Iqbal Lahori advised Muslim youth to explore self: Iranian scholar

Speaking at a three-day international conference on Allama Muhammad Iqbal in Islamabad the Iranian scholar said Iqbal was not opposed to scientific western culture, but he was against capitalistic democracy and materialistic civilization, which did not abide by religious and moral values.

Allama Iqbal known as Iqbal Lahori was a poet, philosopher, and politician, as well as an academic, barrister and scholar of the sub-continent who is widely regarded as having inspired the Pakistan Movement. He was born on November 9, 1877 and died in April 21, 1938.

He is called the 'Spiritual Father of Pakistan '. He is considered one of the most important figures in Urdu literature, with literary work in both Urdu and Persian. Iqbal is admired as a prominent poet by Pakistanis, Iranians and other international scholars of literature.

Expressing his views, Dr Mohammad Baghaie Makan said that Iqbal had advised Muslims to benefit from the modern knowledge while safeguarding the preservation of their own culture.

He said that Iqbal has the thirst for innovation and which is depicted through his works.

“Iqbal liked that Islamic nations think about new things and new issues and forget those things which are not useful in the life,” he said.

He said: 'We had a philosopher Pyrrho in ancient times who was founder of skepticism, who says that in today’s world there is no absolute vision, this is the same thing that Iqbal and Maulavi followed.

The scholar noted that Iqbal in one of his verses had compared life to a river which is always flowing.

Dr Baghaie Makan said that unfortunately after 72 years of Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s death, Muslim nations could not see another Iqbal.

He said he spent 30 years of his life in research on Iqbal and he found that the great poet preaches nothing but unity among Muslims wherein lies the solution of all our problems.

The researcher said that Muslim world by following the philosophy of Iqbal , should come nearer to each other to promote the Islamic culture.

Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasar, Vice Chancellor, University of the Punjab speaking on the occasion said Iqbal was a humanist and he dreamt of a new social order for the whole world based on social democracy and spiritual democracy.

He said Iqbal's main concern was to awaken the Muslim Ummah through his philosophy of Khudi (Self-realization, Self-awareness, and self-assertion) and Be-Khudi (Integration of individual with society and with supreme common interest of society).

Prof Dr Ejaz Akram from National Defence University said that Economic philosophy of Iqbal stressed the need of economic independence.

Allama Iqbal, he said, was conscious of the exploitation which the rich nations forced upon the poor and underdeveloped Countries of the World.

Dr Nurali Nurzad from Tajikistan seems to have foreseen a new international economic order which is being hotly debated and discussed today at various international forums.

Dr Talib Hussain Sial Former Director, IRD, International Islamic University, Islamabad said that a truly elevated society is the basis of Iqbal's message. He gave us the vision of a tolerant and an egalitarian society, Talib added.

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