Birth Of Iqbal:
Allama Iqbal was born in Sialkot in seventh of the nineteenth century. There has
been controversies about the exact date of his birth that's why the Government
of Pakistan appointed a comitte to determine the exact date & according to them
9th Nov. 1877 is the correct date of Iqbal's birth. Today 9th. Nov is celebrated
as Iqbal Day with full zeal.
Family : The father of Iqbal was Sheikh Nur Muhammad who belonged to a kashmiri
family of sialkot. The ancestors of Iqbal were originally 'Kashmiri Pandits' of
sapru clan. Iqbal's father was gentle, pious & upright with a mystic bent of
mind. He was illiterate but was endowed with great intelligence. He was fond of
the company of religious men. Imam Bibi, the mother of Iqbal was a responsible
lady. She was virtuous, devoted to Islam, tender, kind-hearted & of a generous &
charitable disposition.
Academic Distinction : Allama was awarded the Ph.D degree by Munich
university,Germany, in 1908 on his thesis "The development of metaphysics in
Persia ". He was further awarded "Doctor of Literature " bypass approximately
four renowned universities, both national & foreign.
Iqbal As A Poet : Iqbal was a born poet. He started rhyming when he was barely a
child of seven or eight in punjabi as it was his mother tongue. When Iqbal
joined the school & was introduced to urdu, he started writing verses in urdu.
Iqbal worked as poet for Muslim nation of India to wake them from deep dream.
According to Iqbal's own assessment ; "Nations are born in the hearts of poet,
they prosper & die in the hands of politicians " In my eyes to elaborate Iqbal's
Poetry assessment of Justice Javid Iqbal, son of Allama Iqbal, is enough. He
says; "Iqbal is essentially a religious poet who expresses the religious
aspirations of his age in such way that its difficult to enter into the spirit
or grasp the significance of his great poems without some acquaintance with the
theology & cultural history of Islam" He further says; "Iqbal is a poet gifted
with the necessity of utterance " (life of Iqbal, Book II, Page # 266) As a
Philosopher ; Iqbal is not a conventional philosopher lost in the abstractions
of his thoughts. He is indeed much more than a philosopher. He is poet as well
as a seer. His philosophy is not text book philosophy; it is practical
philosophy calculated to make life more meaningful. His philosophy is not
expressed in any hard & fast terms. His verses breathe philosophy as flowers
breathe fragrance. Its a fact Iqbal's philosophical verses breathe the spirit of
religion because Iqbal conveys the great message, teachings of the Holy Quran,
which gives a complete & a practical code of life.
Iqbal As a Lover Of Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) : About love of the Holy
Prophet Iqbal says; "The fire of my heart is because of the anguish of the lover
of the Prophet, My songs are an effect of his love" Indeed, Iqbal is a lover of
Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) & his poetry reveals this love & devotion.
According to Iqbal, the key to success in this world & eternity is the love of
Prophet.
Iqbal's Theory of a Muslim State (Pakistan) :
The concept of a separate homeland for Muslims in India was certainly not new,
but in 1930 at presidential address to the 21st session of the All-India Muslim
League at Allahabad, Iqbal became its champion when he crystallized its demand
by suggesting that Baluchistan, NWFP, the Punjab & Sind should be amalgamated
into a single Muslim state but, what is a Muslim state? According to Iqbal, it
is a state whose foundations rest entirely on spiritual content, & which
embodies? the fundamental principle of election as laid down by the Quran.
Passing Away Of Iqbal : At night on 20-21 April, 1938, Iqbal's health condition
grew more worse. At about 3 A.M to the friends who were around him, Allama
recited the following verses : "The departed melody my or may not recur, The
breeze from hijaz may or may not blow again, The days of this faqir have come to
an end, Another seer may or may not come" (Life of Iqbal, Book I, Page # 482)
At 5 A.M Ali Baksh was alone by his bed side. Allama complained that he was
feeling pain in the heart. He placed his hand on his heart. His head began to
droop. Ali Baksh advanced to feel his pulse. By this time Allama had breathed
his last. As he lay with his face turned to the Qibla, a smile played on his
lips. That was as Iqbal had himself said, "I would tell you the sign of a Momin,
When death comes, there is a smile on his lips" He buried near the steps of
Bashahi Masjid. His tomb has great attraction for Muslims.
Tribute & Condolence Message by Jinnah : Jinnah's condolence message over
Iqbal's death is, "I'm extremely sorry to hear the sad news of the death of sir
Muhammad Iqbal" He further said, "To me he was a friend, guide & philosopher &
during the darkest moments through which the Muslim league had to go, he stood
like a rock & never flinched one single moment "
Last Words of Report : Iqbal was a man of many distinctions. He is
Shair-e-Mashriq, Hakim-ul-Ummat, Tarjuman-i-Haqiqat & Mujadid of Islam. To me
its not barely but surely unfeasible to elaborate the personality of Iqbal.
References : *Life Of Iqbal, Book I *Life Of Iqbal, Book II (Written by Prof.
Masud-ul-Hassan) *Iqbal & Foundations of Pakistani Nationalism. (Written by
Manzoor H. Khatana)