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The Poet of the East, Allamah Mohammad Iqbal Lahori
Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On November 9, 1877 AD, the Poet of the East, Allamah Mohammad Iqbal Lahori, was born in Sialkot, Punjab in what is now Pakistan. Following completion of his studies, he went to Germany and Britain and stayed for four years to learn the philosophy of the West. He started composing poems in his teenage years in both Urdu and Persian. At the same time, he was active in politics to reform and unite the Muslims of undivided India.
He believed in pan Islamism or the revival of Muslims worldwide, and used the medium of poetry, especially Persian, to express his ideas and thoughts. Iqbal gave the concept of a separate homeland for the Muslims of northwest India, which a few years after his death led to the birth of Pakistan. He composed a large number of poetical works in Urdu and Persian that include couplets, quatrains, odes, and lyrics, in several volumes such as “Asraar-e Khudi” (Secrets of the Self, “Zabour-e Ajam” (Psalms of Persia), and "Javid-Namah", which is an admonition and guidance for his young son, Javid. Iqbal passed away in 1938 and was buried in Lahore.
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