Muhammad Iqbal

Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal محمد اِقبال‎
Allama Muhammad Iqbal
Born	Muhammad Iqbal (1877-11-09)9 November 1877 Sialkot, Punjab Province, British India, (now in Punjab, Pakistan)
Died	21 April 1938(1938-04-21) (aged 60) Lahore, Punjab, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan)
Nationality	British Indian
Other names	Poet of the East شاعر مشرق‎
Alma mater	Scotch Mission College (F.A.) Government College (B.A., M.A.) University of Cambridge (B.A.) University of Munich (Ph.D.)
Notable work	The Secrets of the Self, The Secrets of Selflessness, Message from the East, Persian Psalms, Javid Nama (more works)
Era	20th-century philosophy
Region	British India
Main interests	Urdu poetry, Persian poetry, Law
Notable ideas	Two-nation theory, Allahabad Address
Influences Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, Syed Mir Hassan, Rumi, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Nietzsche, Henri Bergson, Thomas Walker Arnold
Influenced Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan Movement, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Ale Ahmed Suroor, Ali Shariati, Fateh Muhammad Malik

Allama Muhammad Iqbal (November 9, 1877 – April 21, 1938), widely known as Allama Iqbal, was a Muslim poet and philosopher. Allama Iqbal gave the idea of Pakistan. He became the national poet of Pakistan after his death. He is also known as the poet of East. He wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian. His poetry is considered to be revolutionary. His vision of an independent state for the Muslims of British India was a starting point for the creation of Pakistan. He is commonly referred to as Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

Early life and education

Muhammad Iqbal was born on 9 November 1877. His father was Sheikh Noor Muhammad, who worked in a small government job but later started his own business, and his mother was Imam Bibi. Both Allama Iqbal's mother and father were very pious and religious-minded people and devoted to a simple life. After early Islamic education and then secondary at a small school in Sialkot, Iqbal was admitted to the Scottish Murray College, Sialkot, where he topped the higher secondary examinations and got a scholarship to study at the famous Government College, Lahore, for BA. On going to live in the hostel there, Iqbal met Professor Arnold, an English teacher who taught many things to Iqbal and guided him in his studies of philosophy and literature. He was very young at that time.

Early career

Iqbal became well known as a new poet and writer. He used to go to attend the 'Mushaira' at the haveli of Hakim Syed Aminuddin, in BhaatiGate area of Old Lahore city—here, he met many famous poets and writers and began to write good poems which became very popular. He was guided by Mirza Dagh. His first famous poem, Koh i Himala was also printed in Makhzan magazine, owned by Hakim Shuja uddin and Sir Abdul Qadir

After doing his BA and MA from Government College, Lahore, Iqbal was appointed a professor there. In 1905, he was selected for higher studies at the University of London, and then he went to Munich, Germany, where he took a PHD degree. After all his study, Iqbal decided to go back and teach and also practice law in India.

Later career, poetic and ideological work

He taught some senior classes at Government College and also practiced Law at Lahore High Court. At the same time, he wrote many famous poems such as Asrar i Khudi, Ramuz i Bekhudi, Payam i Mashriq, Zabur i Ajam, Bang i Dara, Bal i Jibrail and etc. Because of his learning and knowledge, people soon began to call him 'Allama' Iqbal. In 1922, King George V of Britain, giving him the title of Allama 'Sir' Muhammad Iqbal. He was awarded 5 awards.

He was always concerned about the thoughts, ideas and condition of Muslims everywhere, but specially Indian Muslims who were under British Rule and threatened by the Brahman ruling population. Iqbal believed strongly in Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's 'Two Nation theory' that Muslims and Hindus were two separate nations and should be allowed to live separately. He put forward this idea again in his famous Allahabad Address to the Muslim League, in 1930, and preached this in his poems and lectures. Allama's words and ideas inspired many Muslims, some of whom became leaders of the Muslim League. He was very popular amongst the Muslim masses too. Being such an influential poet for the Muslims of India, Iqbal also saw the Iqbal Day being celebrated during his lifetime across the sub-continent.

Death

He died on 21 April 1938 in Lahore, Punjab, British India.

Related pages

• List of Urdu language poets
• List of notable Lahoris