IQBAL
Allama Mohammad Iqbal
Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, born on November 9, 1877, at Sialkot, the Islamic poet-philosopher who played such a vital role in the birth of Pakistan, was the first to advocate the formation of independent Muslim State for the subcontinent. In 1930, in his capacity as President of the Muslim League, Iqbal was the first to use a political platform to launch the concept of a separate homeland for Muslims.
Education:
The Scotch Mission College, founded in 1889, offered courses in the liberal
arts, several of them in Arabic and Persian, although by this time English had supplanted
Persian as the medium of instruction in most schools. This was where Iqbal had his first
secular education.
Iqbal's potential as a poet was first recognized by one of his early tutors, Sayyid Mir
Hassan, from whom he learned classical poetry. He was Iqbal's tutor until his graduation
in 1892.
It was also in 1892 that Iqbal was married off to Karim Bibi, the daughter of an
effluent Gujrati physician. In 1885, after completing his studies at Scotch Mission, Iqbal
entered the Government College in Lahore, where he studied Philosophy and Arabic and
English Literature for his Bachelor of Arts degree. He was an excellent student,
graduating cum laude and winning a gold medal for being the only candidate who
passed the final comprehensive examination. Meanwhile, he continued writing poetry. When
he received his Master's degree in 1899, he had already begun to make his mark among the
literary circles of Lahore.
While reading for his Master's degree, Iqbal became acquainted with a figure who was to
have a strong influence on his intellectual development. Sir Thomas Arnold, an erudite
scholar of Islam and modern philosophy, became for Iqbal a bridge between East and West.
It was Arnold who inspired in him the desire to pursue higher studies in Europe.
Iqbal studied in Europe for three years from 1905 and acquired a law degree at
Lincoln's Inn, a Bachelor of Arts at Cambridge and a Doctor of Philosophy at Munich
University. At Cambridge, he crossed paths with other great scholars who further
influenced his scholastic development. Under their guidance, Iqbal refined his already
considerable intellect and widened his mental horizon.
It was while in Britain that he first went into politics. Following the formation of the
All-India Muslim League in 1906, Iqbal was elected to the executive committee of the
league's British chapter. Together with two other leaders, Sayyid Hassan Bilgrami and
Sayyid Amir Ali, he also sat on the subcommittee which drafted the league's constitution.
Iqbal was the first poet in Urdu who not only had the background of Modern English
education but also got educated in Western universities. His stay in Europe brought about
radical changes in his thought and perception. His world-view underwent a sea change.
Careers
Upon his return from Europe in 1908, Iqbal embarked on a career in law,
academics and poetry, all at once. Of the three pursuits, he excelled in what was his true
calling and first love--poetry. There is a widely held belief that had the Government
College in Lahore been more generous with their monthly stipend and academic freedom, he
would have been as brilliant an academician as he was a poet. Iqbal was considered the
foremost Muslim thinker of his day. Already a famous poet by now, Iqbal received a
knighthood from the British Government in honour of the brilliant Asrar-i Khudi. As
a poet Iqbal represented in perhaps the most sensitive manner, the collective
consciousness of his people during a certain period of their history. He was able to do so
because he maintained a constant and direct contact with his audience at all levels.
While dividing his time between the law and poetry, Iqbal, with the encouragement of
friends and supporters, decided once more to enter the political arena. In November 1926,
he contested a seat in the Muslim District of Lahore and beat his opponent by a wide
margin of 3,177 votes.
A visit to Spain inspired three beautiful poems, which were later incorporated into a
major composition, Bal-I Jibril (Gabriel's Wing.After returning from a trip to
Afghanistan in 1933, Iqbal's health deteriorated. But his religious and political ideas
were gaining wide acceptance and his popularity was at its peak. One of the last great
things he did was to establish the Adarah Darul Islam, an institution where studies in
classical Islam and contemporary social science would be subsidized.
Inspirational Poetry
Iqbal’s dream of a separate Muslim state was considered to be an impossible mission initially but Iqbal made sure that his dream would be conveyed to each and every Muslim of the sub-continent and for that he used his old trusty weapon, his poetry. He wrote inspirational poems in which he tried very successfully to convey his dream to the Muslims and made his dream shine in every Muslim’s eye. He wrote ASRAR-e-KHUDI, which means the SECRET OF SELF to make people realize of their own. He used his talent to greatly and by both politics and poetry he always made clear what he wanted.
Kafir ki yeh pehchaan ke afaaq main gum hai,
Momen ki yeh pehchaan ke gum uss main hai afaaq
Dream come ture
Although Iqbal did not live to see his dream come true, but he is still considered SHAIR-e-MASHRIQ and the National Poet of Pakistan. He died on April 21 1938.
A unique contribution of Iqbal to the contemporary Islamic thought is his bracketing modern science with 'God-consciousness' which he considers more precious than mere belief in God. He equates the scientist's observation of nature with seeking a kind of intimacy with God. Mysterious in his own views, Iqbal was a thinking poet and there will never be another like him.