Poets and members of the Muslim community from the Indian subcontinent as well as from across the Muslim world recently observed the death anniversary of the world-renowned Muslim poet and philosopher Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal. He was acclaimed as an inspiring poet, prominent philosopher, and farsighted Muslim leader. Iqbal was widely known as the “Poet of the East” and the “Philosopher of Islam”.
The poems of Allama Iqbal, which have been translated into a large number of languages, are regarded as refined literary works that foster moral values and address the problems of the Muslim Ummah. He sang about the glorious past of the Ummah and created momentum for building a radiant future for it.
Perhaps, the most popular among these poems, loved by all sections of Arab society, is the poem titled “Shikwa Jawabe Shikwa.” It is considered one of the world’s most beautiful poems. The poem was translated into Arabic by the famous Egyptian poet Al-Sawi Shaalan. Noted Arab musician Riyad Al-Sunbati composed a song from this poem entitled “Hadeeth Arrouh” (the talk of the soul), which was sung by the renowned Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum. The poems of Iqbal were recited during religious occasions, such as Eid, Ramadan, the Haj season and the beginning of the new Hijri year.
The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) recently organized a symposium to commemorate the death anniversary of Allama Iqbal. Several prominent figures from the Pakistani community in Jeddah spoke on the occasion. They praised this great personality and recalled his remarkable role along with other Muslims leaders of the subcontinent in the struggle to establish a separate state for Muslims. The speakers applauded his firm conviction in creating the new state of Pakistan. A number of participants recited poems on the occasion. Some of them recited their own poems eulogizing him while some others chose to recite some of Iqbal’s poems.
While addressing the gathering, I thanked the PRC for holding such an event to commemorate Allama Iqbal. He had a remarkable role in creating awareness among the Muslim public through his prose and poetry. I told the audience that in my speech I would focus on citing quotes from some well-known Arab and Muslim thinkers and writers about Allama Iqbal that were compiled in a book titled “Iqbal of the Arab: Studies on Iqbal” by Zuhur Ahmad Azhar.