Allama Iqbal's Biography

Birth of Allama Iqbal:

Allama Iqbal born on 9^th November 1877 in the city of Sialkot (Punjab). Allama Iqbal’s ancestors were Kashmiri Brahmins, Iqbal’s ancestors were very much religious, and effect of that religious family is can be seen in the life of Allama Iqbal.

Allama Iqbal Earlier Education:

Allama Iqbal got his early Education in the city of Sialkot. Then Allama Iqbal Joins the Intermediary College. Mir Hassan (Allama Iqbal teacher), a great oriental scholar, had a special aptitude for imparting his own literary taste and to Allama Iqbal. Due to that Allama Iqbal is influenced towards the Islamic studies.

Allama Iqbal Higher Education:

Allama Iqbal after passing on to the Government College of Lahore, Allama Iqbal did his graduation with English Literature, Philosophy and Arabic as his subjects. At the college he met Prof. Arnold and Sir Abdul Qadir. Allama Iqbal’s poem, Chand (moon) and other early poems appeared in the journal (which belonged to Sir Abdul Qadir) in 1901 and were acclaimed by critics as cutting a new path in Urdu poetry.

It did not take him long to win recognition as a rising star on the firmament of Urdu literature. In the meantime Allama Iqbal had done his MA in Philosophy and was appointed as a Lecturer in History, Philosophy and Political science at Oriental College, Lahore. He then moved to Government College to teach Philosophy and English Literature.

Allama Iqbal life In Europe:

Allama Iqbal went to Europe for higher studies in the year 1905 and stayed there for three years. Allama Iqbal took the Honors Degree in Philosophy and taught Arabic at the Cambridge University when Prof. Arnold was not present there. From England, Allama Iqbal went to Germany to do his doctorate in Philosophy from Munich and then returned to London to qualify for the bar.

Allama Iqbal Back in India:

Allama Iqbal returned to India in 1908. Allama Iqbal the Great poet had won all these academic laurels by the time he was 32 or 33. He practiced as a lawyer from 1908 to 1934, when ill health compelled him to give up his practice.

Allama Iqbal attended the meetings of Anjuman Himayat-I-Islam regularly at city of Lahore. The epoch making poems, Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa, which he read out in the annual convention of it one year after another, sparkled with the glow of his genius and made him immensely popular. They became the national songs of Millet.

Allam Iqbal’s other poems Tarana-e-Hind (The Indian anthem) and Tarana-e-Milli (the Muslim Anthem) also very very popular masses and used to be sung as symbols of National or Muslim identity at public meetings.

Allama Iqbal spirit of Change:

Allama Iqbal in 1910 shocked strongly and caused a deep curled upon his heart. In his mood of ire and hindrance, he wrote a number of thrilling poems, which together with portraying the anguish of Muslims were severely critical of the West. Allama Iqbal’s spirit of change is evident in poems like Bilad-e-Islamia (the lands of Islam), Wataniat (Nationalism), Muslim, Fatima Bint Abdullah (who was killed in the siege of Cyrainca, Siddiq), Bilal, Tahzib-e-Hazir (Modern civilization) and Huzoor-e-Risalat Maab Mein (in the presence of Sacred Prophet). In these poems, Iqbal deplores the attitude of Muslim leaders.

The turning point of Allama Iqbal’s Life:

Iqbal was shaken by the tragic events of World War I and the disaster the Muslims had to face. The genius had passed through the formative period. He had attained maturity as a poet, thinker, seer and crusader who could read the signs of tomorrow in the happenings of today, make predictions, present hard facts and unravel abstruse truths through the medium of poetry and ignite the flame of faith, Selfhood and courage by his own intensity of feeling and force of expression. Khizr-e-Raah (The Guide) occupies the place of pride among the poems he wrote during this period. Bang-e-Dara (The caravan bell) published in 1929 has held a place of honor in Urdu poetry and world poetry.

Iqbal preferred Persian for poetic expression because its circle was wider than that of Urdu in Muslim India. His Persian works, Asrar-e-khudi (Secrets of the self), Rumuz-e-Bekhudi (Mysteries of Selflessness), Payam-e-Mashriq (Message of the East), Javed Nama (The Song of Eternity) belong to the same period of his life. And so is Reconstruction of Religious Thoughts in Islam, which was extensively appreciated and translated into many languages. Academies were set up in Italy and Germany for the study of Iqbal’s poetry and philosophy