Remembering Allama Iqbal

Kamatji,

Shireen Mazari is fantastic. I think all her writings should be compiled into a book. It would easily win the Booker Award for Best Fiction /Comedy Writing.

Regards

I salute Khushal Khan Khattak for being the original source of Allama Iqbal`s poetry, Shaheen and murd-e-momin.

Khushal Khan Khattak was the sea and Allama Iqbal was merely a tributary..............

Iqbal`s conflicting thought process is hall mark of his life.

At one point he says

Hindi hain ham-watan hain, Hinodstan hamara

AT other place he praises the destructive and facist nature of his symbol Falcon by claiming

Parindo ki duniya ka darvesh hun mein,
ki Shahin banata, nahi ashiyana

Because falcon kills other birds and live in their nests.
Then he takes a turn toward relegion and instigates the Muslims by saying

Rahe ga ravi-o-nile-o-ufraat mein kab tak,
Tera safina to hai, bahar-e-bekraan ke liye.

or

youn to sayyad bhi ho, mirza bhi ho, afghan bhi ho
tum sabhi kuch ho mgaar musalmann bhi ho

His poem shikwa and jawab-e-shikwa are example of Islamic victimhood and muslims not following the islam properly. These are the two train of thought which are taken by every Islamic fundmentalist and in that sense Iqbal was one.

He openly takes the side of destruction instead of rebuilding without analysing the cause of the problem when he says

Jis khet se, dahkan ko mayyassar na ho roti
Us khet ke har khosh-e-gandum ko jala do

But in the same poem he presents a very positive thohgt when he say

Sultan-e-jamhoori ka aataa hai zamaana.
Jo nakh-e-kuhan ayae nazar tum ko, mitta do


Then at other place he take introspective relegious view like his Hindu ancestors and says

Khuda ke banday hain hazaron, bano me firatay hain maaray maaray,
Mein khuda ka banda banu ga, jisko khuda ke bando se pyaar ho ga

Above univarsal human love is only found in Hinduism with the concept of Vasudev Kutumbkam ( Universal Family), it does not distinguish the people based on their relegion.

My favourite of Iqbal couplet are

Mah-o-khrsheed-o-anjum doratay hain saath saath iske,
Falaq kaya hai, kisi Mashook-e-beparvah ki toli hai.

or

Aagosh mein zami ke, soya hua ho sabza
Phir phir ke zhariyon mein paan chamak raha ho

Paani ko choo rahi ho, jhuk jhuk ke gul ki tahni
Jaise haseen koyi, aeena dekhta ho

Ref#51

The line

tum sabhi kuch ho mgaar musalmann bhi ho

should be

tum sabhi kuch fo, batao ke musalmaan bhi ho

#50 by Zeena: Khushal Khan Khattak was the sea and Allama Iqbal was merely a tributary..............

AND

#46 by Zeena : Yes, sir, Allama Iqbal was the greatest poet of all the times............No doubt about it.

Huh? Are both these statements your ZeenaJi? Please clarify.

Actually I think Iqbal was the sea and everyone else was and is still just standing on the shores.

Re: # 36

I had called you a Social Science ka compartment, apparently I was wrong. Even if you would have got zero in both Geography and Civics you would have got 40/40 in History for regurgitating the commie rubbish that was taught in your answer paper and thus passed.

Try and look up independent sources of History, before posting such rubbish here. Read how Mokalsar became Faridkot.

No Regards
Sanatni

P.S. Koi bangali JNU type girlfriend avashy rahi hogi tumhare jeevan mai.

Some interactors have pointed out many valid contradictions in Iqbal`s thought process. In fact these are merely transitions in his thought which culminated in his Shaheen and `Mard-e-Momin concepts. Iqbal in his early days was just a poet and not a philosopher when he wrote ``saare jahaan se achcha hindostaan hamaraa``. But a philosopher when he wrote ``Khudi ko kar buland itna key har taqdeer sey pehley, Khuda bundey sey khud poochhey, bata teri raza kya hai?``

Iqbal went through a major transition when he was exposed to the German existantialist philosophy during his sojourn in Hiedelberg where he adopted the `aubermunsch` philosophy, while later, he went through a further transformation during his time in Cordoba, and that defined and solidified his views forever; culminating in his synthesis of all those influences in his Khudi, Shaheen and `Mard-e-Momin symbolism.

