One recent winter evening, as it rained heavily in Lahore, I sat down to collect from the internet, rare informal photographs of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.Photographs pointed to certain names and they in turn led to deeper research.
By the number of clicks on Allama Iqbal: A Letter to The Times, I am convinced that global interest in Iqbal will never diminish.
Thinking or resting?
“My ancestors were Brahmins. They spent their lives in search of god. I am spending my life in search of man.” ―Muhammad Iqbal
School-teachers insist that in this most famous 'official' photograph, the 'poet of the east' was dreaming about Pakistan's creation. The fact is he was resting after a cold fatiguing walk in Paris in 1933. Thinking minds need rest too; the good doctor may have grown tired of philosophy and Persian poetry. After all, how much Nietzsche, Goethe, Hegel and Rumi can one swallow in a lifetime?
This famous photograph was taken by none other than controversial artist Amrita Sher-Gil who died mysteriously in Lahore in 1941. It was taken while Iqbal was visiting Paris. It is said that Iqbal disliked unacceptable photographs of himself being made public.
Love and marriage, like horse and carriage
Any poet bereft of love is unfit to be called a poet, let alone a human being. Iqbal was more than a man who downplayed his talent as a poet. To him poetry helped convey whatever was on his mind, and judging from his works, he had plenty to say both in private and in public.
Globally admired for fusing Islamic and political thoughts with Sufism and eastern nationalism, Iqbal still stands like a giant amongst modern poets. He was a deeply religious person who abhorred mullahs and bigotry from the core of his heart.
Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot on Friday 9 November 1877 (3rd of Dhū Qa‘dah 1294 A. H.) to a Muslim tailor (Noor Muhammad) and a generous woman (Imam bibi) who lived in the 'lane of bangle-makers'. Their house was called Iqbal Manzil and was purchased in 1861 by Muhammad Rafique, Iqbal's great-grandfather.
In 1879, infant Iqbal lost his right eye when leeches were applied as a traditional medical treatment. From the few close-up photographs that are available this cannot be confirmed as a fact.
In 1893, only aged 16, Iqbal was married off to a slightly older but a rich Kashmiri girl, Karim Bibi. He had just passed his matriculation (10th grade) then. Early marriages and having loads of children was the norm in those days. The ups and downs of life led Iqbal to marry thrice. He came close to taking the plunge for the fourth time as he adored two 'other' women whom he met in Europe.
The man behind Iqbal's education
Iqbal secured a 2nd Division (276 marks out of 570) in his F.A exams (12th grade) in 1895.
In 1897 he passed his B.A exams (14th grade) with a second Division but stood first in English Literature and Arabic.
In 1898, when Thomas Walker Arnold (1864-1930) moved from the M.A.O. College (Aligarh) to Government College (Lahore), Iqbal was his only student in M.A. Philosophy. Iqbal either failed the exam once in his first attempt or he did not appear at all. By his 21st year, he was a father.
From 1917 to 1920, Thomas Walker Arnold acted as Adviser to the Secretary of State for India and was Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, from 1921 to 1930. He became the first English editor for the first edition of The Encyclopaedia of Islam and was made Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1912. By 1921, Thomas became a knight.
I was lucky enough to find in my father's collection of books, an abridged version of the same book: Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam, published in 1953. It contains material that if reproduced will invite instant death threats to its deceased writers.
Thomas also taught Syed Sulieman Nadvi (1884-1953) and was a close friend of Shibli Nomani (1857-1914) at Aligarh University. In 1909 he was appointed Educational Adviser to Indian students in Britain. That post enabled him to select and groom students expected to be helpful to the British Crown's long-term plans.
The connection between the educators and the educated somehow always ran deep in the British education system. Thomas was also a good friend of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898) who asked him to write the book titled: The Preaching of Islam.
Further higher studies
In 1898, Iqbal appeared for obtaining a degree in law but failed the paper on Jurisprudence. Being the only candidate in the subject, in 1899 he secured 3rd Division and a medal in M.A. (Philosophy). He applied for the post of McLeod Arabic Reader at Oriental College, where Thomas was to become the acting Principal.
Having graduated in 1899 from Government College Lahore, Iqbal reported on duty from 5 May for a salary of Rs.74/Annas 14 per month. He would serve this institution in intervals right up to 1903.
By 1900, Iqbal had received considerable recognition for reciting his poem, ‘The Orphan’s Lament’ in the annual session of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam.
His request for reappearing in the degree for law without attending the classes was once again refused. His first known paper, ‘The Concept of Absolute Unity’ was printed in The Indian Antiquary.
In 1901, Iqbal was temporarily appointed Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department of Government College for a month for a salary of Rs. 200 per month—a fantastic sum in those days. He again got the lucrative position in 1902 at the Department of English till his resignation in late 1908 (at the end of a long leave of absence that started in September 1905).
He wrote a 10-page elegy for Queen Victoria; recited ‘The Orphan’s Address to the Crescent of Eid’ in the annual session of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam and temporarily took up teaching English Literature at Islamia College (a venture of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam).
Iqbal received wide recognition from the publication of his poem ‘The Himalaya’ in the first issue of Makhzan, a romantically inclined literary magazine that soon became the main outlet for his poems. He appeared for public service examination for the post of Extra Assistant Commissioner but got rejected on medical grounds apparently due to his defective right eye.
National poet
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| Amrita Sher-Gil (not Rekha) |
Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot on Friday 9 November 1877 (3rd of Dhū Qa‘dah 1294 A. H.) to a Muslim tailor (Noor Muhammad) and a generous woman (Imam bibi) who lived in the 'lane of bangle-makers'. Their house was called Iqbal Manzil and was purchased in 1861 by Muhammad Rafique, Iqbal's great-grandfather.
