The Greatest Poet of East – Allama Iqbal on Islam

[yeezevee]

Well there is an OpEd in the front page on a very important personality from Indian sub continent at http://www.faithfreedom.org/2009/06/03/ ... -on-islam/ and it is about this man


Allama Iqbal (1877-1938) : No doubt he was one of great Persons of his times

A versatile poet-philosopher, an active political leader for Muslims of Subcontinent. He was born in 1877 in Sialkot. He obtained Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Government College Lahore. Later he proceeded to Europe for higher studies and did his doctorate at Munich and finally he was able to qualify as a barrister. In 1908, on returning to India, besides teaching and practicing Law, Iqbal continued to write poetry. He resigned from the Government service in 1911 and took to the propagation of his individual thinking to the Muslims through his poetry

FFI front page say

Spoiler! :

Dr. Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal was, and still is, the most famous Urdu, Persian and Arabic poet of the Indian sub-continent, who lived in the 19th century. You can have an idea of his fame by trying a google search of the quotation marked phrase “Allama Iqbal” and “Allama Muhammad Iqbal”. A complete biography can be easily found on the internet. Having done most of his studies from England, he was a Ph. D. doctor, a philosopher, a poet, a researcher on Islam, a scholar, a politician and a successful lawyer. Pakistan is said to be the fulfillment of his dream. His poetry is still very frequently used by peak Muslim scholars and Maulvis in their speeches, sermons (even in mosques and religious gatherings) and writings. Most Muslims regard him as a Sufi Saint. His work includes four Urdu, six Persian and one Arabic collection of his poetry along with some work published in English too. He is the father of Dr. Javed Iqbal, the former Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan. Although Allama Iqbal remained a great supporter of Muslims of his time,

but what else would one do to try to stay alive?

Now we shall analyze some parts of his work (poetry) to see how foolishly Muslims think that he was a follower of Islam. Although he could not declare boldly during his life that he was not inspired by the Quran, and occasionally, he has mentioned Islam and Quran in his poetry, it is obvious that he was at least not a Muslim. To avoid the impression that I am trying to promote Hinduism, I’d only say that in this article, I am going to include the reference of his clear inclination towards Hinduism only as a proof of his having rejected Islam, at least.

In his Urdu book, “Bang-e-Dara”, he writes:

“Shakti bhi Shaanti bhi, bhakton kay geet main hay. Dharti kay baasiyon ki Mukti preet main hay.”

Translation: Shakti (Hindi word for ‘power’) and Shaanti (Hindi word for ‘peace of mind’ or ‘relexation’) is in the songs of bhakts (sages / devotees of Hindu Gods). The Mukti (salvation) of the inhabitants of the Earth is in Preet (love).

But to please the highly sticky Muslim leaders of his time, he starts this poem with the verse meaning “Let me tell you the truth, O Brahmin if you don’t mind. The idols of your temples have gone old. You have learnt to keep enmity with your peers from idols.”

However, you can clearly see that his ultimate message was love and he openly admits that power and tranquility hails in the “songs of Hindu devotees”.

At another place, he talks to Moses in a disgracing tone and says: “O Moses, it is not your specialty that you can talk to God. Even trees and stones talk to God.”

Spoiler! :

Although the message in this verse is the reflection of Hadith that infers that non-living things talk to God, the point worth noting here is the way Iqbal addresses to Moses, who Muslims, Christians and Jews respect.

The subject of one of his long poems is “Shikwah” (Complint against Allah). Right after he publicly presented this poem, he was declared “apostate”, arrested and jailed. Only to come out of this trouble, the history records, he had to write another long poem “Jawab-e-Shikwah” (The Answer to the Complaint against Allah). Ridiculously enough, he was not only set free, but also given the title of Allama, meaning “the most highly knowledgeable”.

The English translations / summaries of some extracts of his “Shikwah” are being mentioned here:

“Why should I suffer loss and forget the gains? Why shouldn’t I think of the future and keep regretting upon the past? Why should I listen to the cuckoo and keep listening? O my companion, am I a flower that I should keep silent? My speaking power encourages me to speak. I have complaint against Allah (sand be in my mouth).”

Spoiler! :

“Doubtlessly, we are famous in obeying your commandments.. If the complaint comes to our lips, we are disabled (not allowed to speak). O God, now YOU MUST LISTEN TO THE COMPLAINT OF THE OBEDIENT TOO. YOU MUST LISTEN THE COMPLAINT OF THOSE WHO ARE FULL OF PRAISE.”

“Who enlivened your Ka’aba with prostrations? Who embraced you Quran? Still you complain THAT WE ARE NOT OBEDIENT? Ok, if we are not obedient, YOU ARE NOT AN ADMIRER / LOVER EITHER.”

“What if my song is Hindi. At least the tone is Arabian”

One of his “Ruba’ees” (four liners) is shocking (to Muslims at least). It’s a “miracle” that Muslims have no objection on it! It says:

“O God, there is no wine left in your glass (an idiomatic expression in Urdu meaning ‘you have nothing to give me’ any longer). Tell me, are you not my sustainer? The thirsty gets ‘dew’ from ‘ocean’. This is the characteristic (sign) of a miser, not of the one who bestows.”

In one verse he says:
“If there is love and devotion, even KUFR (apostasy) is Musalmani (religiousness). If there is no love and devotion, even a Muslim is a KAFIR (apostate) and the damned.”

One thing is particularly interesting. He says:

Spoiler! :

“The identity of a KAFIR is that he is busy in exploring the universe and the identity of the Muslim is that the universe is busy in exploring him.”

Now morons take it as a complement! They think the verse is in Muslims’ favor. The fact is that it was intended to

be so, to please the Muslims of his time, while in reality, it has dual meanings. The other meaning is absolutely satirical. In Urdu euphemism, it means “even the whole universe failed to understand what kind of stubborn creatures Muslims are.”

Now think, if he was the one to initiate the idea of a separate homeland for Muslims, why would he have praised India several times in his poetry? He says:

“Saaray jahan say achha, Hindustan hamara. Ham bulbulain hain is ski, ye gulsitaan hamara.”

Translation: Our India is better than the whole world. We are its cuckoos, it is our garden.

But again to please the boiling Muslims of his time, he had to write:

“Cheen o Arab Hamara, Hindustan Hamara. Muslim hain ham watan hay, saara jahan hamara.”

Translation: China and Arabia are ours, India is ours. We are Muslims, the whole world is ours.