Iqbal was not a fundamentlist Muslim. Quite far from it. In fact his idea of `Musalmaan` and `Momin` was quite different from the traditional meaning. Firstly, he rejected all rituals openly for which he is still branded as `kafir` by many. He wrote many derogatory couplets about maulvis or `sheikhs` as he called them. His idea of `Mard-e-Momin` was when he says ``Dasht to Dasht, Sehra Bhee Na Chorey Ham Nei; Behr-e-Zulmat Mein Dora Diey Ghorey Ham Nei.``In this verse he is referring to the Battle Of Namaraq in 634 AD against the Persians and the Muslim commander Abu Ubaid. Iqbal wrote many poems in quite graphic detail about specific incidents in many battles during Caliph Umar`s time.

Stll he was not a practising Muslim. No Wahabi or Deobandi or Shia or whomever would write anything like ``Jo Mein Sar Basajda Hua Kabhi, To Zameen Sey Yeh Aaney Lagi Sada; Tera Dil Jo Hai Sanam Aashna, Tujhe Kya Mile Gaa Namaz Mein.``

Iqbal was a ``Deist``, rather than a `Theist``.

Quite interestingly, Iqbal`s thoughts are more acknowledged and practiced in Iran than in Pakistan. Ali Shariety`s reverence for Iqbal is common knowledge.

Thank Iqbal and Jinnah for creating a paradise for muslims, or should we say an absolute nightmare? Muslims killing muslims during prayers with plastic explosives and ball-bearings in bombs. Religious leaders, innocent people and even children dying and all of them muslims!! What a shame!! So much for ``escaping`` hindu domination and killing 6 million innocent people in 1947 to create this nightmare country.

While the Pakis are blowing each other up in parks at Eid time, here is an article from Dawn about how Americans are moving to India and working there. Eat your hearts out, Pakis!!

http://www.dawn.com/2006/04/13/fea.htm

When I was younger, I fiercely argued that Iqbal was all bull shit. That may largely have been a reaction to the over dose of Iqbal that we as kids had to endure comprising in false statements like ``he was an ideal momin`` (he was no such thing...contrary to what the writer of this piece asserts). I offer no comments on his ``person`` or his ``philosophy`` but I cannot resist admitting that even though it is second nature with me to be suspicious of all things muslim (and hence ``Iqbal``), to me his poetry is that rare gift that God has bestowed upon only a handful in all history (and only God knows why...there is hardly ever an apparent reason).


Rang ho ya khisht o sang, changg ho ya harf o saut
Moajza e fann ki hai khoon e jigar say namood !

Iqbal`s mindset is very clear in this verse:

Bey Khatar Kood Para Aatish-e-Namrood Mein Ishq;
Aq`l Khari Hai Mahv`e Tamasha-e-Lab`e`Baam Abhi.

Iqbal was clearly `Jehadi`.

Thanks.

Dear Farzana,

Normally, poets ought to be exempt from criticism. The problem I see with poets like Iqbal is that one can not espouse the idea that being a Muslim raises one to lofty heights - making such individuals the greatest thing since aalu-batora - AND sing the praises of ``universalism`` at the same time.

This whole ``ummah`` thing is an artificial construct and everyone here knows that quite well.

But there is no shortage of writers (like you) who keep pushing it with greater frequency than pimps keep pushing paan!

By the way, when you so smoothly fork over such terms as Jinnah`s ``sacrifices`` - would you care to elaborate what those were? For example, how many days in the jail did that character put in? Or is that simply an article of faith with the such writers as you?

It is highly unfortunate that a lot of that mindset of exclusivity remains - especially among the writers here on chowk - and it keeps getting actively promoted - apparently by people with an agenda.

Some writers appear SO stuck on the past of their community - as if they have zero ability to deal with the present.

Re: # 34, freethinker:
Thanks for raising the standard of comments from trivial to enjoyable.

#59 by bjkumar

....This whole ``ummah`` thing is an artificial construct and everyone here knows that quite well.....

BeeJay Bhai, Ummah is in the hearts, not in boundaries. I agree that everyone knows quite well about `that`.

Re: # 59

Agreed.

Iqbal reminds me of somewhat of Savarkar..similar ``nationalistic, martial`` poetry and prose, inspiration for Hindu Mahasabha. Savarkar was more action oriented and deemed dangerous by the british faced the worst jail available. This was because the brits figured that he can potentially inspire the masses. iqbal was more of an inspiration for the mulsim bourgoise.

By any measure, Iqbal was the most exalted poet and philosopher of modern Jihadism. No Jihadi writer or thinker can fail to pay the man proper tribute. His services to the Ummah were immeasurable.

The great thing about Ummah is that it simultaneously exists and does not exist, in ways that are most favorble to it.