In 1879, infant Iqbal lost his right eye when leeches were applied as a traditional medical treatment. From the few close-up photographs that are available this cannot be confirmed as a fact.
In 1893, only aged 16, Iqbal was married off to a slightly older but a rich Kashmiri girl, Karim Bibi. He had just passed his matriculation (10th grade) then. Early marriages and having loads of children was the norm in those days. The ups and downs of life led Iqbal to marry thrice. He came close to taking the plunge for the fourth time as he adored two 'other' women whom he met in Europe.
The man behind Iqbal's education
Iqbal secured a 2nd Division (276 marks out of 570) in his F.A exams (12th grade) in 1895.
In 1897 he passed his B.A exams (14th grade) with a second Division but stood first in English Literature and Arabic.
In 1898, when Thomas Walker Arnold (1864-1930) moved from the M.A.O. College (Aligarh) to Government College (Lahore), Iqbal was his only student in M.A. Philosophy. Iqbal either failed the exam once in his first attempt or he did not appear at all. By his 21st year, he was a father.
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| Iqbal in his youth |
I was lucky enough to find in my father's collection of books, an abridged version of the same book: Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam, published in 1953. It contains material that if reproduced will invite instant death threats to its deceased writers.
Thomas also taught Syed Sulieman Nadvi (1884-1953) and was a close friend of Shibli Nomani (1857-1914) at Aligarh University. In 1909 he was appointed Educational Adviser to Indian students in Britain. That post enabled him to select and groom students expected to be helpful to the British Crown's long-term plans.
The connection between the educators and the educated somehow always ran deep in the British education system. Thomas was also a good friend of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898) who asked him to write the book titled: The Preaching of Islam.
Further higher studies
In 1898, Iqbal appeared for obtaining a degree in law but failed the paper on Jurisprudence. Being the only candidate in the subject, in 1899 he secured 3rd Division and a medal in M.A. (Philosophy). He applied for the post of McLeod Arabic Reader at Oriental College, where Thomas was to become the acting Principal.
Having graduated in 1899 from Government College Lahore, Iqbal reported on duty from 5 May for a salary of Rs.74/Annas 14 per month. He would serve this institution in intervals right up to 1903.
By 1900, Iqbal had received considerable recognition for reciting his poem, ‘The Orphan’s Lament’ in the annual session of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam.
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| Thomas Walker Arnold |
In 1901, Iqbal was temporarily appointed Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department of Government College for a month for a salary of Rs. 200 per month—a fantastic sum in those days. He again got the lucrative position in 1902 at the Department of English till his resignation in late 1908 (at the end of a long leave of absence that started in September 1905).
He wrote a 10-page elegy for Queen Victoria; recited ‘The Orphan’s Address to the Crescent of Eid’ in the annual session of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam and temporarily took up teaching English Literature at Islamia College (a venture of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam).
Iqbal received wide recognition from the publication of his poem ‘The Himalaya’ in the first issue of Makhzan, a romantically inclined literary magazine that soon became the main outlet for his poems. He appeared for public service examination for the post of Extra Assistant Commissioner but got rejected on medical grounds apparently due to his defective right eye.
National poet
"Nations are born in the hearts of poets; they prosper and die in the hands of politicians." —Muhammad Iqbal
By 1904 Iqbal had written the Indian National Anthem 'Sarey jahan say acha, Hindustan hamara' and which won him instant national acclaim. The custodians of Pakistan's national zeal always find it difficult to swallow one fact: all founding fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers of Pakistan were Indians; so are most of the octogenarians alive today.
In 1905, he Iqbal went to England to study modern philosophy and qualified for a scholarship from Trinity College in Cambridge to obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1906. There he worked under John McTaggart, a follower of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Europe’s most influential philosopher.
In the same year he was called to the bar as a barrister from Lincoln’s Inn.
In 1905, he Iqbal went to England to study modern philosophy and qualified for a scholarship from Trinity College in Cambridge to obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1906. There he worked under John McTaggart, a follower of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Europe’s most influential philosopher.
In the same year he was called to the bar as a barrister from Lincoln’s Inn.
Now stop for a moment to ask yourselves this: why must hating the past, especially ancient pagan history and India, become a national pastime? To imagine we will snatch back Bangladesh from alienated Bengalis or hoist a Pakistani flag over the Red Fort in New Delhi may create vain hope but realists treat these as cruel jokes worth crying over.
By 1906, Iqbal was thoroughly impressed with Kemal Ataturk whose Young Turks movement (backed by the Freemasons) effectively put an end to the Khilafah of the Ottoman Empire. Unflinching support to Ataturk came from the House of Saud whose agents blew up rail tracks to promote rebellion and anarchy. Later attempts to revive this dead Ottoman horse through the Khilfat Movement across India met with utter failure.
Two ladies, one man
In 1907, Iqbal met Atiya Fyzee in London. We will soon dedicate an entire article to this story.
To study Hegel in the original German, Iqbal went to Heidelberg in 1907 for his doctorate and earned a PhD degree from the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich in 1908. There he also met another beautiful woman named Emma Wegenast at the University of Munich, Germany. This story too deserves to be told in detail later.
Under the guidance of Friedrich Hommel, Iqbal published his doctoral thesis in 1908 entitled: The Development of Metaphysics in Persia. He returned to London after obtaining a PhD in Arabic from Munich to temporarily replace Thomas Arnold as teacher of Arabic during his absence from the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University.
It is obvious, without Thomas' support, Iqbal might have achieved success but certainly not such dizzying heights.
Going political
1909 saw Iqbal resume activities in the Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam (Lahore) and elected General Secretary to the newly formed Anjuman Kashmiri Musalmanan.
