More on Ummid : International l National l Regional l Politics l Sports l Religion l History l Culture l Education

By Aleem Faizee

Related Articles

• Iqbal's Message of Practice is Beyond Any Doubt

• Asian Rising Business star of the year

• The Men, Inspired by Debacles

• A Towering Entrepreneur

• A Marketing Legend

• The Men who are Inspired By Debacles

Sare Jahan Se Accha

Hindustan Hamara

In 1905 more than 100 years from today, when Iqbal was a lecturer at the Government College, Lahore he was invited by his student Lala Hardayal to preside over a function. Instead of making a speech, Iqbal sang Sare Jahan Se Accha Hindustan Hamara in his style. Iqbal compiled this poem in praise of India and the poem preaches the communal harmony that had unfortunately started ceasing in India by that time. Each and every word in this poem depicts an Indian’s respect and love for the motherland and the values the Indian society inherited for long.

The couplets that were sung in a small hall of the Government College, Lahore, spread to every corner and streets of the country soon making it the greatest patriotic song of the country. Iqbal was sitting in a boat house in Kashmir when some children passed by him singing this song. Iqbal smiled as these small kids were unaware of his presence near them.

The poem was set to music in the 1950s by Pandit Ravi Shankar, and is regularly sung on occasions of national importance. When Indira Gandhi asked Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut who went to space, how India looked from space, he immediately replied, “Sare Jahan se Accha Hindustan Hamara.”

When heard of Iqbal’s death in 1938, Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his condolence message for the nation, “ What can I write about Dr. Iqbal except that I was sobbing due to emotions when I first read his famous poem Sare Jahan se Accha. When in Yerawada Jail, I must have sung this poem over hundred times. Each and every word of this great poem is very sweet to me and even while writing this message I can feel hearing the couplets of this poem into my ears.”

Sure, the ecstasy revisits a person every time after reading or listening to this great poem even after more than hundred years when this great poem was written by Dr. Iqbal.

More...

▪ Concept of Faith in Islam

▪ A Tribute to Prophet Mohammad (PUH)

▪ Islam and Terrorism

▪ Eid as we see it

Iqbal's Encounter

With Mussolini

When Iqbal went to England to attend the second round table conference in September 1931, Italian Government sent its emissaries to request Iqbal to visit Italy. While in Italy during November 1931, Iqbal received a message through Dr. Scorpa, the Italian Councilor in Mumbai that Mussolini wanted to meet him. Dr. Iqbal accepted his invitation and met the Italian Dictator on November 27 in his famous hall.

During the course of the meeting Mussolini asked Iqbal, “What you except we Italians to do?” Dr. Iqbal replied, “Europe has left with no moral values. Stop blindly following Europe and learn lessons from the East.”

When Mussolini requested Dr. Iqbal to give some exceptional suggestion for him, Iqbal advised, “Don’t allow overcrowding of the cities. Limit the size of the population of a city and after that limit instead of allowing them to settle there, create new settlements and cities for them.”

Bemused, Mussolini requested Iqbal to elaborate further. Iqbal said, “As population of a city increases, its moral values and economic power start waning. Worst, immoral activities start challenging the cultural strength.”

Mussolini looked towards the Indian Great in disbelief for a moment but in the next moment stood from his chair and shouted with excitement, “What an excellent idea!”

“Let the Muslims proclaim a million times that Iqbal is theirs, but let me declare, Iqbal belongs to we all and confining Iqbal to a particular religion or community is injustice to this great poet himself”, said a professor at a function held at Mysore University in the honor of Iqbal when he visited Mysore in January 1929 on the special invitation of the Maharaja of Mysore.

It was the time the first war of freedom movement in 1857 was suppressed and the nation was readying itself for the other rounds of resistance against the tyrant forces when Iqbal was born at Sialkot in Punjab in 1877. Iqbal, who started his path towards becoming the Great Poet of the East and Philosopher in his student life itself, ultimately became the symbol and preacher of Indian and Eastern values. While studying at Scotch Mission College in Sialkot he attained mastery in writing prose and poetry. Iqbal, who graduated in 1897, became proficient in English, Arabic and other International languages very soon. He learnt German in just three months when he went to Munich for seeking doctorate in Philosophy.

By the time he started teaching at Government College and Oriental College at Lahore, he had already become popular in the Indian subcontinent as a poet. In September 1905 he left for Europe for further studies and returned to India in 1908. Besides teaching and practicing law, Iqbal continued to write poetry and by1928, his reputation as a great philosopher was solidly established. His poetries have got the reputation of being translated in several International Languages.

“Iqbal's thoughts are focused on the spiritual direction and development of human society and his poetry imparted message of pure and spiritual focus on eastern values as a source for socio-political liberation and greatness of the country. In his publication Payam-e-Mashriq, The Message of the East, Iqbal reminds to the West of the importance of morality, religion and civilization by underlining the need for cultivating feeling, ardor and dynamism”, said Anika Sabahat, a student of Iqbaliyat.

When Iqbal wrote Shikwah, The Complaints, in which he complained to the God about the prevailing miserable conditions of the Muslims in the world, it irritated the Maulvis and they declared him as infidel. But when Iqbal wrote Jawab-e-Shikwah, The Answer to the Complaints, critics were finding very hard to escape. It is the same Shikwah and Jawab-e-Shikwah that is translated in English by Khushwant Singh.

In 1938 on April 21, the Great Indian Poet and the Philosopher, Iqbal died leaving behind him tremendous amount of literary works embedded with priceless thoughts and messages that are still working as guiding paths for the millions world over.

Home | Top of the page

Comment on this article

Ummid Business: Advertise with us | Careers | Link Exchange

Ummid.com is part of Awaz Multimedia & Publications providing World News, News Analysis and Feature Articles on Education, Health. Politics, Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Industry etc. The articles or the views displayed on this website are for public information and in no way describe the editorial views. The users are entitled to use this site subject to the terms and condition mentioned.