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Iqbal: The Life of a Poet Philosopher and Politician
Allama Mohammad Iqbal, whom Sarojini Naidu called the 'Poet laureate of Asia', remains a controversial figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent. On the one hand, he is considered the 'Spiritual Father of Pakistan'. On the other, his message of Eastern revivalism places him in the ranks of the twentieth century's major intellectuals. Iqbal's tragedy was that after his death, he was made the national poet of Pakistan and largely ignored in India. In his time, he was lauded as much as Tagore but today India celebrates Tagore while Iqbal has been banished from her consciousness.
This meticulously researched biography will redress that erasure. This is the story of Iqbal's evolution as a poet, philosopher and politician. While his role in the struggle for India's freedom and the Pakistan movement are well known, not much is known about his personal life. This book highlights some of the least known facets of the poet's life: how did a nationalist poet transform into a poet of Islamic revivalism and global revolution? How did three years in Europe change Iqbal's political and philosophical outlook? Why did he start writing in Persian during his stay in Europe? Why did his first marriage fail and how did his romantic relationships affect him? What exactly was the poet's role in bringing about Partition? Written with the passion of an ardent devotee, Zafar Anjum's Iqbal answers all of these questions - and many more - in this carefully told biography.
This meticulously researched biography will redress that erasure. This is the story of Iqbal's evolution as a poet, philosopher and politician. While his role in the struggle for India's freedom and the Pakistan movement are well known, not much is known about his personal life. This book highlights some of the least known facets of the poet's life: how did a nationalist poet transform into a poet of Islamic revivalism and global revolution? How did three years in Europe change Iqbal's political and philosophical outlook? Why did he start writing in Persian during his stay in Europe? Why did his first marriage fail and how did his romantic relationships affect him? What exactly was the poet's role in bringing about Partition? Written with the passion of an ardent devotee, Zafar Anjum's Iqbal answers all of these questions - and many more - in this carefully told biography.
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2014
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163 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 18, 2017
I'm giving this book 5 stars because I got what I wanted from the book, which was, to get to know the times that made Iqbal.
I think the merit of the book lies in the fact that the author successfully recreated not just Iqbal, but also the times he was living in, indirectly highlighting how he was a product of his times. The book is not about critiquing Iqbal's philosophy and his ideas. The book is about Iqbal's life choices and how he justified them.
It basically follows the story of Iqbal, from his birth to his life in Europe and then back to India where he assumed a political character in the Indian independence movement. It follows how Iqbal's poetry developed over time, constantly being reshaped by his times and experiences.
One critique that could be made about the author is that he expresses a lot of sentimentality towards Muhammad Iqbal. He sounds like a believer. However, I don't hold it against him because the book is well documented and derives from a number of credible sources. The author seems to have wasted less time in the speculations surrounding certain part of Iqbal's life. However, the overall journey and recreation of Iqbal's life and the different roles he assumed throughout his life was exciting.
The book is a simple, lucid and engaging read. It should serve as a good point to begin one's study about Iqbal.
I think the merit of the book lies in the fact that the author successfully recreated not just Iqbal, but also the times he was living in, indirectly highlighting how he was a product of his times. The book is not about critiquing Iqbal's philosophy and his ideas. The book is about Iqbal's life choices and how he justified them.
It basically follows the story of Iqbal, from his birth to his life in Europe and then back to India where he assumed a political character in the Indian independence movement. It follows how Iqbal's poetry developed over time, constantly being reshaped by his times and experiences.
One critique that could be made about the author is that he expresses a lot of sentimentality towards Muhammad Iqbal. He sounds like a believer. However, I don't hold it against him because the book is well documented and derives from a number of credible sources. The author seems to have wasted less time in the speculations surrounding certain part of Iqbal's life. However, the overall journey and recreation of Iqbal's life and the different roles he assumed throughout his life was exciting.
The book is a simple, lucid and engaging read. It should serve as a good point to begin one's study about Iqbal.
February 13, 2023
The best English language non-specialist biography I have yet read of Iqbal, and I’ve read most of them. He is one of my heroes so I try to read everything on him I can. It succeeds in humanizing the great Iqbal yet still shows him the respect he deserves. A great introductory biography.
June 24, 2017
I started reading this book thinking I will get a deeper insight into the poetry of Iqbal, but for most part the author ignores his poetry completely, surfacing intermittently.
We are instead treated to passages about world politics and have chapters of speeches reproduced verbatim (some of which basically say the same things which have been explained earlier).
The narrative is lacklustre and prodding.
We are instead treated to passages about world politics and have chapters of speeches reproduced verbatim (some of which basically say the same things which have been explained earlier).
The narrative is lacklustre and prodding.
April 22, 2016
Very accessible edition. Slightly over-hagiographic, though it still presents Iqbal in spirit rather than boring details. Perhaps we are never far enough from those events to have a more balanced account of a charged thinker as Iqbal. Gender dynamics of the time should also be highlighted more. Women and the idea of Pakistan, anyone?
February 20, 2015
Detailed Review here http://www.anureviews.com/iqbal-zafar...
March 23, 2023
Never in my life I ever imagined myself to be reading Iqbal and actually enjoying it. What a beautiful insight into the lives of one of the most celebrated poets of the region.
