In any case, such is the nature of Urdu poetry that even a pedestrian verse can trounce the most well-thought out idea in prose.Īlso read: Allama Iqbal: Pakistan’s national poet & the man who gave India ‘Saare jahan se achha’ This is not to say that he invented those thoughts, but that he found expression for them in an idiom whose elegance lent respectability to them, and placed them beyond serious critique. It continues to haunt public discourse of the Urdu literati and the Muslims of India and Pakistan, more than ever as many religio-ideological strands that have informed the current surge of extremism, are directly traceable to him. So, aesthetic sublimity apart, and many profound philosophical and mystical insights notwithstanding, his legacy remains deeply problematic. He saw himself as a millenarian messenger for the restoration of Islamic supremacy. It’s so sublime and majestic that no matter what he wrote on, he added a touch of transcendence to the most mundane of subjects, and it’s impossible to remain unmoved by the force, beauty and fervour of his words.īut his poetry was not art for art’s sake. His oeuvre ranks among the greatest of world literature. In a poem Naya Shivala, his patriotic effusion went to the extent of suggesting nationalism as a supra religion for all Indians. He being one of the three founding fathers beside Sir Syed and Jinnah.įrom penning India’s most popular national poem to adumbrating the idea of Pakistan, Iqbal had a remarkable evolution of thought, involving many a somersaults from his nationalist phase when he sang paeans to the beauty and greatness of India’s civilisational heritage ( यूनान ओ मिस्र ओ रूमा सब मिट गए जहाँ से अब तक मगर है बाक़ी नाम – ओ निशाँ हमारा), and pleaded for transcending religious divide for the sake of national unity ( मज़हब नहीं सिखाता आपस में बैर रखना). Its author was poet Mohammad Iqbal who has been adopted by Pakistan - not without reasons - as their spiritual father. It’s de rigueur for ceremonial occasions where military or police bands are played. Sare jahan se achha Hindustan hamara is arguably our most popular patriotic song.