He reluctantly agreed to teach Philosophy at Government College (Lahore) through special arrangement with the Secretary of State who directed the courts to hear Iqbal’s cases after his classes in the morning. Iqbal took charge of classes on October 12 and continued till end of the next year. Iqbal also joined the editorial committee of Indian Cases Law Reports, a specialized magazine from Lahore.
By 1912 Iqbal was sparing no opportunity to recite poems at various high-profile meetings. His poem ‘An Answer to the Complaint’ (Jawab-e-Shikwah) was used for fundraising for the Turks during the Balkan War.
In 1913, for the third time, Iqbal married Mukhtar Begum from Jalandhar. His previous second marriage to Sardar Begum was also consummated.
1914 saw Iqbal lose his mother, Imam Bibi, and daughter, Meraj Bano.
In 1916, Iqbal complained of kidney pain but continued to write and remain active politically.
By 1919, he was appointed Dean of Oriental Faculty at the University of Punjab and became General Secretary of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam. He attended the joint session of the Khilafat Conference and the All India Muslim League in Amritsar in which Hakeem Ajmal Khan, M. K. Gandhi and the Ali Brothers participated.
In 1921, he visited Kashmir for the first time for about a fortnight to plead a case.
A strict knight at home
By 1923, Iqbal was knighted by King George. In 1930 at Allahabad, he is known to have openly advocated the idea of a separate Muslim state to be carved out of India yet he wrote a letter to the Times of London stating something radically different. Iqbal had changed.
In 1924, Iqbal's son, Javed Iqbal, was born to his second wife, Sardar Begum. His third wife, Mukhtar, died during childbirth in the same month.
Javed Iqbal was called 'Bubba' and 'Jeddy' in two Punjabi poems written by Iqbal on his 5th birthday. Javed went on to become the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, got elected to the Supreme Court, served as a Senator, and saw Iqbal as "a very strict father, as was the custom in those days".
Javed was not allowed to wear western clothing or hats, refrain from buying tailoring cloth that was more than Rs.1 per yard, remain at home after sunset, not watch movies, avoid buying shoes that cost more than Rs 8, and never wear shorts (knickers). Javed and Iqbal's servant witnessed events both of a spiritual and supernatural nature such as claiming to meet famous personalities from the past.
Facing accusations
In 1926, vile accusations were hurled at Iqbal through posters pasted over the walls of Lahore. This was done by his political rival, Malik Din Muhammad, during the Punjab Legislative Council elections. Iqbal did not get mad; he got even by being elected.
The vile tales were later spun further by implicating Iqbal in a supposed murder committed during college days. Those who hate Iqbal always recall this imaginary event.
One may also hear about Iqbal's alleged affection for a singing girl Ameer Begum around 1903. In the same year, Iqbal saw his brother Atta Muhammad, getting arrested on charges of financial corruption. The poet travelled to Quetta to help him out.
The last decade
In 1928, after speaking out against injustices inherent in the methods of agricultural taxation, Iqbal visited Delhi for treatment of the kidneys by Hakeem Nabina. Later he travelled to South India for lecturing on reconstruction of religious thought in Islam.
By 1929 Iqbal was delivering lectures on ‘Knowledge and Religious Experience’, ‘The Philosophical Test of the Revelations of the Religious Experience’, ‘The Conception of God and the Meaning of Prayer’. The ruling Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan heard Iqbal speak on the necessity of a deeper study of the Quran. Later his article, ‘A Plea for Deeper Study of the Muslim Scientists’ was published in Islamic Culture (Hyderabad Deccan).
Although Iqbal's name was turned down for appointment as Justice to the Lahore High Court (former Lahore Chief Court), he was conferred at Aligarh with honorary DLitt.
In 1930, his younger daughter Munira 'Bubbi' Bano was born after which he went on a lecture tour. In the same year, his father Sheikh Noor Muhammad died in Sialkot.
Iqbal presided over the annual session of the All India Muslim League at Allahabad, suggesting the amalgamation of the north-western Muslim majority provinces of India for a balance of power in the region and renaissance of Islamic thought.
Meetings with leaders and dictators
In 1931, Iqbal met with leaders at All India Muslim Conference, and with others at Bhopal who were called by the ruler of Nawab Hamidullah Khan to facilitate consensus on the issue of joint electorate versus separate electorate. Iqbal being one of the convenors celebrated Kashmir Day on August 14 to support the protest movement in the valley.
Pakistan came into being on 27 Ramadan 1366 Hijrah (the night between 14 and 15 August 1947); this is not a well-known fact. Jinnah announced the creation of Pakistan on 15 August 1947. Odd as it may seem, his estranged daughter, Dina Wadia, was also born between the night of 14 and 15 August (1919).
To attend the 2nd Round Table Conference, he stopped at Delhi and Bombay on his way to London. As the ‘Minority Pact’ was formed, Iqbal dissociated himself from the Conference. He attended a reception at Cambridge and informed the Secretary of State about his decision to leave the Conference.
Iqbal left for Italy where he met the deposed king of Afghanistan, Ameer Amanullah, to whom he had dedicated Payam-e-Mashriq. He delivered a lecture at the Royal Academy (Rome), met with Mussolini, visited Egypt, and then travelled to Palestine by train to participate in the Islamic Conference. After staying at Jerusalem he returned to Lahore via Bombay and Delhi.
In 1932, Javednama was published. To honour the poet, the first Iqbal Day was celebrated under auspices of the Islamic Research Institute, Lahore.
