Essay
|My Favourite Poet and Philosopher |Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal
“Blessings
be with them, and eternal praise.
The
poets who on earth have made us heirs.
Of
truth and pure delight, by heavenly lays.
(Wordsworth)
I
am afraid I am rather romantic. Elders complain of my ‘youthfulness and
dreaminess.’ But they do not know the whole truth. I also strive for truth,
though I would much rather have it from the poets and philosophers, than from
the scientists. Poetry is the art of expressing one's feelings and ideas in an
effective manner. It inspires our minds and uplifts our souls. It bestows on us
imaginative and spiritual pleasure. A poet being gifted with pure Imagination
can make us see the world in a new manner. I am a lover of all types of poetry.
I
have read English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Punjabi poems with keen interest
and pleasure. I can say with full confidence that no poet can surpass Iqbal as
regards the message, ideas, and rhythm of his poems. He is an international
poet. His fame as a poet of hope and optimism has reached all comers of the
world. His books have been translated Into English, German, Persian, and many
other languages of the world. He was not only a poet but also a great thinker.
In fact, he adopted poetry as a vehicle for conveying his ideas. That is why, he
is called a philosopher poet.
Unlike
other Urdu poets, he does not dwell on the themes of love and beauty. Islam and
Muslim civilization form the fundamental theme of his poetry. He is nostalgic about
the glory and supremacy of the Muslim civilization. He composed many sad and mournful
verses on the decline of Muslim culture. He was a poet of extraordinary
foresight. He warned the Muslims against the evils of adopting Western culture.
He
disliked the Western culture and said:
Empty
of concord is the soul of Europe,
Whose
civilization to no Makkah bends,
Dr.
Muhammad Allama Iqbal is deeply convinced about the supremacy of Islam over
other civilizations and believes that Muslims can regain their past glory
if they follow the principles of Islam. He is pained to know that the Muslims
have sunk into degradation by giving up their own golden principles and
traditions. The Muslims have lost touch with their creator. It is for their
creator who can win them again the title of torch bearer of knowledge and research.
It is the love of God that is missing in their prayers and recitations. He says:
Love's
madness has departed; in
The
Muslims ' blood runs thin;
Ranks
broken, hearts perplexed, prayers cold
No
feeling deeper than the skin
I
like his poetry which gives us the message of hope and struggle of life. His
concept of ‘Khudi’ is based on struggle, firm resolution,
sincerity of purpose, and determination. It has been rightly expressed by the
English poet W.B. Henley:
It
does not how straight the gate is.
How
charged with punishment the scroll,
I
am the master of my fate.
I
am the captain of my soul.
He
uses the symbol ‘eagle’ as a symbol of struggle, energy, and determination in
his poetry. This concept of ‘Khudi’ charged the Muslims with new
energy to fight against the forces of darkness, aggression, and Injustice. The
Muslims woke from their slumber and under the sincere leadership of the Quaid-I-Azam
won Pakistan for themselves. Dr. Muhammad Allama Iqbal was the first thinker
who gave the idea of Pakistan. He has to his credit many collections of poems. ‘Bange-Dara’,
‘Bal-e-Jabril’, ‘Zarb-e-Kalim’, ‘Asrar-e-Khudi’, ‘Phyam-E-Mushriq’ and ‘Javad
Nama’ are some of them. In all these collections of poems, he has urged the
Muslims to know their identity and discover the spiritual treasures of ideas
lying in it.
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