THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 'ALLÿMAH IQBÿL

Period III (1908-30)

This is a long period of more than twenty years and is the one of the highest degree of productivity in the life of ‘All«mah Iqb«l. By 1908 he had acquired all the background knowledge he needed and had achieved maturity of thought. During this period he produced the greatest amount of prose and poetic literature which is a source of pride to Islam and Muslims on account of its quality. It is also an invaluable wealth for Urdu and Persian literature. It is contained in all his books, including B«ng-i-Dar«. This literature covers all aspects of the material as well as spiritual worlds. In the material world he presents detailed and heart touching descriptions of the blessings of Islam and Muslims to all mankind; shows the causes of decadence of the Muslim world and presents a pathetic picture of its present condition. However, he does not leave the Muslim Ummah in frustration and despair. On the other hand he boosts their morale in very eloquent and reassuring language. This effort does not consist of empty words and esoteric imaginations of a literary genius but constitutes a beam of hope in the darkness of the present day world. He presents concrete remedies for correcting the maladies of the Muslim world and for working towards the goal of taking the Muslim world from the present day doldrums to its former place of pride where it would be able to perform the functions of the vicegerent of God for which it was originally created. Greater parts of B«ng-i-Dar«, B«l-i-Jibrâl, Zarb-i-Kalâm, Armagh«n-i-£ij«z, Pay«m-i-Mashriq, Pas Che B«yad Kard Ay Aqw«m-i-Sharq, Zubër-i-‘Ajam and The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam deal with this aspect of the Ummah. Spiritual subjects are included in the above books also but are exhaustively dealt with in the more philosophical treatises of Asr«r-i-Khudâ, Rumëz-i-Bekhudâ, Gulshan-i-R«z Jadâd and Javâd N«mah. It is obvious that the Muslim Ummah needs acquisition of both kinds of knowledge, material as well as spiritual to enable it to perform its appointed duties.

Poem 145 "Tulë-i-Isl«m" which is the last long poem in B«ng-i-Dar«, is full of the high hopes of Islamic renaissance. This hope was created in him by the successes of Mustafa Kam«l P«sha in Turkey in ousting the Allied forces from Constantinople and creating a solid defense for Turkey. To ‘All«mah Iqb«l this brought the first glimpse of the message of Islamic renaissance. This sentiment also found expression in the poem "Masjid-i-Qurtub«" in B«l-i-Jibrâl which was written in 1933 and published in the above book in 1935.

His Love for God, the Holy Prophet S.A.W., and the Holy Land of Hij«z also reached its peak during this period and is extensively reflected in the poems of this period listed above.

The shortcomings and defects of the secular nationalism of the West are fully exposed and the concept of the ideological Islamic nationhood and Islamic State are presented.