Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1877 - 1938)

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Iqbal is one of the finest urdu poets of the last century. He is perhaps most well known in India for his poem "Sarey jahan sey achha Hindostthan hamarah". It is ironic that he is also considered as having sown the seeds of Pakistan since he asserted the need for an Islamic State in the north-west India (though under British rule) at the annual conference of the All India Muslim League in 1930.

Iqbal was born in Siyalkot, Punjab, now in Pakistan, as Allama Muhammad Iqbal. In his early youth, he was taught by Moulana Mir Hasan, the reputed teacher of Arabian, Persian and Urdu, and then by Dr Thomas Arnold of Lahore Government College. A brilliant scholar, with a First Class First Master’s degree in Philosophy from Punjab University, he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, and later was awarded a Ph.D. degree by Munich University of Germany for his work entitled "The Development of Metaphysics in Persia". In 1908, he also became a barrister.

On his return to India, he taught for a while in Lahore Government College, but left it when he realised that government service restricted his freedom of expression. He became a practising lawyer, but never made much money. He developed only a limited practice that kept him supplied with the ordinary requirements of life. Iqbal had started writing poetry in his student days at Lahore. He used to mail his poems to the noted Urdu poet Mirza Dagh in Hyderabad, who used to correct it and mail it back to him. Soon his verses began to be appreciated in literary circles in Lahore and get published in the Urdu monthly called Makhzan.

Before visiting England, Iqbal had been a Nationalist. On his return from England, he wrote poetry that was clearly Islamic. After the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, his poetry had socialistic strains. Iqbal wrote both in Persian and Urdu, his Urdu poetry first being published as a book only when Iqbal was 51.Among his books of Urdu poetry are: Bangey Awaz, Baley Jibril, Jarvey Kaleem, and Armaganey Hezaz.

In 1923, he received a knighthood from the British Government. Iqbal’s poetry was more philosophical than romantic. Here's a ghazal of his I like.

tere ishq kii intahaa chaahataa huu.N
merii saadagii dekh kyaa chaahataa huu.N

And his ever popular one ...

saare jahaa.N se achchhaa, hindostaa.n hamaaraa
ham bulabule hai.n isakii, vo gulasitaa.n hamaaraa

Ghazals

List of some of his popular ghazals

• aataa hai yaad mujhako guzaraa huaa zamaanaa
• ajab vaa_iz kii diin-daarii hai yaa rab
• gulazaar-e-hast-o-buu na begaanaavaar dekh
• gesuu-e- taabadaar ko aur bhii taabadaar kar
• ham mashriq ke musalamaano.n kaa dil maGrib me.n jaa aTakaa hai
• kabhii ai haqiiqat-e-mu.ntazir nazar aa libaas-e-majaaz me.n
• Khird ke paas Khabar ke siwaa kuchh aur nahii.n
• lab pe aatii hai duaa banake tamannaa merii
• mohabbat ka junuu.N baaqii nahii.n hai
• nahii.n minnat-kash-e-taab-e-shaniidan daastaa.N merii
• saKhtiyaa.N karataa huu.N dil par Gair se Gaafil huu.N mai.n
• sitaaro.n se aage jahaa.N aur bhii hai.N
• tere ishq kii intahaa chaahataa huu.N
• tuu abhii rahaguzar me.n hai qaid-e-makaam se guzar
• Zamii.n-o-aasmaa.N - mumkin hai ke tu jisako samajhataa hai bahaaraa.N

Links

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A speech on Iqbal's Persian poetry, with translations

A view of Iqbal as an Islamic scholar

Nita's Lyrics Page