Muhammad Iqbal

Muhammad Iqbal Biography

Sir Muhammad Iqbal was a philosopher, poet and politician in British India. He is the author of famous Hindi patriotic song - Saare Jahaan Se Achcha, still so popular. another noted patriotic song is tarana-E- Hind. He is widely regarded as having inspired the Pakistan Movement and one of the most important figures in Urdu literature. Iqbal is admired as a prominent classical poet by both Indians and Pakistanis. He is also a highly acclaimed "Muslim philosophical thinker of modern times". He published his first book in 1951, Asrar-e-Khudi – a poetic work in Persian language. In 1922, he was knighted by King George V giving him the title "Sir". Rumuz-i-Bekhudi, Payam-i-Mashriq and Zabur-i-Ajam are his noted Persian works. His best known Urdu works are Bang-i-Dara, Bal-i-Jibril and Zarb-i Kalim. In Iran and Afghanistan, he is famous as Iqbal-e Lahori and has huge fan crowd in both these countries as well. He was very close to the ‘Father of Pakistan’ - Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Iqbal was born in Sialkot on 9 November 1877 in Punjab Province of British India. At the age of 4, he was admitted to a mosque to learn Holy Quran. He learned the Arabic language from his teacher Syed Mir Hassan. Iqbal completed matriculation in 1893. His education was completed at Government College Lahore and Punjab University, Lahore. He has married thrice. He completed his Master of Arts degree in 1899. He initiated his career as a reader of Arabic at Oriental College and shortly became a junior professor of philosophy at Government College Lahore. He left for England in 1905 and returned after 3 years. He joined the same college again as professor and practised law at Chief Court Lahore though he quit it soon.

He concentrated on his literal career after that and became an active member of Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam. In 1919 he became its general secretary. He was deeply influenced by the works and philosophy of Mawlana Rumi. Iqbal is commemorated widely in Pakistan, where he is regarded as the ideological founder of the state. The Development of Metaphysics in Persia and The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam are his noted works in English.

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Updated: March 28, 2014