ALLAMA MUHAMMAD IQBAL
Life history of Allama Muhammad Iqbal
(1873-1938)
Hard is the lot of the active political reformer, whose soul revolts against the status quo. He would like to demolish It and build a better order in its place. Harder is the lot of the political thinker, who visualises with his inner eye that what can be is far superior to that which is. Iqbal passed his life under this twofold handicap, for he was both a great political philosopher, and an active political leader. Political But the soothing balm of poetry came to his solace, through which he poured out his heart, conveying his message of what should be to his fellowmen. He was fully convinced that the foreign rulers through soporific sops had lulled the Indians into complacency. He, therefore, bemoaned in one of his couplets:
When a subject nation is roused from sleep,
The magic wand of authority
Makes it once again quiet keep.
He continued to serve his people through the gossamer voice of his poetry, through the enchanting and dynamic political ideologies that he propounded in his philosophy, and through his sagacious leadership on the battlefield of active politics. There were times, when he was pessimistic, despairing of the success by his people during his lifetime. Once, while in such a mood, he sang :
Of Today's ear I have no need;
Voice of the Poet of Tomorrow I am indeed.
It is of the nature of the nightingale to continue to sing, whether people hear her song or not. Iqbal was gifted with the capacity of showing the path to his people-from national slavery to freedom; from bondage of the self to its utter and unlimited liberation. "Iqbal might be summed up as, in the broadest sense, a political poet, one concerned with men as social beings... It was because he grappled with the great questions of his world that he has a place in the history of twentieth-century Asia." This great poet, philosopher and political leader was born on 22nd February, ( 1873 ), in Sialkot in the Punjab. He was descended from a family of Kashmiri Brahmins, who had embraced Islam about three hundred years earlier. Iqbal has referred to his being a descendant of a Brahmin family in some of his verses.
Look at me!
In Hind you will no more see
A scion of a Brahmin family
Well versed in mystic lore
Of Rum and Tabriz of yore.
Iqbal's first education was in the traditional Muktab. One of his teachers at Sialkot was the famous scholar, Shamsul Ulema Mir Hasan, who, recognising the undoubted talents of Iqbal, gave him every possible encouragement which Iqbal has gratefully acknowledged in some of his verses. Although still a school student, Iqbal began to compose poems to the delight of Mir Hasan. At this time, the great poet Dagh was the doyen of Urdu poets, and young Iqbal sent his poems to the great master for his opinion and correction. Often Dagh encouraged the young and enthusiastic poet by writing back to say his poem was so perfect that it needed no correction. After completing his education at the Muktab. Iqbal joined Sialkot Mission School, from where he passed his matriculation examination. He proceeded to Lahore for higher studies, and joined the Government College in that city to secure his Bachelor of Arts Degree, which he was able to obtain in ( 1897 ) Two years later, he secured his Master's Degree, and was appointed in the Oriental College, Lahore, as a lecturer in History, Philosophy and English. During his college days. Iqbal continued his boyhood hobby of writing poetry, and he seemed to have caught the eye and ear of many connoisseurs as a young poet of great promise. "About two or three years prior to ( 1901 ), I had seen Iqbal participate in a Mushaira in Lahore. He was brought to the Mushaira by some of his friends, who forced him to recite one of his ghazals. At that time the general public of Lahore was not acquainted with the poetry of Iqbal." Anjuman Himayat-ul-Islam had been doing excellent work in the field of educational and social service, and its annual meetings were an important date in the social calendar of Lahore city.
It is on record that when the annual meeting of the Anjuman took place in ( 1899 ), Iqbal recited a poem ( Nala-e-Yatim ), which was greatly appreciated for its depth of feeling and for its topical nature. After that year, it became a standing feature at the annual meetings of the Anjuman that Iqbal would recite a poem, especially composed for the occasion. During this period of his life, Iqbal came to be greatly influenced by Sir Thomas Arnold, who was the first to introduce him "to all that is best and noblest in Western thought, and at the same time initiated him into modern methods of criticism." The imagery of his poetry was becoming more and more vivid, and its thought-content more and more sublime. He wrote to a friend in 1903 that he was "yearning to write in the manner of Milton (Paradise Lost, etc).. I have been nurturing this wish for the past five or six years, but the creative pangs have never been so acute as now." He continued to work as lecturer in the Oriental College, Lahore, from ( 1899 ) to 1905, and in the latter year, under the advice of Sir Thomas Arnold, he proceeded to Europe for higher studies. He left Lahore for Bombay via Delhi, where he went to pay his homage at the tombs of the two great poets-Amir Khusro and Ghalib. During his stay of three years in Europe, Iqbal met and held discussions with leading savants of Europe and read avildly European literature in English and German.