Disgusting. I wonder what great work he must have produced had he not been influenced by Muslims of his time. But they kept making him change his statements by hook or by crook. Look at the simplicity of Hindus, they still pay him regards as a great poet “of India”.

Well that is what OpEd says., FFI old forum also discussed about Allama Iqbal on an doff in different threads., Let us pull the relevant posts here for the sake of readers..

yeezevee

[yeezevee]

A Good friend of FFI "Sehar" posted this in 2004 in the Old FFI forum on Allama Iqbal. Let me paste this here as it is quite relevant to Islam and well educated + well respected intellectuals like Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Dr. Sir Allama Iqbal

Dr. Sir, Allama Muhammad Iqbal is considered the greatest philosopher, thinker of Muslim Ummah. There is no dispute and second view about the place and image of Iqbal. Every educated Muslim of subcontinent and Iran give him highly reverential place and consider his poetry and work true translation of Islam and Quran. He is the national poet of Pakistan. The leaders, politicians, text books, Mullah and scholar always insist on to follow the golden principal of Iqbal and we must fulfill the dream and purpose of Allama Iqbal. Many revivalists termed him as Mujadid Din.

It is impossible for me to translate his poetry however I tried my best to translate his some famous stanzas which will reflect his work and perhaps will open the eyes of those who yet of the view that educated Muslims or the Muslims residing in Europe are not fundamentals and are moderate Muslims.

Quran has classified the whole human being into three groups i.e one group consists of Momineens, Mutaqeens and Muslims, the second group is of Unbelievers and the third group is of Hippocrates. There is no existence of moderate class.

Allama Iqbal is a chain of Allama Sir Hindi, Shah Wali Ullah etc. Iranian leaders say that their Islamic revolution is production of the thoughts of Allama Iqbal that is how they give him great reverence and preference.Would that any person translates his poetry the world will come to know that Iqbal is the greatest supporter of Jihad against Non Muslim especially against

Books of Iqbal

a. Israr Khudi (first published in 1915)
b. Ramooz bay Khudi (first published in 1915)
c. Piam-e-Mashriq (first published in 1932)
d. Bang-a- Dura (first published in 1924)
e. Bal-e-Gebrael
f. Zarb-a-Kaleem
g. Armaghani Hijaz

Iqbal poetry inhales a fighter and Mujahid spirit in his reader. That is how Iqbal poetry is considered everlasting. A reader can easily feel a Mujahid’s emotions when he read his poetry. His poetry instigates a man to stand and fight for the cause of Islam.

Iqbal does not favour cause and effect system. He says:

Exalt your Khudi so much that before to write your fate, God may ask his servant to let me know that what your will is. His mujahid is a man of perfect manifestation of Islam. The purposes of his insisting on adherence the Islamic way of life, attachment, Ishaq and Love with absolute existence is to become a man of Jihad.

Iqbal was educated from Cambridge and Germany. British Govt has conferred him title of Sir. He was also a member of Legislative Council of British Parliament in India. He felt badly that Muslim have nothing to compete with European’s glazing Civilizations so for boosting up Muslims moral against European civilization he concocted splendid past by ignoring the real past. He praise much and recalls this false past for the purpose to ignite Muslim against Europeans civilization.

Iqbal poetry reveals clearly that Islam wants a man of such kind that his heart would be filled with soreness and love with Allah. And his life would be spent only in the cause of establishment of Islamic system. That is how Iqbal by his poetry create abhorrence against the worldly life.


1. In poem Mind and Heart Iqbal give supremacy to heart that is Iqbal recognize the importance of rationality but he prefer heart (a symbolic word used for spiritualism and Ishq,)

In the last sentence of this poem Heart say to mind:

You are the light of facts but I am the light of beauty. You relates to the material world whereas I am aware of the Sidra (a tree of berry on the heaven)
My place is aloft; I am Arsh of the greatest Rab (Allah).

2. Neither, I have character like Kaleem (Moses, in Islamic theology Moses is the symbol of angriness and fighter against Pharaoh.) nor you have character like Khalil (Ibrahim, he is also a fighter against Nimrod)

I have died by the magic of Summery and you are a slave of Azeri (Summery has made calf statues in the absence of Moses and Azeri was the father of Ibrahim who was seller of idols).

If there is a spark of flame in your clay (body), then never care for poverty and richness as the force of Haider was due to the dry bread.

3. If you want to re-establish the foundation of Khilafat then bring the heart and liver of your ancestors.

4. Do not consider your Millat as the nations of West. Your structure is made from the nation of Rasool-e-Hashmi. Their (westerners) faction is based upon the country and race.

5. Read the lesson of truthfulness, justice and bravery, one again the task of leadership of the world will be bestowed upon you.

6 In this trifle world your life is a test. If you are immature, you are a heap of mud when you became mature then your will be sword without sheath.

7. Anthem of Millat

China and Arab is our, Hindustan is our.
We are Muslim and the whole world is our country.
The trust of monotheism is in our hearts.
It is impossible to eradicate us.
In world’s idols-worship places that is the first house of Allah (Ka’aba)
We are the guard of it and it is the guard of our
In the shadows of swords we have became young.
Our drag is like crescent which is the mark of our nation.
In the valleys of West we have called Azaan(call for prayer).
No one can stop the oceans of our soldiers.

8. O Muslim youth, have you ever ponder on it
What heaven was, whose you are a broken star
The nation who have nourished you
That has trampled the thrones and kingdoms

9. We consider that education will bring leisure
But it brought infidelity along self.

10. Throw in the street
Eggs of the new civilization are rotten
Election, Membership, Council, President-ship
The Freedom made entrap man
(i.e. Feudalism was the best in his view because freedom of new civilization imprisoned the man in Election, membership etc.)

