Graphics by : Sanam Ashraf
In our childhood, whenever we were asked about our favorite personality it has always been narrowed down to only 2. One of them was Quaid-e-Azam and the second one was none other than our National Poet “Allama Iqbal”. We always consider someone our idol because of the efforts of that particular person. It would be wrong to say that Allama Iqbal is not our national hero because the efforts which were made by him were marvelous. Whether it was his poetry or other practical efforts, he never left a chance behind to help the Muslim nation. So let us learn more about our National Hero with respect to his personal life as well as his professional life.
Allama Iqbal was born on 9th November 1877. His birth place was Sialkot. Allama Iqbal persuaded his profession as a poet. From the very beginning he was recognized as a philosopher. Through his profession he helped Muslims a lot in gaining freedom as well as their equal status. Iqbal received his early education from a Government College located in Lahore. For his further studies he went to London, received a degree in Philosophy and was qualified as a barrister.
So from here we get an impression of Allama Iqbal as a barrister but the main fame did not come from his law practice but the poetry which was written in Persian and Urdu. At that time poetries were mostly written in Urdu but when poetries started to come in Persian language, they gained success on a whole other level. The topics of these poetries mostly revolved around “selfhood, self-confidence and also to identify our own selves”. Through this type of poetry, Allama Iqbal made Muslims strong enough so they can fight for their own rights. In other words, the poetry of Allama Iqbal was an eye-opener for most of the Muslims.
His work was much appreciated when Muslims finally started to realize that they do need a separate land where they can easily spend their lives in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Allama Iqbal was a firm supporter of Two-Nation Theory but by looking at the biased attitude and reckless behavior of Britishers, he was left with no choice except to struggle for the freedom of Muslims. On every point he proved himself by showing his sincerity to Muslim nation and not only that but he also struggled hard enough for the rights of Muslim nation. Pakistan was the dream of Allama Iqbal and through his efforts he also gave an important lesson that if anyone is actually willing to achieve his goals, no power in this world could stop him. Due to the combined efforts of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal, Muslims were able to receive a separate homeland.
Books:
Some of the famous books written by Allama Iqbal are mentioned below.
- The secrets of the self (1915)
- Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa (1913)
- The Call of the Marching Bell (1924)
- Gabriel’s Wing (1935)
- Zaboor-e-Ajam (1927)
All and all the efforts of Allama Iqbal can never be neglected at any cost. To show our love and respect to him, we celebrate 9th November as “Iqbal Day” where everyone remembers him and pays their best regards to him. In order to become a national hero, you must sacrifice for the sake of others and Allama Iqbal undoubtedly did this task very efficiently.