These years had a profound influence on his thinking. "He conceived an utter dislike for the narrow and selfish nationalism which was the root-cause of most political troubles in Europe, and his admiration for a life of action and struggle became more pronounced." Having obtained a degree at Cambridge, he later secured his doctorate at Munich, and finally he was able to qualify as a barrister. London University invited him to teach Arabic, which appointment he accepted for six months. He had won for himself a well earned reputation as a profound oriental philosopher, and he was invited to deliver a number of lectures at Caxton Hall in London. When Iqbal returned to Lahore in ( 1908 ), many offers came pouring in from a number of colleges, but he finally decided to work as part-time Professor of Philosophy and English literature at the Government College, being given the liberty of continuing his private practice as a barrister. While working as a professor and practising law, Iqbal continued to write poetry, and it was obvious that his deep inner vision of the purpose of Man on this earth was undergoing a revolutionary metamorphosis:
For the candle to throb alone is not easy;
Of me is there no moth worthy?
He found that professorship in a Government College indirectly hampered the propagation of his individual thinking and in the deliverance of his own message to the Muslims, which was in the process of formulation in his poetic mind. Somewhere in ( 1911 ), he is said to have told his trusted attendant "Ali Baksh, I have a message for my people, and it cannot be conveyed if I remained in Government service. So I have resigned the service, and I hope that I will be able to carry out my wish now." After resigning his professorship at the College, the Government of the Punjab offered him a high post in the Education Department but, determined not to be burdened with the crippling restrictions of Government service, he refused it with thanks, his only source of income being his practice at the bar. Allama Iqbal took his first important step in the realm of politics when, during his stay in England, he became an active member of the British Committee of the All-India Muslim League, started by Syed Ameer Ali. When in ( 1906 ), this committee was active in making British public opinion and political leaders accept the principle of separate electorates for the Muslims of India, Iqbal was one of the staunch supporters of the Committee.
When he returned to Lahore, he found that the provincial branch of the Muslim League was already functioning, with Maulvi Shahdin as its President and Sir Mohammad Shafi as its Secretary. Iqbal immediately became a member of the League, and was always active in its deliberations. His increasing interest in politics is evident from a letter he wrote on 14th December, ( 1911 ), to Atiya Begum, Faizee, expressing his views on the partition of Bengal, making it quite clear that his sympathies and support were for the Muslims of Bengal. In the meantime Iqbal's reputation as a poet stood very high, and poetry poured forth from his pen like the waters of Niagra Falls. He was knighted in the year ( 1922 ), and according to Sir Abdul Qadir there is an interesting story connected with it. An eminent Englishman was the guest of the Governor of the Punjab at the Government House, who had heard of the reputation of Iqbal as a great poet. The Governor invited Iqbal to Government House, where the guest met the Poet of the East. He was so profoundly impressed with his deep erudition, with the maturity of his thought, and his poetic excellence, that when Iqbal left Government House, the guest complained to the Governor it was a pity that such an undoubtedly gifted man had not been conferred a knight hood by the British.
The Governor promised to do the need ful and Iqbal became a knight in the next honours list."
He received some cases outside Lahore in his capacity as a barrister, and he was, therefore, occasionally travelling in the Punjab and beyond. Invariably he would take a holiday every year and visit Kashmir or some hill station. By ( 1928 ) his repu- tation as a great Muslim philosopher was solidly established, and he was invited to deliver lectures at Hyderabad. Aligarh and Madras. This series of lectures were later on published as a book, "The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam". In ( 1931 ) and ( 1932 ), he visited Europe and met many Western scholars and thinkers, the most notable among whom was Henri Bergson. He also vent to Spain, with the specific purpose of visiting those places which were a reminder of the glorious period of Moor history in Spain. He also attended an Islamic Conference at Jerusalem. During the elections of ( 1927 ) to the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Allama Iqbal offered himself as a candidate and was duly elected to the Assembly. Taking part in the general discussion on the Budget on 5th March, ( 1927 ), Iqbal pleaded for more provision for rural sanitation and for the medical relief of women. "Crowns come and go; the people alone are immortal."
