Role of Allama Iqbal in The Creation of Pakistan
Prelude
Allama Mohammad Iqbal was born on 9th
November 1877 in Sialkot. After seeking early education, he was admitted to
Government College Lahore, where he obtained M.A. degree in Philosophy. He left
for England for higher studies in 1905. In 1907, he obtained the Degree of
Doctorate (Ph.D.) from Munich University.
Iqbal’s Role
in Pakistan Movement
Following are some key areas where
Allam Iqbal’s role led to Pakistan’s creation.
Iqbal’s Idea
about Nationhood
Allama Iqbal was the greatest
philospher and poet of the present era. Alongwith this, he possessed a view
about political affairs. He awakened the feeling of Muslim Nationhood among the
Muslims of India through his poetry and told them about the propaganda of West
about Muslims.
When the Hindu philosophers presented
this philosophy that a nation is born throughout the country and when Maulana
Hussain Ahmed Madni seconded it, then Iqbal reacted strongly towards it. His
thinking and poetry reflect the Two Nation Theory and his poetry awakened the
feeling of Islamic nationality among the Muslims of India. This sense of a
single unity was a major factor in the creation of Pakistan.
Iqbal’s
Political Life
Allama Iqbal made his debut in
politics when he was elected as the member of Punjab’s Legislative Assembly in
1926. During the elections of 1937, when Quaid-e-Azam started the
reconstruction of the Muslim Leaague, Allama Iqbal stood besides him. He not
only supported Quaid-e-Azam and the Muslim League wholeheartedly, but he also
respected Quaid-e-Azam’s point of view.
Iqbal and Two
Nation Theory
Allama Iqbal firmly believed that the
Muslims of India have a separate identity and to protect this identity, the
establishment of a separate homeland for the Muslims of India was necessary. On
28th March 1909, he rejected the invitation from the secular party “Minswa
Lodge” highlighting the fact that:
“I have been a keen supporter of this theory that religious differences
in this country should end and even now I practice this principle. But, now I
have started to believe that separate national identity for the Muslims and the
Hindus is necessary for their survival.”
In 1930, in the Annual Session of
Muslim League at Allahbad, Iqbal said:
“India is a continent of human groups belonging to different races,
speaking different languages and professing different religions. Their behavior
is not at all determined by a common race consciousness. I therefore, demand
the formation of a consolidated Muslim state in the best interest of India and
Islam.”
Pakistan’s
Sketch
Allama Iqbal’s Presidential Address
at Allahbad in 1930 determined the political path of the Muslims of
sub-continent. In his address, he in clear words said:
“I would like to see the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sindh
and Baluchistan been combined into a single state”.
He further stated that:
“The formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim State appears
to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of the north west India.”
Thus, Iqbal demanded a sovereign
independent Muslim state even before the Muslim League demanded it in
Pakistan’s Resolution.
Ideology of
Pakistan and Iqbal
Iqbal was strictly against
nationalism. He considered all the Muslims to be a part of One Ummah. For him,
a Muslim in any part of the world was part of a brotherly relation. He
considered nationalism to be a coffin for the Muslim Ummah.
Thus, highlighting the limitations and disadvantages of nationalism, Iqbal gave the philosophy of a “Millat-e-Islamia” and this philosophy became the basis of Pakistan’s ideology.
Thus, highlighting the limitations and disadvantages of nationalism, Iqbal gave the philosophy of a “Millat-e-Islamia” and this philosophy became the basis of Pakistan’s ideology.
Conclusion
In short, the personality of Allama
Iqbal has left indelible marks in history. He tried to awaken the Muslims of
India through his philosophy, poetry and politics. He gave the idea of
independence to the Muslims of India. Iqbal died on 21st April, 1938. He was
buried in-front of the “Badshahi Mosque” in “Huzori Bagh.”
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