Allama Iqbal

Muhammad Iqbal (Urdu, Arabic: محمد اقبال ) (November 9, 1877–April 21, 1938), was a philosopher, scholar, poet, lawyer, politician, and reformer who worked for the unity of Muslims of the world, and was the spiritual founder of Pakistan.1

He produced philosophical works in Urdu, Persian, and English, which have also been translated into many other languages. Along with his other works, his book, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, which is a compilation of his lectures in English, has been an important contribution to the Islamic philosophy in the twentieth century.

As a forerunner of the Pakistan Movement, he headed the All-India Muslim League in early 1930s and called upon Muhammad Ali Jinnah to lead the Indian Muslims towards the formation of a Muslim state. He never saw Pakistan being created as he died nine years before its creation. He is, commonly, called Allama Iqbal (Allama: "Scholar"), and is also known as Muffakir-e-Pakistan ("The Thinker of Pakistan"), Hakeem-ul-Ummat ("The Sage of Ummah"), and Shair-i-Mashriq ("The Poet of the East"). His birthday is commemorated each year in Pakistan as "Iqbal Day", and is a national holiday.

Early Years
Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot. His father, Shaikh Nur Muhammad (d. 1930, Sialkot), was a tailor in Sialkot, whose devotion to Islam, especially, its mystical aspects, gained him respect among his Sufi peers and other associates. His wife, Imam Bibi (d. 1914, Sialkot), was also a devout Muslim. The couple instilled a deep religious consciousness in all their five children. According to most historians, Sahaj Ram Sapru (who converted to Islam and became Shaikh Muhammad Rafiq), a Brahmin official in the State of Kashmir during the administration of the Afghan Governor, Azim Khan, was Iqbal's grandfather; the link has never been positively confirmed, however. The known siblings of Iqbal include: an elder brother, Shaikh Ata Muhammad (d. 1940, Sialkot), and four sisters, Taleb Bibi (d. 1902, Sialkot), Karim Bibi (d. 1958, Sialkot), Fatima Bibi (d. Sialkot), and Zainab Bibi (d. Sialkot).

Iqbal completed his initial education in Sialkot. His potential as a poet was first recognized by one of his early teachers, Syed Mir Hasan. Iqbal did his matriculation from the Scotch Mission School, Sialkot in 1892 and studied Liberal Arts at the Scotch Mission College (Murray College), Sialkot from where he passed his intermediate examination in 1895.

It was also in 1892 that Iqbal was married to Karim Bibi (d. 1946, Lahore), the daughter of an affluent Gujarati physician. They had three children: a daughter, Mi'raj Begam (d. 1914), was born to Karim Bibi in 1895; a son, Aftab Iqbal (d. 1979, Karachi), was born in 1899 (this son also studied abroad and became a lawyer but they were no longer on speaking terms in his later life); another son, born to Karim Bibi, died soon after birth in 1901. The couple separated in 1916, but Iqbal provided financial support to Karim Bibi until he died in 1938.

In 1895, after completing his studies at the Scotch Mission School, and Murray College, Sialkot, Iqbal studied Philosophy and Arabic and English Literature at Government College, Lahore, from where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1897. He was an excellent student, graduating cum laude and winning a gold medal for being the only candidate who passed the final examination (in second division, stood first in Arabic Literature). Meanwhile, he continued writing poetry. Iqbal then studied Philosophy at Government College, Lahore, from where he received his Master of Arts Degree (in third division) in 1899. He received a gold medal as he was the only succesful candidate in Philosophy. By this time, he had, already, begun to make his mark in the literary circles of Lahore.

While studying for his Master of Arts Degree, Iqbal became acquainted with a figure who was to have a strong influence on his intellectual development. Sir Thomas Arnold, a scholar of modern philosophy, became a bridge between the East and the West for Iqbal. It was Thomas Arnold who inspired him to pursue higher studies in Europe after his Master of Arts Degree. Another notable influence on him was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. In 1899, Iqbal was appointed a Reader in Arabic, Oriental College, Lahore. In 1903, he become an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and English Literature at Government College, Lahore.

Pakistan Movement
Although his main interests were largely scholastic, Iqbal could not remain unconcerned with the political situation of his country and the political fortunes of the Muslim population of British India. Mohammad Ali (Jauhar) had died in January 1931 and Muhammad Ali Jinnah had moved to London, the responsibility of providing a proper leadership to the British Indian Muslims, naturally, fell on him. He had to assume this responsibility till Muhammad Ali Jinnah returned to British India in 1935.

