Remembering Allama Iqbal

Recited by Muhammed Ali in his majestic voice:

Listen to:`` Masjid-i-Qurtuba``:

A complete set of the entire Kalaam , farsi & urdu, read and recited by Muhammed Ali, the great orator-Actor, is available from Iqbal Academy. A video production is in the works. The Director, Suheyl Umer shared with me some of the highlights & plans. It seems that we could expect a high calibre production.

#134 by Naqshbandi on April 16, 2006 5:45am PT
there is i believe letters from his german language teacher, maybe it was a love affair, i`m not sure. we must also remember at that time europe was very racist society,all we have to do is read the history of jews in germany at that time, also european society was very conservative, catholic would`t marry a protestant etc.

Re: # 143

bhai, having an affair with someone and marrying them are two different things....
I`m not saying they got it on but it is a possibility and racism doesn`t come into affairs of the heart.

PALGIARISM
#135 by Naqshbandi on April 16, 2006 5:53am PT
Re: # 129

Zeena,


{{Comparing one of the greatest minds of the past century to an obscure Pushtu poet! }}

This is exactly what I have been pointing out in my previous posts. Majority of Pakistanis depict this typical mindset with prejudice and narrowminded approach towards pushtoons and Punjabies are exclusive among them.

Samething that Lahorie/sialkotie Iqbal did ............intellectual dishonesty. That is why he is the biggest PALGIARIST of th century.

He infact cut and paste Khushal Khan Baba`s ideology and didn`t have decency to admit it.

Mantra

Are you a Hindu? If you are, and your name is not Subhash Gatade, then Hindus might as well pick up their marbles and go home. Mother Earth does not have strong enough shoulders to carry the weight of so much stupidity.

Urdu daanoN keliye...






***
the BEST book in English for those who want an introduction to Iqbal and his poetry is the following by Mustansir Mir:

Tulip in the Desert

I think it is fair to say that Allama Sahib`s views changed a lot throughout his life and that is natural for an intellectual. Many things change our perceptions and views including, above all, experience and our education.

He was influenced by many factors: his pious father`s deep spirituality and traditonal sufi Islam, his mother`s love, Maulvi Shams al Ulama, his teachers at his school and at Govt College Lahore especially the English professor (can`t recall his name: Arnold?), his time in Cambridge, and London, his years in Munich in Germany, Rumi, the so called Muslim progressives of the Aligarh Movement (Ross Masood being one of his best friends), Indian nationalism, the plight of Muslims, Islamic history--both political and philosophical, world current affairs, Nietzsche and Western philosophical thought, and so on. A man is not an island...
His views on Islam were what could probably be called today `reformist` or modernist except for one crucial aspect:

His deep love for the Beloved Prophet and his Family stayed with him throughout his life and his longing for Madina and spiritual union with Huzoor Paak increased as his life reached its end. This is evident from the Persian Armaghan i Hijaz as Anne-Marie Schimmel has so clearly shown.

He was a complex man, a great man and a visionary one. Being human he was also flawed but his greatness is beyond doubt.

More on Iqbal and Women:

There is also the alleged affair between Allama Sahib and Attiya Faizi -- a rich Bombay socialite -- whilst in Europe....and there is a lot of existing correspondence between them. That they were close friends is undisputed. Whether they were lovers too is a matter of scholarly debate. Certainly when he came to Germany he made a point of inviting only her from his English friends to come and visit him in Germany and they spent a lot of time together alone...:-)

She even wrote a book about him which is out of print now and which I`d love to read...

Re: # 136
sorry not sure if she was from Bombay or Delhi!

#132 by mantra

The emphasis on nationalism was only ``For the present`` till individual nation-state problems were resolved. The ultimate objective though is clear in the following verses. Iqbal was vehemently against politics and called for return of Khilafat.

Rabt-o-zabt-e-millat-e-baiza hai mashriq ki nijaat
Asia waley hain iss nuktey say ab tak baykhabar

Phir syasat chor ker daakhil hisaar-e-deen main ho
Mulk-o-dolat hai faqat hifz-e-haram ka ik samar

Nas`l Muslim ki agar mazhab per muqaddam ho gayi
Urr gaya duniya say tu manind-e-khaak-e-reh guzar

Aik hon Muslim, Haram ki paasbani kay liyey
Neel kay saahil say ley ker ta-ba-khaak-e-Kashghar

Ta Khilafat ki bina duniya main ho phir ustawaar
La kaheen say dhoond ker islaaf ka qalb-o-jigar

Aey kay nashnasi khafi ra az jali, hoshyaar baash
Aey giraftar-e-Abu Bakar-o-Ali, hoshyaar baash

