LAHORE: The 87th death anniversary of renowned philosopher, thinker, and poet of the East, Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, is being commemorated today(on Monday) to honour his pivotal role in the ideological foundation of a separate homeland for Muslims in the Indian subcontinent.
Born on November 9, 1877, in Sialkot, Allama Iqbal is celebrated as Pakistan’s national poet. Reverently known as Mufakkir-e-Pakistan (The Thinker of Pakistan), Shair-e-Mashriq (The Poet of the East), and Hakeem-ul-Ummat (The Sage of the Muslim Ummah), he is credited with awakening a sense of unity and selfhood among Muslims through his vision and poetry.
Iqbal was the intellectual force behind the idea of a separate nation for Muslims, a dream that ultimately led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947. His poetic works in both Urdu and Persian—such as Asrar-e-Khudi, Payam-e-Mashriq, Bang-e-Dra, Bal-e-Jibril, Zarb-e-Kalim, and Armughan-e-Hijaz—are considered masterpieces of literature and continue to inspire generations.
A visionary and reformer, Iqbal urged Muslim youth to embrace self-awareness, dignity, and independence. Through his words, he instilled a spirit of revival and empowerment in the Muslim world.
Recognised as a modern Sufi poet with a revolutionary soul, Allama Iqbal’s poetry has been translated into numerous languages including Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and English, earning him global acclaim as a literary and philosophical giant.
Though he passed away on April 21, 1938—nine years before Pakistan’s independence—his vision continues to shape the nation’s ideological identity.