Speaking on a cut motion under the demand for education on 10th March, ( 1927 ), Iqbal said, "Can anybody deny in this House or outside this House that mass education is absolutely essential in the interest of the people ?" In July, ( 1927 ), there were communal riots in the Punjab, and they formed the subject matter of an adjournment motion. Iqbal severely condemned communal riots and said, "Some of the members are of the opinion that the gutter press of the Province is responsible for the existing state of affairs, while others are of the opinion that the struggle for votes and posts is responsible for it." Speaking about a meeting of citizens convened to help restore amity between Hindus and Muslims, which he had attended, Iqbal said, "In this meeting I suggested that in order to evaluate the spirit of mutual hatred it behoves the committee to appoint a number of such sub-committees, whose business it should be to go about different parts of the city and impress upon the people the futility of mutual warfare....I support Chaudhry Zafarullah Khan from the bottom of my heart that a round table conference should be held at the earliest possible moment in which Government should also be asked to participate."
Iqbal was a great champion of adequate representation to Muslims in Government service. Speaking on a motion to fill Government posts by open competition, he said on 19th July, ( 1927 ), "However, I will tell you that the state of this country is such that it is not possible for us to introduce the principle of competition pure and simple. The best method for the country is..... the principle of competition tempered by selection and nomination." In his budget speech on 4th March, ( 1929 ), he once again condemned the Government for making in adequate provision for education. "The state of things so far as education is concerned is very disappointing. I am going to say, awful." He deplored that schools of Muslims, who were backward in education, were receiving only 23 percent of the grants under this head. "This state of affairs cannot be regarded as satisfactory... Money spent on education must be spent carefully and must be distributed equally, especially in places where people are backward and too poor to pay for education." Speaking in the general discussion on the Budget, on 7th March, (1930 ), Iqbal dwelt at great length on the alarming economic situation in the Punjab, and the disastrous consequences that were sure to follow.
"The province is already in debt. The problem of unemployment is becoming more and more acute every day. Trade is at a low ebb. You can easily imagine what the financial future of the province is likely to be.... We spend practically nothing on industry... Industrial development alone can save us from the curse of unemployment." While Allama Iqbal was a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, he was elected Secretary of the All-India Muslim League. On 3rd February, ( 1928 ), the Simon Commission landed at Bombay, in order to ascertain the views of political leaders and parties as to the future reforms in the Indian Constitution. The Muslim League met in order to consider its attitude to the proposals of the Simon Commission. It would appear there were acute differences in the meetings of the Working Committee of the League between Allama Iqbal and the majority of the members. The resolution that the Working Committee ultimately adopted on the Simon Commission went contrary to his views. Therefore, Iqbal wrote a letter of resignation on 24th June, ( 1928 ), resigning from the post of secretaryship of the Muslim League. "As you know I have been suffering from a slight indisposition since the middle of May last and had gone recently to Delhi for treatment.....I had unfortunately fallen ill and was for this reason unable to attend the discussion of the final draft.
I now find that the extract of the League memorandum as published in the Press makes no demand for full provincial autonomy and suggests a unitary form of Government in which law, order and justice should be placed under the direct charge of the Governor.... This suggestion.... means no constitutional advance at all.... Since I still stick to my opinion......I ought not to in the circumstances remain Secretary of the All-India Muslim League. Kindly accept my resignation.' He could not conscientiously differ from the Working Committee on a vital issue, and yet continue to be its secretary. Nonetheless, he continued to remain loyal to the ideology and principles of the All-India Muslim League, and in ( 1930 ) he was invited to preside over the open session of the League at Allahabad. The speech that he delivered on that occasion constitutes a milestone in our struggle for freedom and has come to assume a tremendous historical importance. In this presidential address, we glimpse for the first time the final goal of the Muslims of this subcontinent, towards which they had been unconsciously striving for a long time. Iqbal said, "To base a constitution on the conception of a homogeneous India, or apply to India the principles dictated by British democratic sentiments is unwittingly to prepare her for a civil war.
