Mubashir Iqbal Kitaba

IQBAL -THE POET OF HOPE AND INSPIRATION

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Poetry par excellence is always the outcome of a serious and unrelenting conflict between a poet’s personality and surrounding circumstances. A genuine poet, like a genuine leader and teacher is one who can change the circumstances around as well as his society by changing their thinking and outlook through his philosophical writings. Poetic art without beautiful and high thought make no poetry. For a poet, who is at the same time also a philosopher, thinker the problem of fulfilling the demands of art becomes all the more difficult to make the philosophy sign in an enormously arduous job. Iqbal (RA) has succeeded in doing so.

Without a strong conviction a poet can never conquer his milieu. In this sense Iqbal was a great conqueror. Iqbal (RA) had a purpose before him. He had a beautiful view of life. To live was to conquer. He makes others see and feel what he saw and felt.

Iqbal (RA) was a great poet, thinker, philosopher, statesman, teacher, lawyer of a distinguished quality. His intellectual ability and performance was not just meant for finding solutions of any one particular group but to the whole of humanity. Iqbal (RA) was well aware of the circumstances of both east as well as west as he was born and brought up in east and got his higher education from west. Iqbal (RA) was a scholar par excellence who spoke his heart and mind through his poetry, speeches and philosophical writings. Dr RA Nicholoson the one who translated Asrar-i-khudi into English spoke about Iqbal of his excellence, boldness and high thinking. In his words: “Iqbal is a man of his age and a man in advance of his age”.

Iqbal (RA) as a philosopher and poet of international repute put his ideas and matters related to religion, social and politics in line with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. His philosophy has the universal message and appeal to the whole of humanity especially to the Muslims.

Born in the year 1877, 9 November in Sialkot now in Pakistan. His ancestors hailed from Kashmir. His grandfather Sheikh Muhammad Rafiq, had migrated from his ancestral village of looehar in Kashmir and came to settle in Sialkot along with his three brothers. The memory and love both of Kashmir and its inhabitants was never erased from his soul and mind.

The father of Allama Muhammad Iqbal (RA) was a devout Muslim, a dervish by temperament with attractive white beard and an impressive tall figure. The father of Iqbal (RA) Sheikh Noor Muhammad had a great thirst for knowledge. Despite being illiterate he always used to spend his spare time in the company of scholars and saints from whom he acquired mystic knowledge and deep insight into the affairs of religion. When Iqbal (RA) completed his studies, he once asked his father that he wanted to pay him back for the hardships he had undergone on account of educating him. His father replied that you could pay me back by serving Islam.

Iqbal (RA) was very much concerned about the youth. He encouraged them to reach the heights of glories and great success. He says that when you reach those commanding heights Almighty Allah makes you friend and ask you, what you want me to do for you? He calls the youth with the name of Shaheen who can full down the stars to himself. Iqbal says: “MohabbatMujeUnnNojawanon Se Hai, Sitaron Pa DalteHain Jo Kamand”. I have love for those youngsters who pull the stars down.  Iqbal (RA) is a poet of hope and courage. He in his poetic verses laid stress that never loses hope and always be courageous. He says that one should use his heart to understand the supernatural forces which are hidden in you. Iqbal (RA) was against all kinds of slavery, blind imitation, aimlessness both in thought and action.

Iqbal used the word ‘Shaheen’ (Falcon) for its special qualities which, he believed, every Muslim should possess. He is one who is fearless and flies at high altitudes with a vision to see beyond superficial and read between events as they happen. He doesn’t eat leftovers of others and never sticks to a station. Shaheen fly’s high and high.

Muhammad Nadir Shah, the king of Afghanistan was on his way back to Kabul, but he stopped in Lahore where he met Dr. Iqbal for the first time. The king had imagined Iqbals physique, face and dress as very different from what he actually discovered at the first meeting. So, the king got amazed and said, “So you are Iqbal”. I had pictured you with a beard Iqbal at once retorted; my surprise is greater than yours. You are a military general I had pictured you as a man with the physique of a giant, but I found you without any likeness of a general as you are so lean and puny.

Iqbal (RA) gave a message of hope and action. He was one of the greatest thinker and intellectual of the modern times. His poetry has a mission behind it. His dynamic philosophy will continue to inspire humanity to hope, courage and action.

The writer is a Research Scholar

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