Remembering Iqbal the great

[Ali Ahmad Syed]

Today, as the death anniversary of Allama Iqbal is being commemorated through public rituals and proclamations, one should ask if today’s Pakistan bears any resemblance to his ‘dream’, which was the outcome of a lifetime of deep thinking and feeling, study, creativity and prayer.

What is our current position in light of Iqbal’s dreams and aspirations? Following is a poem which is describing our current position exactly.


Need worthy, mature and objective discussion please.

[Ali Ahmad Syed]

The dilemma is, we never try to understand the philosophy of Iqbal. We made that great man a ceremonial man, a figurehead, a man for ceremonies. Other countries did much more work than us on philosophies of Iqbal.

Hai mussawar-e-Pakistan hum sharminda ain.............!

[SADIA SHAFIQ]

reading of worth ambition,observing of worth emotion,
understanding iqbal as to unknit subtle knot.

I loved ye(iqbal) and want to subjective in objectivity.i swept in poetic philosphy of iqbal like a ruthless waves shackling and wreeking havoc and rain shed from my eye shade.i am insane for him

[Call for Change]

Today I attended a program on Ghalib and Dr Omer Adil was guest there. U know he told an incident which showed how we have forgotten our National Hero. He said " Today one of my patient called me and asked for appointment . I asked him to come 9: 30. He said it will be too late and i replied that i m going to attend a program on a poet . my patient replied yes i think today is anniversary of some poet so are u going to attend a program about him . i replied with grief that he is not some anonymous poet he is Allama Iqbal whose anniversary is today. " huh

So, that's how we are remembering our National Hero. May Allah Bless His Soul Ameen

[khuhro]

Iqbal was not only a historic person, which is forgoted by this nation. many of our historic peoples spend their lives for betterment of the country and dreamed for this nation. Iqbal's every work shows courage and love for nation. however mostly his poetry is communicate with youngsters for their courage to work for the nation. I just say One line, Iqbal was a institute which teach us lots of things with his dreams. now we have that reality where we can fulfill the extent of his dreams.

and my most favorite lines since childhood

Lap pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna... meri...
Zindgi shama ki surat ho Khudaya meri...
meri Door duniya ka mere dam se andhera hojaye...
Har jagah mere chamakne se ujala hojaye....
Ho mere dum se yohe mere watan ki zeenat....
Jistara phool se hoti hai chaman ki zeenat.....
Zindigi ho meri parwaane ki soorat ya rab...
Ilm ki shama se ho mujko mohabat ya rab...
Ho mera kaam ghareebon ki himayat karna...
Dardmandon se, Zaeefon se muhabbat karna...
Mere Allah! Buraee se bachana mujhko..
Naik jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujhko ...

[samanaa]

Khudhi Ko ker bulund itna ke
Har taqdeer se phele Khuda bande se puichay
"Bata teri raza kya hai
--------------------------------

Yu tho syed bhi ho, Mirza bhi ho, Afghan bhi ho
Tum sabhi kuch ho batao kya musalman bhi ho

-----------------------------------------

Teri dua se kaza to badal nahi sakti
magar hai is se yeh mumkin ke tu badal jaye
Teri dua hai ke ho teri Aarzoo poori
Meri dua hai teri Aarzoo badle yaye.

WE ALL MISS IQBAL...!

[candidguy]

well,Iqbal's greatness still remains ineffable for me.I simply find words short whenever i try to describe him.

I have written his this poem on the first page of my every book.

Tu Rahnaward-e- shauq hai, manzil na kar qubool
Laila bhi hum nashiN ho to manzil na kar qubool

Aye jou-e-aab barh ke ho darya-e-tundo-tez
Sahil tujhe atta ho to sahil na kar qubool

Subh-e-azal yeh mujh se kaha Jibraeel nay
Jo aqal ka ghulam ho woh dil na kar qubool

[Ali Ahmad Syed]

1 Din Allama Iqbal k sath...!

Q. When did Iqbal usually get up in the morning?
A. Very early. As a matter of fact, he slept very little. He was keen on his morning prayer. After the prayer he read the Qur'an.

Q. In what manner did he read the Qur'an?
A. Before his throat was affected, he used to recite the Qur'an in a clear and melodious voice. Even after he got the throat disease he used to read the Qur'an but not loudly.

Q. What did he usually do after he had finished his prayer and recitation?
A. He used to sit in an easy-chair. I would prepare his "hookah" and place it before him. He would study the briefs of cases which were to come up in court that day. Now and then, while still at his files, he would have moments of poetic inspiration.

Q. How did you know when he was in his poetic mood?
A. He would call me and say: "Bring my note book and my pencil." When I brought these, he would write down the verses in pencil. Now and then, when he did not feel satisfied with his composition, he was extremely restless. While composing he would often ask for the Qur'an to be brought to him. Even otherwise he called for the Qur'an a number of times in the day.

Q. What time did he usually go to court when he was practising at the bar?
A. He used to leave 15 or 20 minutes before court time. As long as he lived in Anarkali [his house, which is no longer in existence, was where the New Market, Lahore, is now] he used to go to court in his horse carriage. Later, he bought a car.

Q. How long was he active as a legal practictioner?
A. He was in practice until he got his throat disease which was around 1932 or 1933.

Q. What did he do on return from court?
A. Before doing anything else he used to ask me to help him take off his court clothes. He was never fond of formal dress and used to put it only for the court and that also with effort.

Q. What did he do after changing his dress?
A. He composed verses whenever he felt like it.

Q. Did he sleep in the afternoon?
A. Not usually, but he did so now and then.

Q. At what time did he take his meals?

A. Between 12 and 1 o'clock in the day. He ate only one meal. Normally he did not eat in the evening.

Q. What were his favourite dishes?
A. He was fond of pulao, mash-ki-daal seasoned with ghee, karela stuffed with minced meat, and also khushka.

Q. Did he like many dishes at his meals?
A. No, there were only a few dishes at a time. He was a poor eater.

Q. Did he take any exercise?
A. In the early days, he did. In those days he used dum-bells, and performed dand [a stretching exercise].

Q. Was he interested in games and sports?
A. He was interested in watching wrestling matches.

Q. Was he in the habit of going out in the evening?
A. Getting out in the evening was almost an impossibility with him. In the earlier days when he was living inside Bhati Gate [where he lived before going to Cambridge, England in 1905], he would sometimes walk as far as the platform outside the house of Hakim Shahbazuddin [a close friend of the poet]. Once in a while Sir Zulfiqar Ali [of the ruling family of Malerkotla; author of book on poet 'A voice from the East'] would come in his car and take him out.

Q. When did he go to sleep in the evening?
A. In the evening a number of friends and visitors used to call on him. These sittings went on till 9 or 10 o'clock. After this he sat alone with Ch. Mohammad Husain and recited to him the verses he had composed during the day.

Q. How long did Choudhry Sahib normally stay?
A. Up to 12 or 1 o'clock in the night. After this Doctor Sahib would go to bed, but would get up for his Tahajjud prayer after he had hardly slept for two or three hours.

Q. And after the Tahajjud?
A. He used to lie down for a short time until it was time for the morning prayers.


The above extracts are from an interview with Mian Ali Bakhsh, the life-long domestic assistant of Allama Muhammad Iqbal. It was conducted by Pakistani man of letters Mumtaz Hasan on 23 September 1957.