Adil Najam
To me, the 23rd of March is a day to reflect on the message of Mohammad Iqbal, just like the 14th of August is to ponder on the legacy of Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
We, as Pakistanis, have not really been kind to the legacy of either man. We turned both into idols. And once we convinced ourselves that these were ‘supermen’ we conveniently absolved ourselves of the responsibility to learn from – let alone emulate – either. We are fond of celebrating but incapable of incorporating either the actions of Mr. Jinnah nor the thoughts of Mohammad Iqbal.
After all, once we turned Mr. Jinnah into the ‘Quaid-i-Azam’ and conferred near-divine status on him it became all too easy to say that we, mere mortals, could not be expected to act in the way – or even on the principles – that he did. His blemishes were to be denied, not just because we hold him in reverence but also because to acknowledge them is to accept that maybe ordinary – even flawed – human beings can stil have principles worth following. We have done the same to Iqbal. Because his the ‘the’ Allama, he is to be put on a pedestal. His work read with respect and honor; to be savored, but not really to be understood. Certainly not to be questioned, and absolutely not to be allowed to influence that we do. After all, he is an Allama; and we are not.
The Allama-ization of Iqbal, just like the Quaid-i-Azam-ization of Jinnah has been a disservice to both. For ultimately it has turned these two giants into mere statues; the iconography of the ‘Allama’ and the ‘Quaid’ have enabled us to turn them into dieties of reverence while at the same time distancing ourselves – if not outright disowning – the thought of the first and the actions of the later.
We at ATP have been rather remiss in not paying enough tribute to Mohammad Iqbal. This is a mistake I have been wanting to rectify. Today, the eve of Pakistan Day is a good time to begin doing so. The events and the idea behind the 23rd of March owes more to Iqbal than anyone else. And as a first offering of tribute to Iqbal I offer you this wonderful video. I found it on YouTube:
I do not really know who produced it although for some reason the voice sounds familiar. The selection of poetry as well as the pictures are excellent. Indeed, I wou urge you to focus on both. The pictures are not the ones you usually see of him and many of them evoke a humanness that is lost in many of our ‘official’ portraits on the man. But also focus on the ideas. This is a work less known that, say, Shikwa and Jawab i Shikwa, but it has ideas that are so contemporary that he may as well have been talking about the events of last week. For example:
anpay watan meiN houN kay ghareeb-ud-diyar houN
Darta houN daikh daikh kay iss dasht-o-dar ko meiN
Sidhusaaheb:
In fact Iqbal has written two poems in that format. His poem selectively adopted in India, the one you are referring to, is titled “Tarana-e-Hindi” (Indian Anthem). It is from his pre 1905 period. His second poem titled “Tarana-e-Milli” (National Anthem), not taught to the Indian children, is from his post 1908 period and goes like this:
Chine-0-Arab hamra, Hindustan hamara.
Muslims hain, hum watan hain, sara jahan hamara.
The second poem reflects his thoughts on pan-Islamism. Now you know.
Mar 22nd, 2007 at 3:12 pm
“My knowledge too is limited but I am afraid that is true, Akif. His son in a way alluded to this fact in his remarkable autobiography. That said, he had given his blind support to Jinnah and that meant something given his towering stature as a thinker (not an accurate translation of muffakir) and a poet of then India.”
Adnan Ahmad: Could you back up your statement with any quote from the autobiography of Justice Javed Iqbal.
Mar 22nd, 2007 at 2:51 pm
“He was a brilliant poet but I never really understood his contribution towards the creation of Pakistan…….. I don’t pretend to know much about this topic but it always seemed to me that “Iqbal the Leaderâ€
I have been trying to read and understand Iqbal for sometime as it is as hard and twisting as his works…but one thing I have understood is his concept of ‘Self’ or ‘Self-realization’….I think Muslims of today’s world and on other note this concept of ‘Self’ is for entire humanity….discovering your true self and reaching to the heights of self awakening…..his teachings are a blessing in disguise for all of us. I am pasting few lines which he said to his son, Javaid Iqbal and indirectly to the Muslim youth:
Create a place for thyself in the world of love;
Create a new age, new days, and new nights.
If God grant thee an eye for nature’s beauty,
Converse with the silence of flowers; respond to their love.
Do not be beholden to the West’s artisans,
Seek thy sustenance in what thy land affords.
My ghazal is the essence of my life-blood,
Create thy elixir of life out ‘of this essence.
My way of life is poverty, not the pursuit of wealth;
Barter not thy Selfhood; win a name in adversity
This I found online I think better version then mine. I am cut & pasting it from a forum online.
”
wrote ibne insha..deep foresight indeed.
yeh konsa mulk hai?
yeh englistaan hai!
is main konsi qaum rehti hai?
is main englistani qaum rehti hai!
yeh konsa mulk hai?
yeh france hai!
is main konsi qaum rehti hai?
is main fransisi qaum rehti hai!
yeh konsa mulk hai?
yeh pakistan hai!
is main pakistani qaum rehti ho gi?
nahee.
is main bangali qaum rehti hai,
is main punjabi qaum rehti hai,
is main sindhi qaum rehti hai,
is main yeh qaum rehti hai,
is main woh qaum rehti hai.
Yeh sub qaumain to Hindustan main bhee rehti hain!
phir yeh alag mulk kyoon banaya?
ghalti ho gayee!
ainda nahee banaain gay!
“