In 1931 and 1932 he represented the Muslim population of British India in the Round Table Conferences held in England to discuss the issue of the political future of India. Ealier, in a 1930 lecture, Iqbal suggested the creation of a separate state for the Muslims of India. Although Iqbal died in 1938, nine years before the formation of Pakistan in 1947, it was his ideas that have been the main force behind the creation of Pakistan.

Vision of a Muslim State

1930 Allahabad AddressOn December 29, 1930, in his Presidential Address to the 25th Session of the All-India Muslim League in Allahabad, he presented the idea of a separate state for the Indian Muslims which was, ultimately, realised in the form of Pakistan.

"I would like to see the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sind and Baluchistan amalgamated into a single state. Self-Government within the British Empire, or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim State appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of North-West India." 2
On March 21, 1932, Allama Iqbal delivered the Presidential Address in Lahore at the annual session of the All-India Muslim Conference. In that address, too, he stressed his view regarding Muslim nationalism in India and commented on the plight of the Muslims under the circumstances prevailing in British India.

Passing the Torch to Jinnah

Iqbal, who called upon Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to lead the Muslims of India to their cherished goal wrote to him:

"I know you are a busy man but I do hope you won't mind my writing to you often, as you are the only Muslim in India today to whom the community has right to look up for safe guidance through the storm which is coming to North-West India and, perhaps, to the whole of India." 3
Similar sentiments were expressed by him about three months before his death. Syed Nazir Niazi, in his book Iqbal Ke Huzur, has stated that the future of the British Indian Muslims was being discussed and a tenor of pessimism was visible from what his friends said. At this Iqbal observed:

"There is only one way out. Muslims should strengthen Jinnah's hands. They should join the Muslim League. Indian question, as is now being solved, can be countered by our united front against both the Hindus and the English. Without it, our demands are not going to be accepted. People say our demands smack of communalism. This is sheer propaganda. These demands relate to the defence of our national existence. ... The united front can be formed under the leadership of the Muslim League. And the Muslim League can succeed only on account of Jinnah. Now none but Jinnah is capable of leading the Muslims."

Last Journey
After returning from a trip to Afghanistan in 1933, Iqbal's health deteriorated. However, his religious and political ideas were gaining wide-spread acceptance and his popularity was at its peak. One of the last things he is remembered for was to establish the Idara Dar-ul-Islam, an institution where studies in classical Islam and contemporary social science would be subsidised. It was, perhaps, the last wish of a great man who was fascinated with the yoking of modern science and philosophy to Islam, to create bridges of understanding at the highest intellectual level. This thought he expressed, thus:

In the West, Intellect is the source of life,
In the East, Love is the basis of life.
Through Love, Intellect grows acquainted with Reality,
And Intellect gives stability to the work of Love,
Arise and lay the foundations of a new world,
By wedding Intellect to Love.
Iqbal ceased practising law in 1934 as his 1934 health deteriorated. In 1935, he was granted pension by the Nawab of Bhopal.

Iqbal died in Lahore, British India (in what, after 1947, became a part of (Pakistan). His tomb is located in the space between the entrance of the Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort (which face each other) in that city. The Government of Pakistan maintains an official guard at the mausoleum.

Works
Asrar-i-Khudi
Published in 1915, Asrar-i-Khudi (Secrets of the Self) was Iqbal's first book of poetry. Considered by many to be his best, it is concerned with the philosophy of religion. In a letter to the poet, Girani, Iqbal wrote that the ideas behind the verses had never been expressed before either in the East or in the West. R.A. Nicholson, who translated the Asrar as The Secrets of the Self, says it caught the attention of young Indian Muslims as soon as it was printed. Iqbal wrote this in Persian because he felt the language was well-suited for the expression of these ideas. Asrar-i-Khudi explains the importance of ego and the clarification of the self. Iqbal believed that the answers to essential questions regarding the ego are important in determining morality for both the society and the individual


Rumuz-i-Bekhudi
Also in Persian and published in 1918, this group of poems has as its main themes the ideal community, Islamic ethical and social principles and the relationship between the individual and society. Although he is true throughout to Islam, Iqbal recognises also the positive analogous aspects of other religions. The Rumuz-i-Bekhudi (Secrets of Selflessness) complements the emphasis on the self in the Asrar-i-Khudi and the two collections are often put in the same volume under the title Asrar-i-Rumuz. A.J. Arberry's famous English translation of the Rumuz first appeared in 1953. Rumuz-i-Bekhudi is addressed to the world's Muslims. Iqbal sees the individual and his community as reflections of each other. The individual needs to be strengthened before he can be integrated into the community, whose development in turn depends on the preservation of the communal ego. It is through contact with others that an ego learns to accept the limitations of its own freedom and the meaning of love. Muslim communities must ensure order in life and must therefore preserve their communal tradition. It is in this context that Iqbal sees the vital role of women, who as mothers are directly responsible for inculcating values in their children.