Iqbal presided over the All India Muslim Conference (Lahore) and delivered an address. He asked the Sikh community to see the communal problem in the larger perspective of constitutional progress in India. He left for London via Bombay to participate in the 3rd Round Table Conference where a reception was given by the National League (London). He left for Paris where he met Bergson.
In 1933, Iqbal arrived in Spain and visited Cordoba, Granada, and Seville and delivered a lecture titled ‘Spain and the Intellectual World of Islam’ at Madrid University.
Iqbal returned to Paris to board a ship for India from Venice and arrived in Bombay to return to Lahore. He presided over extensive lectures by Ghazi Rauf Pasha, dissident colleague of Ataturk in Jamia Millia College, Delhi.
He resigned from the All India Kashmir Committee and visited Afghanistan on invitation from King Nadir Shah to advise educational reforms. Sir Ross Masud (Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's grandson) and Syed Sulieman Nadvi were also invited. Iqbal was offered Honorary DLitt by the University of Punjab.
Towards the end
In 1934, his fatal illness started after eating vermicelli with curd on the Eid Day.
He was invited by Oxford University for a Rhodes lecture; Iqbal chose ‘Time and Space in Muslim Thought’ as his topic but it was found unsuitable by the University, and the lecture could never happen eventually due to his prolonged illness.
He visited Sirhind with son, Javed Iqbal (aged 10) and was elected President of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam. After construction of a new residence ‘Javed Manzil’ started, he visited Aligarh to deliver a lecture and was conferred an Honorary DLitt degree.
In 1935, after the publication of 'Wings of Gabriel (Baal-e-Jibreel), Iqbal presided over extensive lectures by Halida Adeeb Khanum, dissident colleague of Ataturk at Jamia Millia College, Delhi.
It seems odd that while Iqbal was impressed with modern Turkey's Mustafa 'Brother' Kemal Ataturk, he wholeheartedly supported the dissident camp. What was he thinking?
Iqbal proceeded to Bhopal for electrotherapy in Hamidia Hospital and consulted with Hakeem Nabina in Delhi on the way back from Bhopal. Construction of his new residence, Javed Manzil, had come to an end now.
‘Qadianism and Orthodox Muslims’ was published in The Statesman (Calcutta) as Iqbal’s rejoinder to the Governor of Punjab’s advice to the Muslims. Iqbal’s statement launched a series of arguments.
The poet shifted to Javed Manzil and soon afterwards his wife, Sardar Begum, died. Iqbal was issued a stipend of Rs.500 per month by Nawab Hamidullah Khan of Bhopal. The poet undertook a second trip to Bhopal for electrotherapy and participated in the Centenary of poet Hali (1835–1914) in Panipat.
Iqbal was suspected of being a closet Ahmadi due to his initial reverence for Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian but he moved away from the man's ideology after finding out the truth behind his spirituality and tall public claims. A few members of Iqbal's family, however, remained staunch Ahmadis. In 1936, Iqbal wrote ‘Islam and Ahmadism’ as a rejoinder to Jawaharlal Nehru’s criticism on Iqbal’s previous statement. Muhammad Ali Jinnah visited Iqbal at Javed Manzil, Lahore.
After getting elected as President of the Punjab Muslim League, Iqbal made efforts to organize a provincial Parliamentary Board for the party through which the League could unite the Muslims of the province.
Iqbal recited the Urdu poem Khudi ka sirr-e-nihan, La ilaha il Allah (Heavenly Tune) at the annual session of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam, which turned out to be his last public performance. His last long Urdu poem Iblees ki Majlis-e-Shoora (Satan’s Parliament) has the devil confessing:
It was I who made the Europeans dream of global dominance.
After Zarb-e-Kaleem was published, an Honorary DLitt was conferred by Dacca University. Iqbal's last Persian mathnavi, Pas Ch Bayad Kerd, was published (coupled with previously published Musafir two months later).
By 1937, he consulted again with Hakeem Nabina as the kidney ailment had turned severe and was affecting both the eyesight and the voice. Even an Honorary DLitt conferred by Allahabad University could not ease his pain.
Iqbal received his last Honorary DLitt degree in 1938 from Usmania University, Hyderabad Deccan. ‘On Islam and Nationalism’ was published in Ehsan, Lahore.
The 'DLitt' honours
All in all, Iqbal was conferred with no less than five DLitt honorary degrees in his lifetime by the University of Punjab, Aligarh Muslim University, Dacca University, Allahabad University and Usmania University (Hyderabad Deccan).
Courage in death
“The highest stage of Man's ethical progress is reached when he becomes absolutely free from fear and grief.” ―Muhammad Iqbal
On the last evening Iqbal was surrounded by close friends. When he complained of pain and was spitting blood, his friend Hakim Muhammad Hassan Qarshi, asked him if he wanted a morphine injection to help him sleep, Iqbal courageously announced, "I don't wish to be unconscious when death comes to me; I want to experience that moment".
The able physician went away but later during the night when he was again sent for, nobody answered the door. Earlier that day, Iqbal recited from Baang-e-Dara' his Urdu adaptation of Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Farewell O worldly companions! I am going to my homeland
I am feeling unhappy in this well‐populated wilderness
Trusted servant, Ali Bukhsh was with Iqbal when he complained of chest pain. The same night Iqbal allowed his eight years old daughter, Munira, to sleep next to him; the child's sixth sense told her that something was about to happen. Early in the morning, Dr. Sir Sheikh Allama Muhammad Iqbal breathed his last on Thursday 21 April in Lahore, aged only 61.
Burial
The sad news spread like wild fire in Lahore and thousands gathered for his funeral procession and last rites. Long bamboos were tied to the sides of the charpayi on which his body was laid so that as many people as was possible could carry his body to its last abode.