The formation of a consolidated North-West Muslim Indian State appears to be the final destiny of Muslims, at least of North-West India...... I, therefore, demand the formation of a consolidated Muslim State in the best interests of India and Islam." The clarion call for a separate homeland for the Muslims of India had been sounded by Iqbal, and the Muslims of the subcontinent began to bestir themselves and to enthusiastically respond to his call. Allama Iqbal went to England in November, ( 1931 ), as a delegate to the Second Round Table Conference, in which he played an important role, both as an advocate of the rights of the Muslims, as also of India's demand for an advance in constitutional reforms. "I have met in London some Indians who were staying there for the last thirty to thirtyfive years. I have heard from some of them, that at that time some Muslims formed an Iqbal Association in London, under whose auspices a grand reception was held in honour of Iqbal. Many leading literary figures of England and important Indian leaders were present at this gathering, and Mr. Jinnah in his speech on this occasion paid very high tributes to Dr. Iqbal." In ( 1932 ), Allama Iqbal once again came to England as a delegate to the Third Round Table Conference.
At this time, Quaid-e Azam was in England, and had given up active participation in india politics. The two often met, and Allama Iqbal having observed developments during the discussions at the Conference, was pessimistic about the outcome of the deliberations. "It seems likely that Quaid-e-Azam and Dr. Iqbal felt they were in agreement with the conclusion that the Round Table Conferences were not to prove as conducive to Muslim interests as it had been originally anticipated." On his return, Allama Iqbal presided over the All-India Muslim Conference in ( 1932 ), and during his presidential address he said he was opposed to nationalism as understood in Europe, as in it there were the germs of atheistic materialism. What really mattered was man's faith, his culture, his historical traditions. "These are the things, which in my eyes, are worth living for and dying for, and not the piece of earth with which the spirit of man happens to be temporarily associated." In the absence of an agreed formula on the minority problem, His Majesty's Government was to announce the Communal Award. It was rumoured that differences had arisen among the leaders of the Muslim Conference. On 25th July, ( 1932 ), Allama Iqbal issued a statement, "There is no real split as far as the present Muslim attitude towards the announcement of the communal decision is concerned.... Since the British Government had undertaken to decide the communal problem-practically at the request of the Indian communities we must wait till that decision." When the Communal Award was announced, Allama Iqbal issued a statement on 24th August, ( 1932 ), "I honestly believe that no community has a more genuine grievance against the decision than Muslims. Indeed, I cannot explain to myself how the British conscience has tolerated this injustice."
When the White Paper was issued by the British Government, Allama Iqbal in a press statement on 20th March, ( 1933 ), said, "Muslims would be greatly disappointed by the proposed composition of the Federal Legislature. Under the new scheme ministers in the provinces will be as little responsible to the legislature and as much responsible to the Governor as they are now. The special responsibilities of Governors cover a very wide field." In the meantime the anti-Muslim policy of the Govern- ment of Kashmir had brought in its wake untold hardships for the Muslims of Kashmir. Allama Iqbal issued a statement on 7th June, ( 1933 ), condemning the Government of Kashmir for its anti-Muslim attitude. "I hold no brief for any of the political parties in Kashmir. But the arrests of the leaders of the two parties and subsequent flogging of people and firing and lathi-charges on women and children are likely to plunge Kashmir into the same conditions from which it was rescued by Col. Colvin's policy. I hope the Kashmir Government will try to discover the psychological background of the present unrests and adopt an attitude which may bring peace and goodwill." On 20th June, ( 1933 ), he resigned his office as president of the All-India Kashmir Committee. But even thereafter he continued to take a keen interest in furthering the cause of the Muslims of Kashmir.
The Quaid-e-Azam, realising that the Punjab was the crucial province in the fight of the Muslims for their ultimate destiny, visited Lahore in April ( 1936 ). "When Mr. Jinnah came to see Doctor Saheb at the latter's house.... Doctor Saheb was the President of the Provincial Muslim League. Therefore, when Mr. Jinnah discussed the subject of setting up a Parliamentary Board to fight the elections, Doctor Saheb immediately and wholeheartedly pledged his support to the idea." This meeting was spotlighted in an article in The Truth, a magazine edited by Fazle Karim Durrani. In it are described the different types of clothes in which the two great leaders were attired at that time-Quaid-e-Azam in a smart European-cut suit and Allama Iqbal in a simple kurto. The latter informed the Quaid, "If you are seeking the Talukdars of Oudh or the millionaires of Bombay, then you will not find them in my Punjab. I only promise you the support of the masses." Quaid-e-Azam enthusiastically replied, "I only need the help of the people." At that time Allama Iqbal was the President of the Punjab Provincial Muslim League. In May ( 1936 ) the Quaid-e-Azam was on a political mission in the Punjab. On 8th May, ( 1936 ), Allama Iqbal, along with Malik Barkat All, Khalifa Shujauddin, Ghulam Rasool Khan and Pir Tajuddin Issued a press statement saying that the press propaganda that the Muslims of the Punjab were not with Quaid-e Azam was nothing but a lie; the masses were with him and with the League.