11. Do not mind it, test it
European civilization is evil for heart and goodness for mind.


12 Come to tell you the fate of nations
First of all swords and in the last music and dance

13. There is a great difference between the Azaan of a Mujahid and a Mullah
(Mujahid Azan invoke people for Jihad whereas Mullah Azan has no effect so)

14. O my son, how much pleasure is in attacking on pigeon
The pleasure will perhaps not be in the blood of pigeon

15 That Sufi is man who indulged in the service of Right
Matchless in Love and unique in Ghirat
Fire of Ishq has extinguished and now there is Dark
Muslim is nothing a heap of ash

16. Khudi is Sher Maula (Ali) the world is his prey
The world is his prey and the heaven is his prey

17. In the dialogue of Pir-o-Murid

Murid Hind: I read knowledge of East and West
Pain and sores is exist in my soul

Pir Romi: Every hand of unable cause illness
Come toward mother to heal you

Murid Hindi: O eyesight of you, open my heart
Open the secret of order of Jihad

Murid Hindi: The eyes of the Eastners are overwhelmed from West
(for them) the Hoors of West are more beautiful than Hoors (of paradise)

18. On the grave of Napoleon

Fate of the struggle of world is a secret
The secrets of fate open by the force of character
Opens the sword of Alexander the great by the force of character
Alvin Mountain melts due to his warmth
Taimur’s conqueror armies are due to the force of character
Ups and downs are nothing before the flood (of armies)
In the battle field Takbeer of the God’s men
The force of character makes the voice of God

19. Iqbal address to Mussolini

What is newness in thoughts and actions? Emotion of Revolution
What is newness in thoughts and actions? Youthfulness of Millat

20. Iqbal in poem Khushal Khan(fighter against Mughal Rulers) and Dream of a Tatari arose the spirit of Jihad.

21. In poem Cinema Iqbal termed cinema Industry of Azeri and mud of hell.

22. Iqbal in poem “Politics” termed politics the game of cunningness.

23. Iqbal produce Eagle like a Mujahid and he used this frequently in his poetry in the sense of Mujahid and Momin.

Prevention is essential from the green lands
Its qualities are rapacious
The breeze of desert sharpen
The fighting strike of a man
I am not appetite of pigeon
To attack, to return back and then to attack
It is a means to keep warm the blood

24. When your eyes are not on the facts of life
Your piece of glass will not compete to stone
This is the time to show force and deep strike of hand
And do not ask in the battle field for music voice
The capital of life is due to the blood of heart and liver
O ignorant, nature is a wave of blood not a wave of water

25. The dawn from which trembles the existence of world
Only rise by the Azan of a Momin

26. Iqbal give message to Muslims that Ishq is better than knowledge in his poem Ilm and Ishq (Knowledge and Ishq) .

27. Monotheism was a living force in the world
Today it is a question of Alma Kalam (oration/discourse)

What is the nation and what is the leadership
Imam of prayer do not know it

28. If Europe hate with name of Islam, never mind
The second name of this religion is Faqr-a- Ghayoor

29. Your existence is completely a glaze of Afrang (British)
You have made by the masons of England
This statue of mud is empty from Khudi
It is only a sheath without sword

30. The safety of unity is due to the power of hand
Here mind does not work
O man if you have not that power
Go and sit in a cave and remember the God
Humiliation, subordination and slavery
Invent new Islam have these teachings

31. In the Tariqat of Sufi there is only playfulness of Ahwal
In the Sharia of Mullah there is playfulness of words
The voice of Poet is dead, sad and without taste
Deep in thoughts, neither awake nor in sleep
I am not seeing that Mujahid
In whose veins and blood be present the playfulness of character

(In Iqbal poetry character means emotion of Jihad for the cause of God and Islam)

32. Momin in the circle of friends is soft like silk
In the war of right and evil he is like an iron

In the paradise

Angels say that momin is attractive
Hoors say that momin is not talkative

33. That prophethood is like leaf of Hashish for Muslims
Which prophethood does not give message of power and supremacy

34. The dissimilarity between Ummah is the purpose of Afrang
Islam purpose is only Millat-a-Adam

35. Iqbal address to Pir Haram

Leave the customs of Khanqahi
Understand the purpose of my voice
God may keep save your youths
Give them the lessons of endurance and
Give them lesson to break the stones
West have taught them the art of making glasses
The slavery of two century has broken their hearts
Think for cure of their this sadness

36. The civilization of British is bone of content for heart and eye
As the soul of this civilization did not remain chaste
When soul lost chastity then pure conscience, high thought,
and delicate taste does not remain alive.

37. Iqbal “a question”

Ask from the philosopher of Europe
Hind and Greek recognize him
Is this the exaltedness of sociality?
Men workless and women’s laps are empty

38. Man is the safeguard of woman
If a nation did not find this living secrete
The sun of that nation would be soon sat.

39. Iqbal considers European education for woman as death.

40. Civilization of Afrang gives first intoxication and then gives wine.

41. This luxury this government this trade
Heart without light deprive of content
Afrangs are in dark of smoke of machines
This is not the valley of piece liable for light
This new civilization is at the death door
Perhaps the Jews will be the guard of Church

42. Jews the eaters of interest are sit in snare since long
Before their cunningness is zero the power of Palang
Like ripe fruit is near to drop automatically
Look, in whose lap is falling the Afrang

43 Abul Haul (sphinx) taught me this point
That Abul Haul which knows the secrets of ancient ages
By which suddenly changes the fate of nations
That is the power; philosopher minds cannot compete to it
In every age his nature changes
Ever like Sword of Muhammad ever like staff of Moses

44 European vultures does not know yet
How much is poisonous the dead body of Avicenna

45. You ransacked the tent of desert living
You plundered the crops of farmers and plundered the thrones
In the veil of civilization plundering, homicide of man
Yesterday you consider it just today I consider these just

46. Go out from Khanqah refresh the way of Shabbir (Hussain ibn Ali)

47. Only man of desert or man of hills can protect the nature.

48. Machines are the cause of death of the hearts

49. Freedom of economy is the death of hearts.

[yeezevee]

There is little doubt on Allama Iqbal's enormous contribution to the birth of Pakistan as independent country to the East(present Bangladesh) and West of present India. Also we must realize that Allama Iqbal was educated from Cambridge and Germany. British Govt has conferred him title of Sir. He was also a member of Legislative Council of British Parliament in India. But what I didn't understand his angry RED COLORED WORDS in the above post., let me paste them again here

... If you want to re-establish the foundation of Khilafat then bring the heart and liver of your ancestors.

.... Do not consider your Millat as the nations of West. Your structure is made from the nation of Rasool-e-Hashmi. Their (westerners) faction is based upon the country and race.

....China and Arab is our, Hindustan is our, We are Muslim and the whole world is our country.

....In the valleys of West we have called Azaan(call for prayer), No one can stop the oceans of our soldiers.

... We consider that education will bring leisure But it brought infidelity along self.

..Throw in the street; Eggs of the new civilization are rotten; Election, Membership, Council, President-ship; The Freedom made entrap man...

