Allama Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal (Allama Iqbal) was a philosopher, politician, and poet widely regarded as having inspired the Pakistan Movement. His poetry, written in Urdu and Persian, focuses on selfhood (Khudi), spiritual awakening, and the revival of Eastern intellectual tradition.
The philosopher who gave Urdu its backbone
Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938) was born in Sialkot and studied in Lahore, Cambridge and Munich, where he earned a doctorate in philosophy in 1908. He practised law and taught, but his reputation rests on his poetry and ideas.
He wrote in Urdu and Persian. His Persian Asrar-e-Khudi (1915) laid out the philosophy of selfhood, while Bang-e-Dara, Bal-e-Jibril and Zarb-e-Kalim carried it to Urdu readers. The 1904 poem 'Saare Jahan Se Achha' remains one of the most-sung songs in South Asia.
He received a knighthood in 1923 and is remembered as a poet-philosopher in India and Pakistan, though his political legacy is read differently in each country.
Recurring themes
- Khudi (selfhood)
- Action over passivity
- Rebellion against stagnation
- Nature and the divine
- Youth as the engine of change
Where to start
Try 'Lab pe aati hai dua', 'Shikwa' and 'Jawab-e-Shikwa' for contrast: the first is a simple prayer, the next two are audacious conversations with God.
Worth knowing
His poem 'Lab pe aati hai dua' has been recited by generations of school children across the subcontinent.
Classical Couplets by — Allama Iqbal
Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqdeer se pehle,
Khuda bande se khud pooche bata teri raza kya hai.
Hazaaron saal nargis apni be-noori pe roti hai,
Badi mushkil se hota hai chaman mein deeda-war paida.
Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannam bhi,
Ye khaaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai.
Nahi tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par,
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar pahadon ki chataano mein.
Dil se jo baat nikalti hai asar rakhti hai,
Par nahi, taqat-e-parwaaz magar rakhti hai.
Gulaami mein na kaam aati hain shamsheerein na tadbeerein,
Jo ho khud par yaqeen to kat jaati hain zanjeerein.
Yaqeen mohkam, amal paiham, mohabbat faateh-e-alam,
Jihaad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheerein.
Masjid to bana di shab bhar mein iman ki haraarat waalon ne,
Man apna purana paapi tha, barson mein namazi ban na saka.
Khuda ke bande to hain hazaaron banon mein phirte,
Main usko poojunga jis ko khuda se ishq ho.
Har ek aane wali subah ek nayi umeed lati hai,
Jo soya hai usse jaga, jo baitha hai usse chala.
Aqal ko aazaad kar, ishq ko aazaad kar,
Zindagi ko fir se ek naya aazaad khayaal kar.
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi,
Tu agar mera nahi banta, na ban, apna to ban.
Parwaaz hai dono ki isi ek faza mein,
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur.
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