(Meanings: Rabt-e-zabt-e-millat-e-baiza = unity of Muslim nation; nijaat = freedom; nuktey = point; baykhabar = ignored; syasat = politics; hisaar-e-deen = Islam; hifz-e-haram = by product of religion; Nas`l = Race; muqaddam = priority; manind-e-khaak-e-reh guzar = Like dust of the road/being worthless; pasbanai = protection; Ta ba khak-e- Kashghar = Land of Kashghar; Ta Khilafat ki bina = Referring to Pious Caliphs and their system; ustawaar = reactivation; Islaaf = Ancestors; qalb-o-jigar = Strength and Faith; giraftar-e-Abu Bakar-o-Ali = Referring to those Muslims who always praise Abu Bakar and Ali for their bravery, but never follow them; hoshyar baash = Attention)

How was Iqbal a pan-Islamist, exactly? From the below he doesn`t seem to want an Islamic supra-state.

http://www.yespakistan.com/iqbal/reconstruction/6-2.asp

For the present every Muslim nation must sink into her own deeper self, temporarily focus her vision on herself alone, until all are strong and powerful to form a living family of republics.

---

Was it something that happened to him later on?

#130 by aslam644

No! no evidence. not even 1 male witness.

echooboom
``The poetry composed by a bevy of german girls who surrounded him on his farewell picnic showering him with flower-petals. Strangley, no men were invited.``

WHAT EVIDENCE IS THERE THAT THIS EVENT ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE.
I KNOW FROM BRITISH HISTORY AROUND THAT TIME GIRLS WENT TO SEPARATE COLLEGES, I`M NOT SURE ABOUT GERMANY.

Re: # 130

His own son Javed Iqbal mentions it in his biography of Allama Sahib called Zindarud. Iqbal referred to his time in Germany as ``the best years of my life``. Letters between him and his various German frauleins exist.

#120 anil
anil jii

I have also Kashmiri Brahmin ancestory b/c of my maternal grand mother and I have also Pathan ancestory b/c of my father(I am half Pathan and half Kashmiri Brahmin). This is the main reason I got interested in Iqbal and Khushal Khan Baba. In my comparsion I found out that Iqbal stole all his ideology from Khaushal Khan Baba and also he abused Islam and mis guided Muslims. He was a dishonest so called pseudo scholar who sadly plagiarized.

I read Iqbal and Khushal Khan baba when I was in my 10th grade. Latter, I didn`t have much time to read`em now.

anil jii

Here are some headings for you from Khan Baba`s poetry. Most of his poetry has been destroyed in Afghan war with Russians.

((From C. Biddulph, Afghan Poetry Of The 17th Century: Being Selections from the Poems of Khushal Khan Khattak (London, 1890)))


``Adam Kheleh Afridei``
Life`s no life when honor`s left
The knowing, the perceptive man
The coming of winter

Here is one poem for you by Khan Baba`s poetry.

As I look on I am amazed
At this worlds denizens,

Just seeing what these dogs will do

To satisfy the flesh.

Such dealing as are brought about,

Men being what they are,

Satan himself could not devise,

Still less consider fair.

They place before them the Koran,

They read aloud from it,

But of their actions not a one

Conforms with the Koran.

In which direction should I go?

Where should I seek for them?

Wise men have now become as rare

As the alchemists stone.

Good men are like garnets and rubies,

Not often to be found,

While other common, worthless men,

Like common stones, abound.

It may be that in other lands

Good men are to be found

But they are few and far between,

I know, among Afghans.

However much he counsels hem

And gives him sound advice,

Not even his own fathers word

Does he consider good.

And yet Afghans, in all their deeds,

Are better than the Moguls;

but unanimity they lack,

and there`s is the pity of it.

For six or seven generations

They ruled in such a way

That all the people were amazed

At their accomplishments.

Either they were another kind

Than these Afghans today,

Or else it is by Gods command

That things have reached this pass.

I once Afghans acquire the grace

Of unanimity

Aged Khushal will thereupon

Become a youth again.


#121 nasha dear

I agree with most of your valid points about Iqbal`s poetry. I am not harsh on him, I am just telling the facts.

#125 Naqshbandi sahib jii

Well, that is exactly what I pointed out in my previous posts. Majority of Pakistanis are unaware of this fact that your Iqbal was fooling all of you guys . All his ideas were not his own. He was, but genius. How can you be genius if, you lack originality of your thoughts?

If you steal someone else`s ideology then it is called PALGIARISM in civil society. This is what this man, called Iqbal did by committing intellectual and scholarly dishonesty.

Why he did not admit right from the beginning that He is copying all his main themes revolving around shaheen, mard-e-momin and khudi from Khan Baba`s. Not only that this man abused Islam in a totally convoluted way and left Pakistanis in CONFUSION.

Thank you

Re: # 129

Zeena:

A very beautiful poem.

``Life`s no life when honor`s left
The knowing, the perceptive man
The coming of winter ``

Post some more....

Anil