Allama Muhammad Iqbal, also known as ‘The Poet of the East,” is a very well-known figure in the history of Pakistan. In addition, he also played a huge role in the separation of the subcontinent back in the 1940s. Every year, his birthday, i.e., November 9, is taken as a holiday to pay tribute to his legacy.
Allama Iqbal’s Early Life And Education
Allama Iqbal was born on November 9, 1877, in the city of Sialkot when the subcontinent was under British rule. By profession, he was a practicing lawyer. Despite his academic achievements, he was mainly known for his love for Urdu and Persian poetry, which was written in a classic style, easy for public recitation.
Allama Iqbal’s intellectual journey led him to become the Hakeem-ul-Ummat, The Sage of the Ummah. In 1893, after clearing his matriculation exams, he was admitted to the Government College University (GCU) in 1895. He won the Khan Bahadurddin F.S. Halaluddin medal after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, English literature, and Arabic.
Later, in 1906, Allama Iqbal got a scholarship offer from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, from where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. During the same year, he was called at the Lincoln’s Inn to join as a barrister. Then, in 1908, from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, he got his Doctor of Philosophy degree.
In addition, he had a strong pursuit of the Sufi belief system and Islamic Studies. He always had an interest in religion since he was deeply grounded in it from childhood. Therefore, he focused on learning more and more about Islam, its history and culture, and the future. In addition, he was a huge fan of Rumi. Therefore, he always took him as his guide.
Iqbal stayed in Europe for around three years, from 1905 – 1908. During this course of time, he started writing poetry. He chose to write in the Persian language since it made it easier for him to express his thoughts. He continued writing poetry from then on.
Allama Iqbal’s Contribution To The Creation Of Pakistan
In 1908, Allama Iqbal made his way back to the subcontinent and started practicing law at the Chief Court of Lahore. He later quit it and became more indulged in literary works. This led to him becoming a very active member of the Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam.
In 1910, Allama Iqbal gave a speech at Aligarh in which he mentioned his hopes and dreams for the Muslim community. His poetry deeply showed his sadness about the disappearing memories of Islam when it used to be in full glory. He missed the status the Muslims had and eventually made a call that the Muslims must reform and unite as one ummah. Allama Iqbal was the main person who dreamt of a separate nation for Muslims—a place where they could live in harmony and peace and openly practice their religion without any fear.
According to him, it was essential to amplify the mindset of people by taking them through three stages,
1. Obedience to Islamic law.
2. self-control.
3. the general acceptance of the idea that every Muslim can potentially become a vicegerent of Allah by embodying the Divine commandments.
Allama Iqbal’s Literary Works
Allama Iqbal was known as Muffakir-e-Pakistan (Thinker of Pakistan) and Shair-e-Mashriq (Poet of the East). His poetry served as powerful for people around the globe, not just Muslims. His work contains detailed sociological and philosophical analyses of the living conditions of Muslims and the discrimination they have been facing.
Known as the Poet of the East and regarded by the majority as one of the founding fathers of Pakistan, Allam Iqbal’s best literary works include Payam-e-Mashriq, Asrar-e-Khudi, Bal-e-Jibril, Bang-e-Dara, Armughan-e-Hijaz, and Zarb-e-Kalim.
Allama Iqabl’s poetry has been translated by many people, including R.A Nicholson The Significance Of Iqbal Day – 9th November
Iqbal Day is celebrated in Pakistan with utmost joy and love for the Poet of the East. The main reason for celebrating his day is to signify his importance. In addition, this day serves as a reminder that Iqbal’s dream of a separate nation for Muslims inspired the idea of the Pakistan movement among the Muslims of the subcontinent, which later led to the creation of Pakistan.
Iqbal highly contributed to Chaudhary Rahmat Ali’s Two-Nation theory. Iqbal’s advocacy of this specific ideology was one of the main reasons behind the emergence of Pakistan.
Another important reason behind Iqbal Day is to make people aware of the intellectual journey that led to Allama Iqbal becoming the Hakeem-ul-Ummat (The Sage of the Ummah).
Iqbal was more than a poet. He was the strength of Muslims in the subcontinent and one of the main reasons behind the formation of Pakistan. and A.J. Arberry, into English and also into many European languages.
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