The Greatest Poet of East – Allama Iqbal on Islam

Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF version

For those who are not aware of Allama Iqbal, I’ll include a very brief introduction of the person before I actually begin:   

Dr. Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal was, and still is, the most famous Urdu, Persian and Arabic poet of the Indian sub-continent, who lived in the 19th century. You can have an idea of his fame by trying a google search of the quotation marked phrase “Allama Iqbal” and “Allama Muhammad Iqbal”. A complete biography can be easily found on the internet. Having done most of his studies from England, he was a Ph. D. doctor, a philosopher, a poet, a researcher on Islam, a scholar, a politician and a successful lawyer. Pakistan is said to be the fulfillment of his dream. His poetry is still very frequently used by peak Muslim scholars and Maulvis in their speeches, sermons (even in mosques and religious gatherings) and writings. Most Muslims regard him as a Sufi Saint. His work includes four Urdu, six Persian and one Arabic collection of his poetry along with some work published in English too. He is the father of Dr. Javed Iqbal, the former Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan. Although Allama Iqbal remained a great supporter of Muslims of his time, but what else would one do to try to stay alive?   

Now we shall analyze some parts of his work (poetry) to see how foolishly Muslims think that he was a follower of Islam. Although he could not declare boldly during his life that he was not inspired by the Quran, and occasionally, he has mentioned Islam and Quran in his poetry, it is obvious that he was at least not a Muslim. To avoid the impression that I am trying to promote Hinduism, I’d only say that in this article, I am going to include the reference of his clear inclination towards Hinduism only as a proof of his having rejected Islam, at least.   

In his Urdu book, “Bang-e-Dara”, he writes:   

“Shakti bhi Shaanti bhi, bhakton kay geet main hay. Dharti kay baasiyon ki Mukti preet main hay.”

 Translation: Shakti (Hindi word for ‘power’) and Shaanti (Hindi word for ‘peace of mind’ or ‘relexation’) is in the songs of bhakts (sages / devotees of Hindu Gods). The Mukti (salvation) of the inhabitants of the Earth is in Preet (love).   

But to please the highly sticky Muslim leaders of his time, he starts this poem with the verse meaning “Let me tell you the truth, O Brahmin if you don’t mind. The idols of your temples have gone old. You have learnt to keep enmity with your peers from idols.”   

However, you can clearly see that his ultimate message was love and he openly admits that power and tranquility hails in the “songs of Hindu devotees”.   

At another place, he talks to Moses in a disgracing tone and says:   “O Moses, it is not your specialty that you can talk to God. Even trees and stones talk to God.”   

Although the message in this verse is the reflection of Hadith that infers that non-living things talk to God, the point worth noting here is the way Iqbal addresses to Moses, who Muslims, Christians and Jews respect.   

The subject of one of his long poems is “Shikwah” (Complint against Allah). Right after he publicly presented this poem, he was declared “apostate”, arrested and jailed. Only to come out of this trouble, the history records, he had to write another long poem “Jawab-e-Shikwah” (The Answer to the Complaint against Allah). Ridiculously enough, he was not only set free, but also given the title of Allama, meaning “the most highly knowledgeable”.   

The English translations / summaries of some extracts of his “Shikwah” are being mentioned here:   

“Why should I suffer loss and forget the gains? Why shouldn’t I think of the future and keep regretting upon the past? Why should I listen to the cuckoo and keep listening? O my companion, am I a flower that I should keep silent? My speaking power encourages me to speak. I have complaint against Allah (sand be in my mouth).”

“Doubtlessly, we are famous in obeying your commandments.. If the complaint comes to our lips, we are disabled (not allowed to speak). O God, now YOU MUST LISTEN TO THE COMPLAINT OF THE OBEDIENT TOO. YOU MUST LISTEN THE COMPLAINT OF THOSE WHO ARE FULL OF PRAISE.”

“Who enlivened your Ka’aba with prostrations? Who embraced you Quran? Still you complain THAT WE ARE NOT OBEDIENT? Ok, if we are not obedient, YOU ARE NOT AN ADMIRER / LOVER EITHER.”

“What if my song is Hindi. At least the tone is Arabian” 

One of his “Ruba’ees” (four liners) is shocking (to Muslims at least). It’s a “miracle” that Muslims have no objection on it! It says: 

“O God, there is no wine left in your glass (an idiomatic expression in Urdu meaning ‘you have nothing to give me’ any longer). Tell me, are you not my sustainer? The thirsty gets ‘dew’ from ‘ocean’. This is the characteristic (sign) of a miser, not of the one who bestows.”   

In one verse he says:   

“If there is love and devotion, even KUFR (apostasy) is Musalmani (religiousness). If there is no love and devotion, even a Muslim is a KAFIR (apostate) and the damned.”   

One thing is particularly interesting. He says:   

“The identity of a KAFIR is that he is busy in exploring the universe and the identity of the Muslim is that the universe is busy in exploring him.”   

Now morons take it as a complement! They think the verse is in Muslims’ favor. The fact is that it was intended to

 be so, to please the Muslims of his time, while in reality, it has dual meanings. The other meaning is absolutely satirical. In Urdu euphemism, it means “even the whole universe failed to understand what kind of stubborn creatures Muslims are.”

Now think, if he was the one to initiate the idea of a separate homeland for Muslims, why would he have praised India several times in his poetry? He says:   

“Saaray jahan say achha, Hindustan hamara. Ham bulbulain hain is ski, ye gulsitaan hamara.”   

Translation: Our India is better than the whole world. We are its cuckoos, it is our garden.   

But again to please the boiling Muslims of his time, he had to write:   

“Cheen o Arab Hamara, Hindustan Hamara. Muslim hain ham watan hay, saara jahan hamara.”   

Translation: China and Arabia are ours, India is ours. We are Muslims, the whole world is ours. 

Disgusting. I wonder what great work he must have produced had he not been influenced by idiot Muslims of his time. But they kept making him change his statements by hooks or by crooks. Look at the simplicity of Hindus, they still pay him regards as a great poet “of India”.