Iqbal, it was inferred from his poetry, wished to be buried under the shadow of a mosque. His close friends decided that he be buried at the foot of the historic Badshahi Mosque. A great difficulty arose at the time of his burial.
Two funeral prayers were offered, one in the Islamia College ground (Fleming Road) and the other at the Badshahi Mosque. The Chief Minister of Lahore, Sir Sikander Hayat who was in Calcutta, rejected via telegram the proposed burial site. When the public approached the British Governor of Punjab, Sir Henry Duffield Craik (1876-1955), he approved of the burial which took place at night.
Iqbal's mausoleum at Lahore is based on an Afghan-Moorish design. Oddly, an honorary grave of Iqbal exists at Konya, Turkey. Iqbal had great reverence for poet Jalaluddin Rumi (of Mevlevi Sufi Order of the 'whirling dervishes').
Iqbal on western atheism and materialism
While arm-chair philosophers and drawing-room geniuses of Pakistan never tire of advocating imitation of the western idea of 'separation of the church and the state', let us see what Iqbal said on the subject when invited to Cambridge University to participate in a conference in 1931:
"I would like to offer a few pieces of advice to the young men who are at present studying at Cambridge, I advise you to guard against atheism and materialism. The biggest blunder made by Europe was the separation of Church and State. This deprived their culture of moral soul and diverted it to the atheistic materialism.
I had twenty-five years ago seen through the drawbacks of this civilization and therefore, had made some prophecies. They had been delivered by my tongue although I did not quite understand them. This happened in 1907. ... After six or seven years, my prophecies came true, word by word. The European war of 1914 was an outcome of the aforesaid mistakes made by the European nations in the separation of the Church and the State."
Iqbal warned:
Further reading
Allama Iqbal: A Letter to The Times
The Artistic Youth Of Amrita Sher-Gil
The Fantastic Growth Of Amrita
The Dramatic Death Of Amrita Sher-Gil
Iqbal In Love With Emma Wegenast
No one must misconstrue the information presented here about Iqbal as disinformation or insults. The information here was meticulously collected (after cross-checking) from numerous sources on the internet (without the use of proxy servers in Pakistan). If you feel something here needs to be amended, please email me the suggestions with believable references. Until then, whatever is written here shall be considered correct.
EDIT: links to 2 poems added (10-11-19)
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| Iqbal in khussas (Heidelberg, 1907) |
Two ladies, one man
In 1907, Iqbal met Atiya Fyzee in London. We will soon dedicate an entire article to this story.
To study Hegel in the original German, Iqbal went to Heidelberg in 1907 for his doctorate and earned a PhD degree from the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich in 1908. There he also met another beautiful woman named Emma Wegenast at the University of Munich, Germany. This story too deserves to be told in detail later.
Under the guidance of Friedrich Hommel, Iqbal published his doctoral thesis in 1908 entitled: The Development of Metaphysics in Persia. He returned to London after obtaining a PhD in Arabic from Munich to temporarily replace Thomas Arnold as teacher of Arabic during his absence from the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University.
It is obvious, without Thomas' support, Iqbal might have achieved success but certainly not such dizzying heights.
Going political
By January 1908, Iqbal had resigned from the post of Assistant Professor at Government College (Lahore) to join the All India Muslim League (London Branch) in July.
He was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn, and afterwards arrived in Lahore to apply for practice in the Lahore Chief’s Court and to set up an office.
By the year's end he had published 'Political Thought in Islam’, attended the annual session of Mohammedan Educational Conference at Amritsar and joined the delegation of Kashmiri Muslims.
He was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn, and afterwards arrived in Lahore to apply for practice in the Lahore Chief’s Court and to set up an office.
By the year's end he had published 'Political Thought in Islam’, attended the annual session of Mohammedan Educational Conference at Amritsar and joined the delegation of Kashmiri Muslims.
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| Development of Metaphysics in Persia (Cambridge) |
Becoming poetic
“Look at the evils of the world around you and protect yourself from them. Our teachers give all the wrong messages to our youth, since they take away the natural flare from the soul. Take it from me that all knowledge is useless until it is connected with your life, because the purpose of knowledge is nothing but to show you the splendours of yourself!” ―Muhammad IqbalIn 1910, Iqbal was nominated Fellow to the University of Punjab and started writing his notebook: Stray Reflections. He married Sardar Begum, but postponed the consummation of marriage.
In 1911, Iqbal recited 'the famous poem 'The Complaint’ (Shikwah) at the annual session of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam and presided over the annual session of the Mohammedan Educational Conference at Delhi where he was garlanded by Shibli Nomani on behalf of the Muslims of India.
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| Laughing at a crying ummah |
In 1913, for the third time, Iqbal married Mukhtar Begum from Jalandhar. His previous second marriage to Sardar Begum was also consummated.
1914 saw Iqbal lose his mother, Imam Bibi, and daughter, Meraj Bano.
In 1916, Iqbal complained of kidney pain but continued to write and remain active politically.
By 1919, he was appointed Dean of Oriental Faculty at the University of Punjab and became General Secretary of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam. He attended the joint session of the Khilafat Conference and the All India Muslim League in Amritsar in which Hakeem Ajmal Khan, M. K. Gandhi and the Ali Brothers participated.
In 1921, he visited Kashmir for the first time for about a fortnight to plead a case.
A strict knight at home
By 1923, Iqbal was knighted by King George. In 1930 at Allahabad, he is known to have openly advocated the idea of a separate Muslim state to be carved out of India yet he wrote a letter to the Times of London stating something radically different. Iqbal had changed.
In 1924, Iqbal's son, Javed Iqbal, was born to his second wife, Sardar Begum. His third wife, Mukhtar, died during childbirth in the same month.
