Allama Muhammad Iqbal, a name popular for his philosophical understandings, his poetry and his contribution to one of the biggest historical movements, which lead towards the partition of the subcontinent.
This is the most general explanation our generation gives when asked, “Who is Iqbal?” Although it’s not incorrect, I suppose it is unjust to label Iqbal as just a “poet”; he was more than this, his poetry was more than this, he was a revolutionist, a source of light in the dark, and a ray of hope in the lives of the Muslims then. He laid the basis of one of the greatest historical movements, and his poetry were not mere words, rather they touched the heart of the nation and stirred in them a new soul; Iqbal not only made place in history but also in our hearts.
Field Marshal and former president Muhammad Ayyub Khan in the foreign affairs, while writing about “Pakistan’s Perspective” said, “It is a common fallacy to believe that the concept of Pakistan was formed in a poets dream. The poet, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, was no idle dreamer. Nor can countries like Pakistan, 364 737 square miles; population 80,000,000 spring from the nebulous realm of poetry alone. Iqbal was in fact a philosopher of traditional as well as modern thought who had made a careful study of human affairs, both East and West, and focused the study of his inquiry on the causes of economic and cultural subjugation to which the Muslims of India had been systematically subjected since their first abortive struggle for independence in 1857.”
Mothers have made it a duty to tell their children that this land was not created in a day; this land gained its freedom out of the blood and lives of many people. This land was established on a fundamental belief that Muslims are a separate nation and need a common representation.
Although history has been fed to us ever since we were young. But why is it that we fail to value Pakistan the way our forefathers did? Why is it that we take the sacrifices of those that have gone before us for granted? Why do we claim to love our homeland, and yet, not value the principles on the basis of which it was created?
Mothers have made it a duty to tell their children that this land was not created in a day; this land gained its freedom out of the blood and lives of many people. This land was established on a fundamental belief that Muslims are a separate nation and need a common representation
Despite being taught history ever since we were young, we as children were made to learn and therefore all they did was just learn, and never understand.
If seen from the perspective of a normal Pakistani adult, our country, our leaders and our people have entered into a state of anarchy. We’ve become a population that has lost basic understanding of how a nation should coexist despite differences; we have become slaves to our self-created status quo and have learned that domination comes from the power of money, the power that can be exercised on the weak. Although, a single category of people are not to be blamed, and to fall into this conversation would lead to utter chaos, let’s choose to stay away from this discussion for now.
Increasing catastrophes day by day have erased hope from the hearts of our people, and history has repeated itself to some extent. Once again we find ourselves fighting for our freedom, fighting for the Pakistan we all dream of, fighting for independence. In this state of commotion I suppose we can make Iqbal our clarity once again by understanding his message, which he left behind, that has become eternal in the books of life. This time let’s understand the hidden and apparent of Iqbal’s philosophies that can help us on an individual and state level.
Before jumping into what Iqbal wanted us to understand, here’s another side to what we can comprehend from his views.
Allama Iqbal was strictly against Western ideologies regarding Nationalism, according to Iqbal this kind of doctrine would only serve to eliminate peace from human kind. Iqbal believed that European nationalism was disastrous and only brought misery to the world. He was a firm believer of peace among nations and abolition of hatred among them. He supposed that the “dogma of aggressive nationalism which believed in the welfare, betterment and superiority of one nation to the detriment of the other, was essentially an imported product from Europe and was totally repugnant to Islamic cultural thought and Sharia.” (Muhammad Aslam: Muslim Political Thought).
Allama Iqbals concept of nationalism is based on the teachings of the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS). According to the Quran one cannot be superior to another on the basis of colour, race etc. the only condition in which one is superior to another is in the matter of faith. Territories and nations were made for mere recognition and a pattern on which the human race can survive, these are not marks of superiority. The Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) said:
“An Arab has no superiority to a non-Arab, nor has the non-Arab any superiority to an Arab. Likewise, a white man is in no way superior to a black man nor is the black man superior to the white man except by virtue of God-consciousness.”
China’s nationalism is a product of pride in their history and culture, along with a feeling of humiliation at the hands of Western powers and Japan. On the other hand, America’s nationalism has been formed due to its pride in the success of their economy, technology, culture, imperialistic expansion and ideology. Excessive nationalism leads towards belief in the superiority of one nation to the disadvantage of another, one nation that with time becomes stronger and stronger, making it and its people superior to other nations. According to Iqbal this ideology will cause more harm than good. Iqbal believed in the ideology of equality that has been stated in the Holy Quran and by our Holy Prophet (SAWS), he was a lover of peace and therefore promoted the theory of amity.
Moreover, Iqbal suggested that politics and religion must be taken alongside and that one shall not be separated from the other. Dissociation between politics and religion would only cause cultural backwardness and political disintegration. Allama Iqbal warned the Muslims that if they separate politics from religion they will ultimately become backward culturally and morally.
Two of the key concepts that we can derive from Iqbal’s views on nationalism and politics is that, he wanted the Muslims to establish a system based on equality and Sharia laws. According to him a country can only become successful if its leaders follow Islamic system of Governance rather than Western agendas. Moreover, unity and strong coherence with faith can pave a path towards success.
Iqbal’s hatred towards excessive nationalism explains to us on an individual level that we must erase all sorts of differences among ourselves, and one must not take another as an inferior being on the basis of their rank, status and money. We must wipe out the status quo from our system and build up a community where everyone has equal rights, and everyone is treated similarly. If we, on an individual level, plan to obliterate all status, cast and religious conflicts, we can set up a base for the Government to execute its laws in the right way.
Mothers play an important role in society; in fact, they are the creators of tomorrow. Therefore, it is a duty upon each mother, to raise awareness among the future generation and put an end to various differences that have become the root cause of our destruction. Change is an idea, a dream we’ve been dreaming for too long. It’s time to open up our eyes towards our surroundings and fight for what we believe in rather than dream altogether of how Pakistan could have been and how it never was. Pakistan is what it is because those before us chose to sleep for their own convenience, waiting for the right leader, the right time. There is none, there never will be, as long as we close our eyes towards what we’ve created and seek resolution through elections and mere hope. In our journey towards personal and societal reform, we may not have Iqbal to guide us, but we do have his words, that still serve the same purpose.
“har dardmand dil ko rona mra rula dy
beyhosh jo pary hain shayad inhey jaga dy.”
(from “Aarzu” by AIlama Iqbal)
The writer is a poetess. She can be reached at [email protected]