.....European civilization is evil for heart and goodness for mind.....
.In the battle field Takbeer of the God’s men; The force of character makes the voice of God

.....European vultures does not know yet
How much is poisonous the dead body of Avicenna..

... You ransacked the tent of desert living
You plundered the crops of farmers and plundered the thrones
In the veil of civilization plundering, homicide of man
Yesterday you consider it just today I consider these just..

38. Man is the safeguard of woman
If a nation did not find this living secrete
The sun of that nation would be soon sat.

Jews the eaters of interest are sit in snare since long
Before their cunningness is zero the power of Palang
Like ripe fruit is near to drop automatically
Look, in whose lap is falling the Afrang

As a called revolutionary poet with Islamic background and the man who gets his higher education from Cambridge Germany and British Govt has conferred him title of Sir; is all understandable. Also his anger against British monarch of his times is also understandable because of his frustration of his country(Former India) was ruled by England instead Muslim Kingas and feudal lords of his time. But what I don't get is HIS HATRED against Jews and his PATHETIC WORDS about woman folk that is highlighted above in the yellow background .

So in the next post let us READ ABOUT the social/religious background of Allama Muhammad Iqbal and explore the possible reasons for this educated man to write such hate filled words against Jews of that time. Did he get that from Germans and visiting Mussolini along with the hate filled words that a Muslim reads against Jews and pagans in Q'uran?

with best
yeezevee

[yeezevee]

http://www.answers.com/topic/muhammad-iqbal


"Iqbal's grandfather Shaikh Rafiq, was a Kashmiri Pandit named Sahaj Ram Sapru before his conversion to Islam and was a revenue collector. According to Dr R.K. Parimu, the author of “History of Muslim Rule in Kashmir" and Ram Nath Kak's book Autumn Leaves, Shaikh Rafiq had embezzeled state funds, and when his guilt was established, the Afghan governor, Azim Khan, gave him the choice of death or conversion to Islam. Sahaj Ram Sapru chose life, and assuming new names, he and his family moved to Sialkot in the Panjab."

"Iqbal came from a recently converted Hindu family; and perhaps only someone who felt himself a new convert could have spoken as he did...Iqbal said in an involved way that Muslims can live only with other Muslims."

Iqbal's background is detailed in Ram Nath Kak's Autumn Leaves (New Delhi: Vitasta, 1995, ISBN: 81-86588-01-9): "His grandfather, Sahaj Ram Sapru, a revenue collector, [allegedly] embezzled funds and when discovered, the Afghan governor, Azim Khan, gave him the choice of death or conversion to Islam. Sahaj Ram chose life, and assuming new names, he and his family moved to Sialkot in the Punjab. Later, Iqbal never acknowledged his native Kashmiri and Indian tradition that his grandfather had been forced to renounce. Perhaps this reveals that terror wins.
The victims wish to be like their tormentors."

Naipaul concludes his opinion of Iqbal: "Poets should not lead their people to hell.... in its short life, Iqbal's religious state, still half serf, still profoundly uneducated, mangling history in its schoolbooks as well, undoing the polity it was meant to serve."

Family Background

There is some controversey regarding the migration of his grandfather from Kashmir. Iqbal's grandfather Shaikh Rafiq, was a Kashmiri Pandit named Sahaj Ram Sapru before his conversion to Islam and was a revenue collector. However according to Moulvi Hassan, another historian , Azim Khan fearing the victory of the Sikhs fled to Kabul and entrusted the treasery and his family to Sahaj Ram Sapru who escorted both the treasury and the family back to Kabul and decided to settle in Sialkot. Shaikh Rafiq had two sons, Shaikh Ghulam Qadir and Shaikh Nur Muhammad, Iqbal's father.


Shaikh Nur Muhammad was a tailor whose handiwork was quite well known in Sialkot. But it was his devotion to Islam, especially its mystical aspects, that gained him respect among his Sufi peers and other associates. His wife, Imam Bibi, was also a devout Muslim. The couple instilled a deep religious consciousness in all their five children.


Youth

Allama Iqbal was born on November 9, 1877 in the city of Sialkot. His initial education was in Sialkot. Iqbal's potential as a poet was first recognized by one of his early tutors, Sayyid Mir Hassan, from whom he learned classical poetry. Mir Hassan never learned English, but his awareness of the merits of Western education and his appreciation of modernity ensured him a position as Professor or Oriental Literature at Scotch Mission. He was Iqbal's tutor until his graduation in 1892.


It was also in 1892 that Iqbal was married to Karim Bibi, the daughter of an effluent Gujarati physician. They separated in 1916, but Iqbal provided financial support to Karim Bibi until he died. The couple had three children.


In 1885, after completing his studies at Scotch Mission, Iqbal entered the Government College in Lahore, where he studied Philosophy and Arabic and English Literature for his Bachelor of Arts degree. He was an excellent student, graudating cum laude and winning a gold medal for being the only candidate who passed the final comprehensive examination. Meanwhile, he continued writing poetry. When he received his Master's degree in 1899, he had already begun to make his mark among the literary circles of Lahore.


While reading for his Master's degree, Iqbal became acquainted with a figure who was to have a strong influence on his intellectual development. Sir Thomas Arnold, an erudite scholar of Islam and modern philosophy, became for Iqbal a bridge between East and West. It was Arnold who inspired in him the desire to pursue higher studies in Europe.

[yeezevee]

His birthday is commemorated each year in Pakistan as "Iqbal Day", and is a national holiday.
Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot. His father, Shaikh Nur Muhammad was a tailor in Sialkot, whose devotion to Islam, especially its mystical aspects, gained him respect among his Sufi peers and other associates. His wife, Imam Bibi was also a devout Muslim. The couple instilled a deep religious consciousness in all their five children.

According to most historians, Sahaj Ram Sapru (who converted to Islam and became Shaikh Muhammad Rafiq), a Brahmin official in the State of Kashmir during the administration of the Afghan Governor Azim Khan was Iqbal's grandfather; the link has never been positively confirmed, however. The known siblings of Iqbal include: an elder brother, Shaikh Ata Muhammad ( 1940, Sialkot), and four sisters, Taleb Bibi ( 1902, Sialkot), Karim Bibi ( 1958, Sialkot), Fatima Bibi ( Sialkot), and Zainab Bibi ( Sialkot). Iqbal completed his initial education in Sialkot...... It was also in 1892 that Iqbal was married to Karim Bibi ( 1946, Lahore), the daughter of an affluent Gujarati physician. They had three children: a daughter, Mi'raj Begam ( 1914), was born to Karim Bibi in 1895; a son, Aftab Iqbal ( 1979, Karachi), was born in 1899 (this son also studied abroad and became a lawyer but they were no longer on speaking terms in his later life); another son, born to Karim Bibi, died soon after birth in 1901. The couple separated in 1916, but Iqbal provided financial support to Karim Bibi until he died in 1938.

