Faizan Ahmad | Team TrickyScribe: Allama Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal, one of the greatest poets of Urdu, passed away 87 years ago on April 21, 1938, in Lahore. He died more than nine years before the creation of Pakistan. Yet, there are people—both in India and Pakistan—who continue to subscribe to the false notion that he was the national poet of a country which only came into existence on August 14, 1947.
Iconic Voice of Indian Patriotism
This flawed understanding casts aspersions on Iqbal’s patriotism and nationalism, despite the fact that nearly every Indian knows and cherishes his iconic poem “Saare Jahan Se Achha Hindustan Hamara, Hum Bulbulein Hain Iski Yeh Gulistan Hamara.” This signature poem is revered across India and is often considered a national anthem of the people’s heart.
How many poems, after all, have been recited from space? Saare Jahan Se Achha was famously quoted by astronaut Rakesh Sharma from Soyuz T-11 in 1984. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked the Wing Commander how India looked from space, his immediate response was the first line of Iqbal’s poem—an answer filled with patriotic pride. This song continues to be played by various wings of the Indian military during national day parades.
Iqbal & the Idea of Pakistan
It is ridiculous to claim that Iqbal conceptualized the idea of Pakistan. In the late 1930s, hardly anyone other than M.A. Jinnah spoke of a separate nation under the Two-Nation Theory. Yet, in Pakistan today, Iqbal is remembered as the national poet.
Iqbal: A Poet of National Unity & Secularism
Nazre Hayat, who runs the Allama Iqbal International School in Gopalganj, says Iqbal was more patriotic than most of his contemporaries. “Not just one or two, a lot of his poems are filled with nationalism and patriotism,” says Hayat, who also asserts that Iqbal’s secular credentials were unquestionable.
Quoting from an article, Hayat points out that Allama Iqbal stood firmly against the trial and conviction of Bhagat Singh. On October 7, 1930, a tribunal pronounced the death sentence for Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev. Iqbal was at the forefront of protests against this injustice. On February 27, 1931, he moved a petition against the sentence, which was signed by many others. Unfortunately, the British government rejected it.
A Thinker Beyond Boundaries
Iqbal possessed a strong nationalist sentiment, consistently emphasizing unity, harmony, and national integrity. Born into a family of Kashmiri Pandits who had embraced Islam, he was not just a poet but also a thinker, philosopher, critic, linguist, writer, and patriot. He is remembered as Shayar-e-Mashriq or “Poet of the East.”
His nationalism reached its zenith in the famous poem Naya Shivala (The New Temple), where he declared that nationalism was a sacred religion to him: “Patthar ki muraton mein samjha hai tu Khuda hai, Khaak-e-watan ka mujhko har zarra devta hai(Thou dost imagine that God resides in idols of stone—To me, every particle of my nation’s soil is divine).”
Nationalism & Democratic Values
In a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, Iqbal wrote: “Nationalism is the sense of love for one’s country and even readiness to die for its honour.” He also believed strongly in democracy, though he criticized its failings—especially when people were treated as numbers rather than individuals of worth.
He penned the famous couplet: “Jamhooriyat ek tarz-e-hukumat hai ke jis mein, Bandon ko gina karte hain, taula nahi karte (Democracy is a form of government in which people are counted, not weighed).”
Iqbal’s Immortal Literary Legacy
Iqbal wrote extensively in both Persian and Urdu. His major poetic works include Asrar-e-Khudi, Rumooz-e-Bekhudi, Baang-e-Dara, Baal-e-Jibreel, Payaam-e-Mashriq, Zaboor-e-Ajam, Javed Nama, Zarb-e-Kaleem, and Armaghaan-e-Hijaz. His philosophical lectures were compiled in English as The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam. Through his works, he offered not just poetry, but a vision of the Eastern worldview rooted in dignity, pride, and unity.
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