2, p. 140
- ↑ Ibid., p. 390
- ↑ Iqbal Lahori, 1366 SH, p. 409
- ↑ Ibid., p. 370
- ↑ Iqbal, 1372 SH, vol. 2, p. 260
- ↑ Iqbal Lahori, 1366 SH, p. 317