....

In 1931 and 1932 he represented the Muslim population of British India in the Round Table Conferences held in England to discuss the issue of the political future of India. Ealier, in a 1930 lecture, Iqbal suggested the creation of a separate state for the Muslims of India. Although Iqbal died in 1938, nine years before the formation of Pakistan in 1947, it was his ideas that have been the main force behind the creation of Pakistan. Iqbal ceased practising law in 1934 as his 1934 health deteriorated. In 1935, he was granted pension by the Nawab of Bhopal. Iqbal died in Lahore, British India (in what, after 1947, became a part of (Pakistan). His tomb is located in the space between the entrance of the Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort (which face each other) in that city. The Government of Pakistan maintains an official guard at the mausoleum.

http://ikashmir.net/kashmirigems/doc/gems.pdf

yeezevee

[yeezevee]

Death

In 1933, after returning from a trip to Spain and Afghanistan, Iqbal began suffering from a mysterious throat illness. He spent his final years working to establish the Idara Dar-ul-Islam, an institution where studies in classical Islam and contemporary social science would be subsidised, and advocating the demand for an independent Muslim state. Iqbal ceased practising law in 1934 and he was granted pension by the Nawab of Bhopal. After suffering for months from his illness, Iqbal died in Lahore in 1938. His tomb is located in the space between the entrance of the Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort, and official guards are maintained there by the Government of Pakistan.

Iqbal is commemorated widely in Pakistan, where he is regarded as the ideological founder of the state. His Tarana-e-Hind is a song that is widely used in India as a patriotic song speaking of communal harmony. His birthday is annually commemorated in Pakistan as Iqbal Day, a national holiday. Iqbal is the namesake of many public institutions, including the Allama Iqbal Medical College, Allama Iqbal Open University and the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. Government and public organizations have sponsored the establishment of colleges and schools dedicated to Iqbal, and have established the Iqbal Academy to research, teach and preserve the works, literature and philosophy of Iqbal. His son Javid Iqbal has served as a justice on the Supreme Court of Pakistan.


Influence and Legacy

Allama Iqbal is regarded as one of the most influential Muslim poet and scholar of the 20th century throughout the Muslim World. His concept of Islamic revival did not only lead to the creation of Pakistan, but also the Iranian Revolution which he had prophesied. His works were also influential during the breaking up of the central Asian former Soviet republics, most of which were Muslim majority. Allama Iqbal's poetry has also been translated into several European languages where his works were famous during the early part of the 20th Century.

He lives on through the various organizations dedicated to his works throughout the world. He lives among Iran as one of the greatest Persian Poets ever, in Pakistan as the greatest Urdu poet of all time and is regarded as the national poet and hero, who was the bases of the creation of the first Muslim Nation. His works have been famously made into songs by various artists from time to time, the most famous being the sufi-rock band 'Junoon'. In India he lives on through his national song 'Sarey Jahan sey acha'.

Criticism

Some intellectuals criticised Iqbal for embracing Nietzsche's concept of Übermensch, reflected in Iqbal's descriptions of ego, self, and renewal for Muslim civilization. In her book on Iqbal, the German scholar Annemarie Schimmel defends him from this charge, saying that Iqbal's approval of Sharia as the appropriate set of limits for the self or ego "marks the distinction between Iqbal's Perfect Man and the Nietzschean superman."

Iqbal has also been criticised for his advocacy of Islamic political revival and rejection of Western cultural influences. Several scholars have called his poetic descriptions of the true practice of Islam impractical and wrongly dismissive of diverse societies and cultural heritages. Nonetheless, it is his advocacy of Islamic political revival and his concept of "khudi" or self-esteem that earns him much of his respect in the Muslim world.

While credited and admired as the conceptual founder of Pakistan, Iqbal is criticised by some historians and scholars for implicitly endorsing the incompatibility of Muslims with other religious communities. Some historians and Indian nationalists criticise Iqbal's vision for a Muslim state as specifically implying the denunciation of Hindus and Hinduism, as well as the peaceful co-existence of Hindus and Muslims. Iqbal was also strongly criticised for advocating on occasions, the division and fragmentation of India. Critics also point to the civil war that led to the secession of East Pakistan in 1971, as well as recent sectarian and religious conflict in Pakistan to suggest that Iqbal's notion of a natural Muslim nation and of Islam as a political, unifying identity was inherently flawed and fanciful. Despite this criticism, Iqbal is widely credited for his work in encouraging the political rejuvenation and empowerment of Muslims, and as a great poet not only in India and Pakistan, but also in Iran, Afghanistan and Muslim nations in the Middle East.

[adinnhall]

He is not only a poet but also a philosopher, politician, thinker, and undying patriot. As a poet Iqbal represented in perhaps the most sensitive manner. You are obviously not sincere with your words, and this video does indeed go in depth about the philosophy of Allama Iqbal and Pakistan.

[yeezevee]

adinnhall joins ffi

You are obviously not sincere with your words, and this video does indeed go in depth about the philosophy of Allama Iqbal and Pakistan.

Welcome to ffi Mr. adinnhall ., Well I am sincere of what I write/wrote on Allama Iqbal and off course that depends upon ability to critically analyze Allama Iqbal's Vision of Pakistan, his Vision of of Islam and his Vision for people of Subcontinent w.r.t Muslims and Hindus of subcontinent. I am not sure which video you are speaking, but I would appreciate a link of it., there are plenty of videos on Allama Iqbal's poems and political philosophy.

He is not only a poet but also a philosopher, politician, thinker, and undying patriot.

Well, as far as I am concerned he was more successful as Urdu and Persian poet than a philosopher, a politician, or a thinker. May be i didn't read much about his philosophical , a political views so I don't consider him as that. As far as Patriot is concerned , Patriot of what? Patriot for Pakistan? Patriot of Islam?? he can not be Patriot of Pkaistan as he died~10years before the birth of Pakistan., But It is true he was very much concerned about Hindus over running Muslims because of their numbers ., But I am not very certain he understood basics of Islam., In fact I am not certain he read Quran word by word dear adinnhall.

