My Favourite Poet Essay on Allama Iqbal | A Tribute to the Visionary

My Favourite Poet Essay On Allama Iqbal

“Lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime, and departing leave behind us foot-prints on the sands of time.”

                                                              (Long Fellow)

The architect of the ideology of Pakistan Doctor Allama Muhammad Iqbal  is, undoubtedly, the great Islamic thinker of the modern times and one of the greatest of all times. He is a great poet, philosopher, educationist and reformer. He has made a lasting contribution to human thought. His poetic works have made him immortal.

“The poet’s scrolls will outlive the monuments of stone; the genius survives all unless claimed by death.”

(Spencer)

The poet of Islam was born into a middle class family at Sialkot. It was under the spiritual guidance of his father that the initial upbringing  of Iqbal’s mind took place. From the very beginning, Iqbal was a unique child. He started writing verses even during his school days and sent some of his poems to the Urdu poet, Dagh, for correction. Dagh wrote back to Iqbal that his verses needed no correction at all.

“The child’s vision leads him to the path he has to follow.”

                                   (Claudian)

In 1895, after completing his early education, Iqbal migrated to Lahore. Here, Sir Thomas Arnold introduced him to all that was best in the Western thought. Iqbal did his M.A. in philosophy in 1898, and joined the faculty of Government College. In 1905, Iqbal went to Europe for higher studies. He passed the Bar Examination in 1908 and was conferred upon the degree of Ph.D. by the University of Munich. On his return, he started his practice in law in Lahore.

Iqbal’s stay in Europe enabled him to study the Western civilization. He could see all its nakedness and shallowness. Instead of admiring the glamour, he became a critic of the Western civilization.

“To recognize the best, you have to see the worst.”

                                                                                                                     (Helen Beatrice)

Iqbal described in his poetry the pitiable plight of the Indian Muslims.  He composed his epoch-making poems “Shikwa” and “Jawab-e-Shikwa”. Some of his books are  ‘Bang-e-Dara, Baal-e-Jibril, Zarb-e-Kaleem, Zaboor-e-Ajam and Javed Nama.

Iqbal’s poetry gives a message of universal brotherhood, individual freedom, hope and self-esteem. He believed in the fundamental rights of human beings. His poetry has been translated into many other languages of the world.  We shall always pay tribute to Allama Iqbal for his unforgettable contribution towards the creation of a new homeland for us.