Javed Iqbal was called 'Bubba' and 'Jeddy' in two Punjabi poems written by Iqbal on his 5th birthday. Javed went on to become the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, got elected to the Supreme Court, served as a Senator, and saw Iqbal as "a very strict father, as was the custom in those days".
Javed was not allowed to wear western clothing or hats, refrain from buying tailoring cloth that was more than Rs.1 per yard, remain at home after sunset, not watch movies, avoid buying shoes that cost more than Rs 8, and never wear shorts (knickers). Javed and Iqbal's servant witnessed events both of a spiritual and supernatural nature such as claiming to meet famous personalities from the past.
Facing accusations
In 1926, vile accusations were hurled at Iqbal through posters pasted over the walls of Lahore. This was done by his political rival, Malik Din Muhammad, during the Punjab Legislative Council elections. Iqbal did not get mad; he got even by being elected.
 |
| Iqbal At Shimla (1922) |
The vile tales were later spun further by implicating Iqbal in a supposed murder committed during college days. Those who hate Iqbal always recall this imaginary event.
One may also hear about Iqbal's alleged affection for a singing girl Ameer Begum around 1903. In the same year, Iqbal saw his brother Atta Muhammad, getting arrested on charges of financial corruption. The poet travelled to Quetta to help him out.
The last decade
When truth has no burning, then it is philosophy, when it gets burning from the heart, it becomes poetry. —Muhammad IqbalIn 1927, Iqbal joined the Shafi faction that supported separate electorates for the Muslims, against the Jinnah faction that opposed this idea. The All India Muslim League was ideologically split.
In 1928, after speaking out against injustices inherent in the methods of agricultural taxation, Iqbal visited Delhi for treatment of the kidneys by Hakeem Nabina. Later he travelled to South India for lecturing on reconstruction of religious thought in Islam.
By 1929 Iqbal was delivering lectures on ‘Knowledge and Religious Experience’, ‘The Philosophical Test of the Revelations of the Religious Experience’, ‘The Conception of God and the Meaning of Prayer’. The ruling Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan heard Iqbal speak on the necessity of a deeper study of the Quran. Later his article, ‘A Plea for Deeper Study of the Muslim Scientists’ was published in Islamic Culture (Hyderabad Deccan).
Although Iqbal's name was turned down for appointment as Justice to the Lahore High Court (former Lahore Chief Court), he was conferred at Aligarh with honorary DLitt.
In 1930, his younger daughter Munira 'Bubbi' Bano was born after which he went on a lecture tour. In the same year, his father Sheikh Noor Muhammad died in Sialkot.
Iqbal presided over the annual session of the All India Muslim League at Allahabad, suggesting the amalgamation of the north-western Muslim majority provinces of India for a balance of power in the region and renaissance of Islamic thought.
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| With son Javed Iqbal (1925) |
In 1931, Iqbal met with leaders at All India Muslim Conference, and with others at Bhopal who were called by the ruler of Nawab Hamidullah Khan to facilitate consensus on the issue of joint electorate versus separate electorate. Iqbal being one of the convenors celebrated Kashmir Day on August 14 to support the protest movement in the valley.
Pakistan came into being on 27 Ramadan 1366 Hijrah (the night between 14 and 15 August 1947); this is not a well-known fact. Jinnah announced the creation of Pakistan on 15 August 1947. Odd as it may seem, his estranged daughter, Dina Wadia, was also born between the night of 14 and 15 August (1919).
To attend the 2nd Round Table Conference, he stopped at Delhi and Bombay on his way to London. As the ‘Minority Pact’ was formed, Iqbal dissociated himself from the Conference. He attended a reception at Cambridge and informed the Secretary of State about his decision to leave the Conference.
Iqbal left for Italy where he met the deposed king of Afghanistan, Ameer Amanullah, to whom he had dedicated Payam-e-Mashriq. He delivered a lecture at the Royal Academy (Rome), met with Mussolini, visited Egypt, and then travelled to Palestine by train to participate in the Islamic Conference. After staying at Jerusalem he returned to Lahore via Bombay and Delhi.
In 1932, Javednama was published. To honour the poet, the first Iqbal Day was celebrated under auspices of the Islamic Research Institute, Lahore.
Iqbal presided over the All India Muslim Conference (Lahore) and delivered an address. He asked the Sikh community to see the communal problem in the larger perspective of constitutional progress in India. He left for London via Bombay to participate in the 3rd Round Table Conference where a reception was given by the National League (London). He left for Paris where he met Bergson.
In 1933, Iqbal arrived in Spain and visited Cordoba, Granada, and Seville and delivered a lecture titled ‘Spain and the Intellectual World of Islam’ at Madrid University.
Iqbal returned to Paris to board a ship for India from Venice and arrived in Bombay to return to Lahore. He presided over extensive lectures by Ghazi Rauf Pasha, dissident colleague of Ataturk in Jamia Millia College, Delhi.
He resigned from the All India Kashmir Committee and visited Afghanistan on invitation from King Nadir Shah to advise educational reforms. Sir Ross Masud (Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's grandson) and Syed Sulieman Nadvi were also invited. Iqbal was offered Honorary DLitt by the University of Punjab.
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| At Sultan Fateh Ali Khan Tipu's grave (1929) |
Towards the end
In 1934, his fatal illness started after eating vermicelli with curd on the Eid Day.
He was invited by Oxford University for a Rhodes lecture; Iqbal chose ‘Time and Space in Muslim Thought’ as his topic but it was found unsuitable by the University, and the lecture could never happen eventually due to his prolonged illness.