Anyways welcome to FFI

with best regards
yezevee

[yeezevee]

The Greatest Poet of East – Allama Iqbal., Fronm Translation of “Allama Iqbal-Ek Mehbooba, teen beewiaN, chaar shadiaN” by Dr. Khalid Sohail.

When we study the psychological aspect of Iqbal’s life, we find out that despite having a sensitive heart and a brilliant mind, he had to struggle against many romantic contradictions through out his life. These contradictions appeared for the first time when Iqbal went to Europe in the pursuit of higher education. Upon reaching Europe, he discovered that his personality possessed certain charm that the opposite sex found irresistible. He could not have come to this realization in the traditional and suppressed romantic climate of his homeland where women were conditioned not to act upon such attractions. Iqbal, soon, had a coterie of female friends including women from the West as well as the East and among the latter was Atiya Faizi.

The relationship between Iqbal and Faizi developed quite rapidly and soon they were dining together quite frequently. These dinners were followed by long walks during which the two talked about many mysteries of life. Iqbal, besides being smitten by Atiya’s beauty, was impressed by her intellectual prowess as well which is evident from the fact that Iqbal sought her opinion about his Ph.D. thesis.

When we read Atiya Faizi’s diaries, we observe that she mentions Iqbal in a way one mentions a lover and not just a friend. [1] Her relation with Iqbal had reached the stage where it becomes difficult to differentiate between friendship and love.

Iqbal’s return to India in 1908, after completing his education, resulted in a psychological crisis for him. After sampling the liberalism of the West, Iqbal could not cope with the conservatism of his own society. In such a mental state, Iqbal wrote a letter to Atiya Faizi in which he described his thoughts very candidly. This letter is mentioned by many commentators including Iqbal’s biographer Abdul-Majeed Salik in "Zikr-e-Iqbal". The letter became one of the most talked about of all the letters Iqbal ever wrote. In the letter, Iqbal expressed his frustration and anger towards his life. To a certain extent, Iqbal blamed his wife to be the cause of his miseries. He wrote that his father had wedded him at a young age against his will and this marriage had now become an unwanted burden for him. Iqbal wrote that he sometimes wished to drown his frustration in alcohol because he felt that alcohol made committing suicide easy. Iqbal wrote that he was perfectly willing to support his wife financially for the rest of his life but he just couldn’t bear the torture of her being part of Iqbal’s daily life. In the same letter, Iqbal wrote that being a human being, he had the right to be happy and if society tried to deprive him of that right, he would rebel against it. The only choices he was left with, he wrote, were to either leave the cursed country or become an alcoholic to numb his feelings. According to Iqbal, dead and barren pages of books could not give him happiness and he had enough fire in his soul to burn those books along with the Eastern traditions to cinder. [2]

This particular letter betrays the depth of despair Iqbal was going thru at the time. His suppressed rage—against his wife, the outdated values of his society and traditional nature of his family—was coming to the surface. Atiya Faizi responded to this profound letter in a very sympathetic manner and advised Iqbal to seek psychological comfort in the company of his friends.

It seems that Iqbal’s life at this point had come to a crossroads. He had turned sour not just towards his marriage but towards his culture, traditions and religion as well. He was experiencing a conflict between the traditional demands of his society and his desire to live in the open society of Europe which enticed him with economic opportunities as well as the proximity of Atiya Faizi.

It is quite possible that Iqbal wanted Atiya Faizi to become his life partner. If that was the case, he never overtly expressed that desire—maybe for the lack of courage. Despite his admission that he was extremely unhappy with his marital life, Atiya never made any suggestive moves towards Iqbal. She was a wise and seasoned woman who knew that what Iqbal needed was a psychiatrist and not a second wife.

The realization that Faizi was not going to become his life partner may have intensified the psychological crisis in Iqbal. When someone is thru an emotional and psychological crisis, one tends to make emotional decisions guided by the frustration and rage—and that is exactly what happened to Iqbal. He decided to marry again and, without seeking anyone’s counsel, Iqbal chose Sardar Begum to be his second wife. Soon after the nikah, the religious ceremony of wedding, and before the traditional departure of the bride to the house of her newlywed husband, Iqbal received anonymous letters questioning Sardar Begum’s character. Iqbal was so disheartened by those letters that he decided to divorce Sardar Begum.

In the meantime, Iqbal received a proposal to marry Mukhtar Begum, the daughter of the famous Dr. Subhan Ali from Ludhiana, Punjab. Iqbal’s sister, Karim Bibi, went to Ludhiana to meet Mukhtar Begum. Upon her return, Karim Bibi praised the beauty of Mukhtar Begum in such persuasive manner that Iqbal immediately agreed to marry Mukhtar Begum.

Iqbal and his new bride arrived back at Lahore after the marriage ceremony. The next day, when Iqbal had the first real opportunity to see his wife closely, he was utterly dismayed because she was nothing like how Iqbal’s sister had described her. She was not beautiful at all. It was later revealed that Iqbal had been conned into marrying Dr. Subhan Ali’s niece whose name was also Mukhtar Begum. By the time Iqbal came to know this, it was too late because he had consummated his marriage. It is still a mystery as to who was responsible for this deception. At the outset, it seemed that Iqbal’s sister was deceived on her visit to Ludhiana but it is hard to rule her out as an accomplice because of the statements of Rasheeda Begum (Iqbal’s daughter-in-law who married iqbal’s elder son Aftab). Rasheeda Begum alleges that Iqbal’s sister had a soft corner for Iqbal’s first wife and she was the one who wrote the anonymous letters against Sardar Begum. It’s quite possible that when Karim Bibi saw that her brother was determined to marry again even after getting disheartened by Sardar Begum affair, she deliberately sabotaged Iqbal’s marriage with Mukhtar Begum by misleading her brother into marrying a woman who was not as beautiful as Iqbal expected.