"The truth is that our community has such great confidence in the honesty and sagacity of Mr. Jinnah that with one voice they have welcomed the clarion call sounded by Mr. Jinnah..... We assure him that we shall wholeheartedly support him." On the same day, a meeting of the Punjab Provincial Muslim League was convened, with Allama Iqbal in the chair, in which he was once again elected President of the re-organised League. After a brief stay in Lahore, Quaid-e-Azam proceeded to Rawalpindi, and then to Srinagar, from where he announced on 21st May, ( 1936 ), the list of names of the Central Parliamentary Board. Of course, Allama Iqbal's name was first on the list of representatives from the Punjab. Mian Fazl-e-Husain was far too committed to support the Unionist Party, consisting of both Hindus and Muslims. The Unionist Party was at that time more powerful than the Muslim League, but Allama Iqbal continued to bear on his massive shoulders the burden of popularising the Muslim League in the Punjab at that difficult and decisive time in its history. The meetings of the Central Parliamentary Board and of the Council of the League were to be held in Lahore on 8th June, ( 1936 ). The Quaid was to attend these meetings. Rumours were afloat that the Unionists wanted to arrange a black flag. demonstration, when the Quald was to arrive in Lahore for the meetings.
At this time, Allama Iqbal was in a bad state of health. In spite of his ill-health, he was doing his best to see that the two meetings became a great success. Disturbed at the rumours regarding the black flag demonstrations, Allama Iqbal sent Malik Lal Din as his personal emissary to important Unionist leaders that if they arranged any such demonstrations, the consequences thereof would be bad for the Unionists themselves. On his intercession, the Unionists gave up the idea of staging a hostile demonstration on Quaid-e-Azam's arrival in Lahore. Lahore was in the grip of a heat wave and it was decided to hold these meetings in the Islamia College, where the delegates could get some relief due to the electric fans that were installed there. The Islamia College was being run by the Anjuman Himayatul Islam, and Nawab Muzaffar Khan, a leading Unionist, refused permission although Allama Iqbal had sent to him a personal request in this regard." In the absence of the Quaid from the Punjab political scene, Allama Iqbal kept the Quaid informed through letters about the state of affairs in the Punjab, and his personal views on poli ticalproblems of an all-India nature.
These letters are dated from June ( 1936) to Novemember ( 1937 ) and they now form important historic documents concerning our struggle for freedom. Unfortunately, however, the replies of Quaid-e-Azam to Allama Iqbal have not so far been traced, and our history is, therefore, all the poorer for it. These letters of Allama Iqbal reveal how close the two great leaders stood to one another, and that there was complete unanimity between the two on the ultimate goal and destiny of the Muslims of the subcontinent. His will to serve his people was growing every day, but his physical powers were rapidly declining. His eyesight was getting worse, and he wrote to the Quaid on 20th March, ( 1937 ), "Please excuse me. I have got this letter written by a friend as my eyesight is getting bad." By the middle of March ( 1938 ), his sickness took a turn for the worse. He was now in the hands of his doctors, who did all they could to prolong such a precious life. But the end came in the early hours of the morning of 21st April, ( 1938 ). A great Muslim, a poet, a philosopher, and a champion of the rights of the Muslims had passed away, leaving behind him a rich legacy for posterity. He lles buried in the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, where a grateful nation continues to place at his feet flowers of homage and to shed a tear of gratitude.
"Iqbal hated injustice; his protest, first made in the name of India, continued in the name of Islam; in this form it was reinforced, rather than superseded, by a protest in the name of the common man, the disinherited of all lands...... He was himself a part of a great historical process, the revolt of Asia."
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