He visited Sirhind with son, Javed Iqbal (aged 10) and was elected President of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam. After construction of a new residence ‘Javed Manzil’ started, he visited Aligarh to deliver a lecture and was conferred an Honorary DLitt degree.
In 1935, after the publication of 'Wings of Gabriel (Baal-e-Jibreel), Iqbal presided over extensive lectures by Halida Adeeb Khanum, dissident colleague of Ataturk at Jamia Millia College, Delhi.
It seems odd that while Iqbal was impressed with modern Turkey's Mustafa 'Brother' Kemal Ataturk, he wholeheartedly supported the dissident camp. What was he thinking?
Iqbal proceeded to Bhopal for electrotherapy in Hamidia Hospital and consulted with Hakeem Nabina in Delhi on the way back from Bhopal. Construction of his new residence, Javed Manzil, had come to an end now.
‘Qadianism and Orthodox Muslims’ was published in The Statesman (Calcutta) as Iqbal’s rejoinder to the Governor of Punjab’s advice to the Muslims. Iqbal’s statement launched a series of arguments.
The poet shifted to Javed Manzil and soon afterwards his wife, Sardar Begum, died. Iqbal was issued a stipend of Rs.500 per month by Nawab Hamidullah Khan of Bhopal. The poet undertook a second trip to Bhopal for electrotherapy and participated in the Centenary of poet Hali (1835–1914) in Panipat.
Iqbal was suspected of being a closet Ahmadi due to his initial reverence for Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian but he moved away from the man's ideology after finding out the truth behind his spirituality and tall public claims. A few members of Iqbal's family, however, remained staunch Ahmadis. In 1936, Iqbal wrote ‘Islam and Ahmadism’ as a rejoinder to Jawaharlal Nehru’s criticism on Iqbal’s previous statement. Muhammad Ali Jinnah visited Iqbal at Javed Manzil, Lahore.
After getting elected as President of the Punjab Muslim League, Iqbal made efforts to organize a provincial Parliamentary Board for the party through which the League could unite the Muslims of the province.
Iqbal recited the Urdu poem Khudi ka sirr-e-nihan, La ilaha il Allah (Heavenly Tune) at the annual session of Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam, which turned out to be his last public performance. His last long Urdu poem Iblees ki Majlis-e-Shoora (Satan’s Parliament) has the devil confessing:
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| Hyderabad Deccan with student's federation |
After Zarb-e-Kaleem was published, an Honorary DLitt was conferred by Dacca University. Iqbal's last Persian mathnavi, Pas Ch Bayad Kerd, was published (coupled with previously published Musafir two months later).
By 1937, he consulted again with Hakeem Nabina as the kidney ailment had turned severe and was affecting both the eyesight and the voice. Even an Honorary DLitt conferred by Allahabad University could not ease his pain.
Iqbal received his last Honorary DLitt degree in 1938 from Usmania University, Hyderabad Deccan. ‘On Islam and Nationalism’ was published in Ehsan, Lahore.
The 'DLitt' honours
All in all, Iqbal was conferred with no less than five DLitt honorary degrees in his lifetime by the University of Punjab, Aligarh Muslim University, Dacca University, Allahabad University and Usmania University (Hyderabad Deccan).
Courage in death
“The highest stage of Man's ethical progress is reached when he becomes absolutely free from fear and grief.” ―Muhammad Iqbal
On the last evening Iqbal was surrounded by close friends. When he complained of pain and was spitting blood, his friend Hakim Muhammad Hassan Qarshi, asked him if he wanted a morphine injection to help him sleep, Iqbal courageously announced, "I don't wish to be unconscious when death comes to me; I want to experience that moment".
The able physician went away but later during the night when he was again sent for, nobody answered the door. Earlier that day, Iqbal recited from Baang-e-Dara' his Urdu adaptation of Ralph Waldo Emerson:
I am feeling unhappy in this well‐populated wilderness
Trusted servant, Ali Bukhsh was with Iqbal when he complained of chest pain. The same night Iqbal allowed his eight years old daughter, Munira, to sleep next to him; the child's sixth sense told her that something was about to happen. Early in the morning, Dr. Sir Sheikh Allama Muhammad Iqbal breathed his last on Thursday 21 April in Lahore, aged only 61.
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| Iqbal's honorary grave at Konya, Turkey |
Burial
The sad news spread like wild fire in Lahore and thousands gathered for his funeral procession and last rites. Long bamboos were tied to the sides of the charpayi on which his body was laid so that as many people as was possible could carry his body to its last abode.
Iqbal, it was inferred from his poetry, wished to be buried under the shadow of a mosque. His close friends decided that he be buried at the foot of the historic Badshahi Mosque. A great difficulty arose at the time of his burial.
Two funeral prayers were offered, one in the Islamia College ground (Fleming Road) and the other at the Badshahi Mosque. The Chief Minister of Lahore, Sir Sikander Hayat who was in Calcutta, rejected via telegram the proposed burial site. When the public approached the British Governor of Punjab, Sir Henry Duffield Craik (1876-1955), he approved of the burial which took place at night.
Iqbal's mausoleum at Lahore is based on an Afghan-Moorish design. Oddly, an honorary grave of Iqbal exists at Konya, Turkey. Iqbal had great reverence for poet Jalaluddin Rumi (of Mevlevi Sufi Order of the 'whirling dervishes').
Iqbal on western atheism and materialism
While arm-chair philosophers and drawing-room geniuses of Pakistan never tire of advocating imitation of the western idea of 'separation of the church and the state', let us see what Iqbal said on the subject when invited to Cambridge University to participate in a conference in 1931:
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| Iqbal At Cordoba (1933) |
I had twenty-five years ago seen through the drawbacks of this civilization and therefore, had made some prophecies. They had been delivered by my tongue although I did not quite understand them. This happened in 1907. ... After six or seven years, my prophecies came true, word by word. The European war of 1914 was an outcome of the aforesaid mistakes made by the European nations in the separation of the Church and the State."