While Iqbal was still suffering from this shock, he received a letter from Sardar Begum, his second wife, who he had mentally divorced and who was still living with her parents. Sardar Begum wrote to Iqbal that she was waiting for him to take her to his home and if Iqbal rejected her, she would never marry again. She expressed her profound sorrow that a person of Iqbal’s mental caliber had judged her only on the basis of gossip and rumor. The letter was bound to make Iqbal feel guilty and he became extremely sad when he later found out that the anonymous letters regarding Sardar Begum were probably written by an advocate by the name of Nabi Bakhsh who wanted Sardar Begum to marry his own son (Rasheeda Begum, as quoted above, disagreed with it and maintained that the letters were the handiwork of Iqbal’s sister). Iqbal talked to some of his friends who knew Sardar Begum’s family and they told Iqbal that there was no truth in the allegations. Embarrassed and guilt-ridden, Iqbal wanted to bring Sardar Begum to his house but there was still an obstacle. Iqbal thought that he had divorced Sardar Begum in his mind and according to some of his friends with religious bent, once divorced, Iqbal could not marry her. She first had to marry someone else, get divorced and only then could Iqbal marry her again according to the religious concept of halala. Confused, Iqbal sought the opinion of a Muslim cleric who told him that what Iqbal’s friends had suggested didn’t apply to Iqbal’s situation because Iqbal had not consummated his marriage with Sardar Begum. Still somewhat confused, for the satisfaction of his mind, Iqbal went thru the marriage rites again with Sardar Begum before bringing her home and so Sardar Begum, who Iqbal married twice, became his second and fourth wife. In the period of two years, Iqbal had added three marriages and two wives to his life. Interestingly, Iqbal’s first wife, who was living in Sialkot till that time, also decided to live with him in Lahore with his other two wives. Iqbal had two kids, Aftab and Mairaj, with his first wife, so, at a certain point in his life, Iqbal was living with three wives and two kids.

This polygamous setup of Iqbal’s household was not very practical and could not last long. One day, the mother of Iqbal’s first wife came over, told Iqbal that he was a very irresponsible husband and took her daughter and her daughter’s kids away with her. [3]

Iqbal’s various biographers agree that Sardar Begum was Iqbal’s favorite wife who was the most beautiful of the three. Iqbal had two kids, Muneera and Javed, with her. With the passage of time though, the love started to fade away from his relationship with Sardar Begum as well. Iqbal was not someone equipped with the abilities of coping with the demands of traditional family life. Sardar Begum also realized that though Iqbal was a successful poet and philosopher, he was a failure at being a good husband. This feeling led Sardar Begum to become irate towards Iqbal. Iqbal’s son, Javed Iqbal, describes the relationship between his parents by writing, “we were always short of money for household expenses so my mother wanted my father to take his law practice seriously. We were also renting at that time and my mother wanted us to buy a house. I can still recall the usual scene of my mother crying and cursing at my father and telling him that while she was working like a servant and making every effort to save some money, my father was busy lying down writing poetry, and my father laughing his embarrassed laugh.” [4]

This description of Iqbal’s household tells us that Iqbal, the great intellectual who could stare any politician, poet or intellectual in the eyes, could not give any satisfactory answer to his wife’s objections. If such was his relation with his favorite wife, one can imagine the state of his relationship with his other wives.

While living with three wives, Iqbal continued his correspondence with Atiya Faizi. Iqbal’s love life was so typical of the life of an Eastern poet; he couldn’t marry the woman he loved and he couldn’t love the women he married.

Iqbal never moved to Europe but he maintained contacts with European ladies. They used to come over to India and meet Iqbal and Iqbal showed equal enthusiasm meeting them. After the death of Sardar Begum, instead of hiring an Indian woman, Iqbal hired a German governess for Javed and Muneera who used to call her aunt Doris. It seems that Doris was serving dual purpose of looking after the kids and assuaging Iqbal’s nostalgia about Europe.

As a psycho-therapist, Iqbal’s love life came to me as a surprise. I am surprised to note that The Poet of the East, who had a solution for every problem afflicting his nation, remained clueless about the solutions of his own romantic and marital problems. I find it hard to believe that he got separated from his first wife and their kids after sixteen years of marriage, that he divorced his second wife based only on anonymous letters, that he realized that he was deceived only after he had consummated his marriage with his third wife, and more surprisingly, that he sought an edict from a cleric and then ignored the edict before marrying Sardar Begum a second time.

I guess Iqbal must have concluded from these experiences that it was easier for him to have a successful creative life than a successful marital life. Words came easy to Iqbal but the answers to the tough questions of his romantic dilemmas did not. Maybe that is why he wrote,


Iqbal baRa updeshak hai, mun baton main moh laita hai.
Guftaar ka yeh ghazi to bana, kirdaar ka ghazi ban naa saka.



References:

1- Letters and diary of Atiya Faizi. Translation by Zia uddin Ahmad Burni. Iqbal Academy, Karachi, Pakistan, 1969.
2- “Zikr-e-Iqbal”, Abdul Majeed Salik, Chaman Book Depot, Delhi, India (p. 95)
3- “Iqbal and his elder son, Aftab Iqbal”, Rasheeda Aftab, Ferozesons Karachi, Pakistan, 1999 (p. 80)
4- “Apna garebaN chaak”, Javed Iqbal, Sang-e-Meel Publishers, Lahore, Pakistan, 2002 (p. 20)

laazim hai dil ke paas rahay paas-baan-e-aql
lekin kabhi kabhi isay tan-ha bhi ch-hoR day

(It’s good to keep the heart under the guardianship of wisdom
but sometime the heart needs to be left alone)..........Iqbal

[yeezevee]

Nobel for Iqbal: myth vs reality so where is the truth

Research moves ahead on the basis of a hypothesis, the nomination of Iqbal for the Nobel Prize for literature is a well-known myth but it has been reinforced by some facts in such a way that it has become something more than a mere myth. Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Chughtai who was affectionately called “master ji” by Iqbal and was a regular visitor at his residence, once remarked on the issue of not awarding Nobel Prize to Iqbal as “a political expediency of the West” [1] and said “it has hurt the Indian intellectuals” [2].

Mohammad Ikram Chughtai while quoting Ram Babu Saksena has mentioned that there was a time when Iqbal was discussed as a deserving candidate for Nobel Prize. Chughtai also cites Ghulam Rasool Mehar’s article in daily Amroz (April 21, 1950), Faqir Syed Waheed ud Din’s “Rozgaar-e-Faqir”, Syed Qudrat Naqvi’s “Ghalib Agahi”, and countless other sources to prove his point in his “Iqbal and Tagore”[3]. After all these references, Iqbal’s nomination for the Nobel Prize and the enthusiasm shown by his friends towards this is no more an assumption. The immediate English translations and reviews of Iqbal’s works like “Pyaam-e-Mashriq” and “Asrar-e-Khudi” right after their publication further enhance this supposition.