Bang-i-Dara
Bang-i-Dara was Iqbal's first Urdu poetry book and was published in 1924. An anthology of poems written over a period of twenty years, it is divided into three parts:

Poems written up to 1905, the year Iqbal left for England. These include nursery, pastoral and patriotic verses. "Taranayi Hindi" ("The Song of India") popularly known as Saare Jahan Se Achcha has become an anthem, and is sung in India on Independence Day.
Poems written between 1905 and 1908, the period he spent as a student in Europe. He praises the rationality and pragmatism of the West, but complains about its overt materialism, loss of spirituality, and narrow patriotism, which promises suffering. (The first world war proved him right.) This situation strengthened his belief in the universal values of Islam, and he resolved to use his poetry to stir Muslims to their renaissance.
Poems written between 1908 and 1923, in which Iqbal reminds Muslims of their past greatness and calls for the brotherhood and unity that transcend territorial boundaries. He urges the ummah to live a life of servitude to God, of sacrifice, and of action so that they may attain once more the high civilisation that was once theirs. "Yam Awr Syair" ("The Poet and the Cradle"), "Shikwa" ("Complaint to God"), "Jawab-i-Shikwa" ("Response to a Complaint"), "Kiezr-i-Rah" ("Guidance") and "Tulu'i Islam" ("Light of Islam") are considered among the greatest Islamic poems. Love and the self are important themes throughout this section.

Javid Nama
In Javid Nama, Iqbal follows Ibn Arabi, Marri and Dante. Iqbal depicts himself as Zinda Rud (a stream, full of life) guided by Rumi the master, through various heavens and spheres and has the honour of approaching Divinity and coming in contact with divine illuminations. Several problems of life are discussed and answers are provided to them. It is an exceedingly enlivening study. His hand falls heavily on the traitors to their nation like Mir Jafar from Bengal and Mir Sadiq from the Deccan, who were instrumental in the defeat and death of Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daulah of Bengal and Tipu Sultan of Mysore respectively by betraying them for the benefit of the British. Thus, they delivered their country to the shackles of slavery. At the end, by addressing his son Javid, he speaks to the young people at large and provides guidance to the "new generation".


The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam
His seond English book, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, is the collection of Iqbal's six lectures which he delivered at Madras, Hyderabad and Aligarh. These were first published from Lahore in 1930 and then by Oxford University Press in 1934. Some of the main subjects are "Knowledge and Religious Experience," "The Conception of God and the Meaning of Prayer," "The Human Ego," "Predestination and Free Will," "The Spirit of Muslim Culture," "The Principle of Movement in Islam (Ijtihad)." These issues are discussed pithily in a thought provoking manner in the light of Islam and the modern age. These lectures were translated into Urdu by Sayyid Nazir Niazi.


Iqbal's Thought

Amongst Western thinkers, Iqbal was deeply impressed by Friedrich Nietzsche. Some people have criticised him for endorsing Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch (superman), which is reflected in Iqbal's own concept of "the perfect man". However, Iqbal asserted that his concept of the perfect man is influenced by Jami and Rumi. Bergson's ideas regarding time also influenced Iqbal. He wrote Payam-i-Mashriq (The Message of the East) as a reply to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's West-östlicher Diwan. Amongst Eastern thinkers, Iqbal was influenced by Rumi, whom he called his spiritual guide. Iqbal also admired Mirza Ghalib's poetic style.

Iqbal is one of the foremost modern Muslim philosophers. Major themes in his philosophy include creating an effective response to the intellectual challenge of the West, the revival of intellectual discourse in the Islamic world, and the concept of Khudi or selfness.


Iqbal's Legacy
Iqbal is considered to be one of the greatest poets of the Urdu language, admired both in India and Pakistan. He is also highly regarded for his Persian poetry, both in the Subcontinent and in Iran itself. He is considered to have been one of the most important Muslim thinkers of the last few hundred years. The Iranaian social scientist Ali Shariati was deeply influenced by Iqbal.

Iqbal's book The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, based on a series of lectures, is banned in Saudi Arabia. The lectures call for a renewal and reworking of Islamic philosophy. This philosophical project of Iqbal's is still considered to be unfinished. Iqbal also wanted to write a book, The Book of a Lost Prophet, similar in style to Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra. However he died before he could start this project. His books have been translated into Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Czech, Russian and other languages.

Allama Iqbal International Airport (formerly Lahore International Airport) was recently renamed after him.

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