Iqbal warned:
Jalaal-e-paadshahi ho ya jamhoori tamasha hoJuda ho deen siyasat se to reh jati hai changeziAnd which means:
[Whether it is] the rule of a strict and angry monarch or the circus of politicians [in the name of democracy]
When [God's] religion [of a righteous path] is separated from politics [system of government], all that is left is Changezi [barbaric tribal anarchic misrule]
* * *
©Tahir Gul Hasan, 2017Further reading
Allama Iqbal: A Letter to The Times
The Artistic Youth Of Amrita Sher-Gil
The Fantastic Growth Of Amrita
The Dramatic Death Of Amrita Sher-Gil
Iqbal In Love With Emma Wegenast
Acknowledgement
If I were to list all the references the old-fashioned away right here, this article would be twice its current size. The web links (URLs) have been included in the text. Just click on the words in blue colour and you will reach those other pages that contain either the text used (after laborious editing) or more information. I visited hundreds of web sites while researching for material on Allama Iqbal. Omissions, if any, were unintentional. I thank those from whom obtaining permission to use some images was either impossible or who did not respond to my requests.
Photo of Amrita Sher-Gil
Citizens Archive of Pakistan
An extensive timeline of Allama Iqbal’s life
Photot of honorary grave of Iqbal (Konya, Turkey)
Photo of Cambridge University Ph.D Certificate
DISCLAIMERPhoto of Amrita Sher-Gil
Citizens Archive of Pakistan
An extensive timeline of Allama Iqbal’s life
Photot of honorary grave of Iqbal (Konya, Turkey)
Photo of Cambridge University Ph.D Certificate
No one must misconstrue the information presented here about Iqbal as disinformation or insults. The information here was meticulously collected (after cross-checking) from numerous sources on the internet (without the use of proxy servers in Pakistan). If you feel something here needs to be amended, please email me the suggestions with believable references. Until then, whatever is written here shall be considered correct.
EDIT: links to 2 poems added (10-11-19)
16 comments:
I didn't know so many of the things mentioned in your article. Great read and great research! Looking forward to more.
Excellent collection of material.Lot of new things revealed about the poet.
Well written and well researched article!
Thank you for sharing so much unknown information about our national poet. “Musawir e Pakistan”, “Hakeem-ul-Ummat” and “Mufakir e Pakistan”.
Unfortunately new generation is being deprived of this treasure of knowledge & successive governments are responsible for this decay.
In our childhood school day used to start with prayer from Iqbal's poetry which is no more the case. Need of the hour is to revive this & inculcate the spirit which Iqbal wanted to ignite in young minds.
For whatever it is worth, the history also reminds us that even a hundred years ago, people in this part of the world had a lot more class and culture, dressed in a dignified manner with decorum and respectability, which is so woefully missing these days.
Nowadays, it’s all crassness, noise and greed…
Sadly, instead of progressing, our nation has regressed to chaos, illiteracy and pedestrian style!
Thanks very much for the appreciation, all you UNKNOWN and ANONYMOUS readers! Do come back for a sizzling Part-II of this article.
TGH: Well researched and presented..photos and all...Amrita Shergills picture:I had to do a double take...and then a double check..yes it is her..such an uncanny resemblance to Rekha....will stay in touch..
Dear Jeff (better?), thanks for a forced landing which gives me hope for this runway. Yes, that's the first name which came to my mind too: REKHA.
Hold on to your hat and heart when you read the next article about this 'Sher di bachi'.
Fantastic article as usual Tahir mian. Every piece from you is a gem. And of course the subject himself. There is so much to him that something comes up all the time.
Nice to see Chacha BoomBoom here.
Regards
Maj dear, thanks for the appreciation. It is nice to be read from Toronto to Mumbai (and beyond).
And PLEASE don't call Jeff 'CHACHA BoomBoom' or anything that brings in the issue of age and gloom. He must be treated as a teenager under all circumstances. :)
My very dear Majumdar and TGH: I feel so reincarnated into a younger and hopefully better , farangi_kush. CHOWK after all has been good for us.
Jeff pai, I've added a CHAT BOX here so try that please. See the right hand sidebar on this blog and type away!
That nickname is very deadly: farangi-kush. I mean you do live in farangi-land, don't you?
Tahir mian,
Chacha BoomBoom is senior to me not only in age but more importantly in wisdom, he has been our Mahdi from chowq days. No one could administer chitrol to the Ba Ba Black sheep the way he could.
Regards
Never knew our urdu poet studied and taught english literature. What an indepth study of his life. You have skilfully covered every aspect of Allama Iqbal.
G.Khan
Very interesting article. I was also fascinated by the female artist who died suddenly. There's quite a story there. Where was she originally from?
When I say I like your stories, I really mean that otherwise I would say nothing! As a matter of fact, I hadn't planned to read the whole story because it was so long and I was so busy, but I couldn't stop once I started. Do I protest too much? LOL, Anyway, keep the stories coming.
J.H
My very dear TGH..finally got around to read it again...Reason being that to read about shergill I
wanted to reestablish the link. Good that I did that...found some more gems on this second read...will continue exploring....when is the veil coming off?...
Sir can you please provide the link of poem Sir Iqbal said for queen victoria?
Mr. Abu Qasim, thanks for reading the article and commenting.
Please check the relevant paragraph; I've added the links to the elegy to Victoria and also to the Eid poem that Iqbal recited (English text and Urdu audio). Regards.
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