My utmost desire during my stay at Heidelberg University (Germany) was to get hold of the record made public by the Royal Swedish Academy, Stockholm (Sweden) after 50 years, which can clarify misunderstandings and bring forth numerous new facts regarding Iqbal’s nomination. My endeavor was basically to find out the story of rejection/acceptance of his nomination. This record would also reveal whether Iqbal and Tagore were nominated for the Nobel Prize the same year? Whether Iqbal was ever a nominee for the Prize, and if he was, who nominated him and what year was he nominated in? Who were the other nominees and what their creative claim to fame was? What were the reasons behind the rejection of his nomination? I believe that no one has ever looked at this record with all these questions in one’s mind, or there would not have been as many mythical stories in this regard. Another important aspect of the issue is that these stories have passed on from one generation to the next through word of mouth. Some of Iqbal’s friends, then, put it into writing, details of which would be discussed below.

According to their policy, the management of the Royal Swedish Academy has given access to their archives from 1901 to 1966 which have been published in 2 volumes. The record for every year is given separately. The first volume contains record till the year 1920 and the second one contains the archives from 1921 to 1966. Names of the persons nominated have been alphabetically arranged in an index, which facilitates in finding out the record of a certain person in the book. This record includes the nominees for each year, the names of the proposers (person or institution) for each nomination, opinions and recommendations of the committee members, the final report of the Chairperson of the committee along with the name of respective Nobel Prize laureates of the year concerned.

For example, when Tagore won the Nobel Prize he was nominated along with 28 other poets and literary figures [4]. Along with the name of each nominee are given the names of the persons/institutions that recommended him/her. However, some of recommendations are quite baffling. For example, Gorki was recommended in 1923. However, it is not clear who recommended him. The nomination and rejection of Tolstoy for this award is common knowledge but the nomination and rejection of Gorky was a revelation for us [5]. Gorky was nominated in 1923 but that year the award was won by Yeats who was nominated for many years consecutively [6].

This record also sheds light on the fact that a poet or a writer was nominated numerous times before winning the award, for example, T.S Elliot was nominated for 4 years consecutively. Elliot was first nominated in 1945 but the award was given to Gabriela Mistral. He was again nominated in 1946, but the Prize was won by Harman Heyse. In 1947, Elliot was nominated again, but the Prize was won by Andre Gide. Only in 1948 when he was nominated for the 4th time did he manage to win the award [7].

The consent of the person nominated is required before his name is proposed for the Prize to the committee. The repeated nominations and rejections weaken the perception that great literary figures did not bother about worldly/material benefit. In the light of this record, the tales of lack of interest in worldly gain of great literary figures like T. S. Elliot, Harman Heyse, George Barnard Shaw and Sartar, appear to be mere fairytales. It is pertinent to mention here that Elliot was not nominated by one person alone, he was recommended by many people simultaneously including Prof. Donald A Staffer of Princeton University, and Justin O’ Brien of Colombia University for the nominations in the year 1948 [8]. Nomination of Elliot for 4 consecutive years appears to be a small thing when you see nominations of a few persons for 18 years [9]. There are very few people who won the Nobel on their first nomination [10].

Muslim nominees are almost non-existent when it comes to literature, and if you find any Muslim nomination, it is of Egyptian literary figures. According to the record, Taha Hussain was nominated by Latif Al Sayed in 1949 but he could not win [11]. In the field of literature one would only come across two winners from Muslim world, Naguib Mahfouz and Orhan Pamuk.

To get to the bottom of the legend that Iqbal and Tagore were nominated for the prize the same year, we need to examine the record from the year Tagore won. Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913. According to the records of the Academy, the total number of nominations that year was 28. I cannot go into the details of each nomination and who had made these recommendations. However, in the year Tagore won he was given preference over such names as Thomas Hardy and Anatole France [12].

Iqbal is not included in the list of the nominations that year and this should put an end to the debate that Iqbal and Tagore were nominated for the Prize in the same year. Similarly, it should put an end to the baseless stories and reasoning like ‘the imprint of Islamic concepts and Iqbal's inclination towards ideals such as jihad became the main reasons for his not fitting the West's criterion for this literary award and instead Tagore, who is better known for his sensitivity wrapped in sweet aroma of jute, was awarded this prestigious honor’ should be consigned to dustbin.

well the conclusion is There is no nomination of Sir Muhammad Iqbal in the archives of the Swedish Academy'' .. read it all at the link that is from Dr. Khalid Mahmood Sanjrani is assistant professor of Urdu language and literature at Government College University, Lahore.

[yeezevee]

Allama Iqbal translated poems from " A message From The East"

How nice a thing it were
If every traveller
Who wants to travel far and fast
Could go free from the trammels of the past.
If blind conformity were good,
The Prophet himself would
Have gone the way
Of Arabs in an earlier day

If you do not possess
The power to forgive,
Go, get to grips with those
Who have wronged you.
Do not nurse hatred in your heart.
O do not make your honey sour
By mixing vinegar with it.

I am one who has walked around
The Harem with an idol under my arms.
I am one who has shouted Allah’s name
When idols were in front of me.

[yeezevee]

BRAHAMAN

Why blame idols for their winsome ways?
It is in the Brahmin’s nature to adore.
He keeps fashioning new idols; for
He gets bored stiff with the ones he has.
Do not tell me of the highwaymen:
His own robber is the traveler here.
If you crown the common people, then
You will find oppression is still there.
Never does greed die out of men’s hearts:
In a furnace fire must always blaze.
Power’s sorceress has the same arts
Irrespective of the part she plays.
“Shirin’s beauty never goes abegging:
Khusroes or Farhads are never lacking.”

EINSTEIN

Like Moses he sought a theophany
Until his mind, in quest of light,
Unveiled its mystery.
A moment’s flight from heaven’s height
To the observer’s eye—
Such is the unimaginable speed
Of its fast‐beating wings, indeed.
Sequestered, it lies at the core
Of black coal in a pit.
When manifest in its full glory, it
Burns up like straw a bush on Mount Sinai.
Unchanging in this magic world of more
Or less, of high and low,
Of far and near, of to and fro,
Its make‐up has in it two sets
Of qualities, engaged in mutual strife,
Like brightness, darkness, soothing, burning,
life
And death, one of which sets begets
The angels and the houris, while
The other shows in Ahriman the vile.
What can I say about this subtle‐minded sage
Except that from

The race of Moses and of Aaron there has
come
A Zarathustra in our age?

[yeezevee]

Syed Zaid Hamid taks about Allama Iqbal and Islam

[yeezevee]