DR. SIR MUHAMMAD IQBAL SPEECH

Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal, the intellectual founder of Pakistan, provided the best ideological support to the demands of the Muslims of the sub-continent.

Mr. President and worthy audience, I am going to discuss about the great philosopher, thinker, statesman and our national poet, DR. SIR MUHAMMAD IQBAL. Before coming to this point, I would like to ention here that an intellectual or a poet is not a policy-maker in the true political or diplomatic sense of the word, he definitely paves the way for the whole universe through interpreting his ideas in the sweetest words which trigger the feelings and stir the imagination to the maximum degree.

Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal was born at Sialkot in a Kashmiri family on 9th  November 1877. His father Sheikh Noor Muhammad had a deep respect for God and religion and led his entire life without comforts and pleasures. These were the prominent features that influenced on the life of Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal. He received his early education from Escotch Mission High School and passed his Intermediate Examination from Murrey college, Sialkot with distinction. He had the inspiring guidance of Syed Mir Hassan. He joined Government College, Lahore where he was impressed by Professor Thomas Arnold who persuaded and inspired him to study Philosophy. He did Bar-at-Law from Cambridge University England and Ph.D. from Munikh University, Germany.

Worthy audience, the great philosopher and poet Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal had the most outstanding contribution in attaining a free country. On his return from Europe in 1908, he started his great task of inciting the inactive Muslims through his poetry. His entire poetry is based on the Quranic philosophy of Islam, by which he told them that they could only break the chains of slavery by means of unity and struggle and would get rid of the foreign rulers. Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal thought that India was a continent and human groups were totally different form each other in matters of races, speaking different languages and professing different religions. Thus, it was difficult to terminate their conduct through a common social system. He advocated that Islam has its own system and code of life, the Muslims of India would need a separate state to live therein according to the teachings of Islam. He firmly declared that the Muslims' demand for creation of Muslim India within India, was, therefore, perfectly justified. Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal in the Annual Session of All India Muslim League held in Allahabad on 29th December 1930 pointed out those proposals that the Muslim leaders had presented for the solution. Iqbal said, "I wish that a separate state should be established comprising of Punjab, N.W.F.P, Singh and Baluchistan provinces. It seems to me that in north-west India, a combined Islamic state has been ordained for the Muslims of this region. Islam can only exist as a cultural entity in this country, if it gets a particular region. Different people of that time thought it as a dream of a poet but in the Lahore Declaration of March 23, 1940, the Muslim League passed the resolution of Pakistan and the Muslims started a titanic and unprecedented struggle for their independent state. Thus these cultural and social differences between the two nations accelerated the pace of political developments, finally leading to the division of British India into two separate independent states, Pakistan and India on August 14 and 15, 1947, respectively.

Mr. President, Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal gave the message of Unity, Hope and Success to the Muslims at every step.With his inspiring poems, he infused a new spirit into the Muslims and motivated them to strive for their revival. The great scholars, politicians, mystics, journalists and students of the day visited to see guidance and inspiration as his doors were opened for all those who cam into his contact. In recognition of his literary services, the Government of Britain awarded him the title of "Sir". He died on 21st April, 1938 and his eternal abode is in Lahore outside the Badshahi Mosque. His death was a great loss for the Muslims.

My dear friends, this hour reminded every Pakistani to draw lesson from his inspiring poems, teeming with the ideals of self, love of God and the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). This is a source to bring us nearer to the Lord and makes us eligible for God's blessings in this life and in the life to come. Now I finish my speech with a beautiful verse.

کچھ اس طرح کا پُر اسرار ہے تیرا لہجہ

کہ جیسے راز کشاہو کسی خزانے کا