July 6, 2020
Iqbal: The Life of a Poet Philosopher and Politician by Zafar Anjum
Allama Mohammad Iqbal, whom Sarojini Naidu called the ‘Poet laureate of Asia’, also regarded as the ‘Shair-e-Mashriq’ “Poet of the East”, remains a controversial figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent. There are several books on Iqbal focussing on his personal, social, political, philosophical, and spiritual life. This book is for the people who want to understand the journey of Iqbal as a poet, philosopher and politician. While his role in the struggle for India’s freedom and the Pakistan movement are well known, not much is known about his personal life. This book highlights some of the least known facets of the poet’s life: how did a nationalist poet transform into a poet of Islamic revivalism and global revolution? How did three years in Europe change Iqbal’s political and philosophical outlook? Why did he start writing in Persian during his stay in Europe? Why did his first marriage fail and how did his romantic relationships affect him? What exactly was the poet’s role in bringing about Partition? Written with the passion of an ardent devotee, Zafar Anjum’s Iqbal answers all of these questions – and many more – in this carefully told biography. I read it two years ago, and found each part very interesting and catchy.
Zafar Anjum sums up the two main “tragedies” which have befallen Iqbal. He writes in the introduction to his book: “Iqbal’s first tragedy was that after his death, he was claimed as the national poet of Pakistan and was largely ignored in India. His second tragedy is that Pakistan, a country that was founded on the basis of religion … practically forgot its own national poet. Similarly, in India, Iqbal remains a pariah and the majority of people know little about his life or his work.”
The book is divided into the following four major parts and each part has been divided into different sub-parts or small chapters:
1.PART ONE: 1877–1905 BEGINNINGS
2.PART TWO: 1905–1908 EUROPE
3.PART THREE: 1908–1925 A LAWYER IN LAHORE
4.PART FOUR: 1926–1938 THE YEARS IN POLITICS
ABOUT IQBAL: Iqbal was influenced by the teachings of Sir Thomas Arnold, his philosophy teacher at Government College Lahore, to pursue higher education in the West. In 1905, he travelled to England for that purpose. While already acquainted with Friedrich Nietzsche and Henri Bergson, Iqbal would discover Rumi slightly before his departure to England, and he would teach the Masnavi to his friend Swami Rama Tirtha, who in return would teach him Sanskrit. Iqbal qualified for a scholarship from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1906. In the same year he was called to the bar as a barrister at Lincoln’s Inn. In 1907, Iqbal moved to Germany to pursue his doctoral studies, and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1908. Working under the guidance of Friedrich Hommel, Iqbal’s doctoral thesis was entitled The Development of Metaphysics in Persia.
Few Couplets of Iqbal from the book:
Dhoondta phirta hoon aye Iqbal apne aapko
Aap hi goya musafir, aap hi manzil hun mein
I keep looking, oh Iqbal, for myself,
As if I’m the traveller as well as the destination.
Janaab-e Daagh ki Iqbal yeh saari karamat hai
Tere jaise to kar dala, sukhandaan bhi sukhanwar bhi
You owe it to the miracle of Daagh, O Iqbal
That a worthless poet like you has become a master versifier
Watan ki fikr kar nadan musibat aane wali hai
Teri barbadiyon ke mashware hain aasmano me
Be worried about the fate of your country, you fool,
I see trouble brewing as, The skies are contemplating your destruction.
Justuju jis gul ki tadpati thi aye bulbul mujhe
Khubi-e qismat se aakhir mil gaya woh gul mujhe
Qaid me aya toh haasil mujh ko azaadi huyi
Dil ke lut jaane se mere ghar ki abaadi huyi
The flower I was restlessly in search of, hark O nightingale!
Fortunately now I hold that flower in my hands
I’ve found freedom in my captivity
And found my homeland when my heart was plundered
Few Quotes of Iqbal from the book:
1. Self-Control in individuals builds families; in communities, it builds empires.
2. Suffering is a gift from the gods to make men see the entirety of life.
3. The powerful man creates environments; the feeble have to adjust themselves to it.
4. Civilization is a thought of the powerful man.
5. Philosophy is a set of abstractions shivering in the cold night of human reason. The poet comes and warms them up into objectivity.
6. Love is a playful child. She makes our individuality and then quietly. whispers in our ears—‘Renounce it’
7. It is determination, not brains, that succeeds in life.
Allama Mohammad Iqbal, whom Sarojini Naidu called the ‘Poet laureate of Asia’, also regarded as the ‘Shair-e-Mashriq’ “Poet of the East”, remains a controversial figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent. There are several books on Iqbal focussing on his personal, social, political, philosophical, and spiritual life. This book is for the people who want to understand the journey of Iqbal as a poet, philosopher and politician. While his role in the struggle for India’s freedom and the Pakistan movement are well known, not much is known about his personal life. This book highlights some of the least known facets of the poet’s life: how did a nationalist poet transform into a poet of Islamic revivalism and global revolution? How did three years in Europe change Iqbal’s political and philosophical outlook? Why did he start writing in Persian during his stay in Europe? Why did his first marriage fail and how did his romantic relationships affect him? What exactly was the poet’s role in bringing about Partition? Written with the passion of an ardent devotee, Zafar Anjum’s Iqbal answers all of these questions – and many more – in this carefully told biography. I read it two years ago, and found each part very interesting and catchy.
Zafar Anjum sums up the two main “tragedies” which have befallen Iqbal. He writes in the introduction to his book: “Iqbal’s first tragedy was that after his death, he was claimed as the national poet of Pakistan and was largely ignored in India. His second tragedy is that Pakistan, a country that was founded on the basis of religion … practically forgot its own national poet. Similarly, in India, Iqbal remains a pariah and the majority of people know little about his life or his work.”
The book is divided into the following four major parts and each part has been divided into different sub-parts or small chapters:
1.PART ONE: 1877–1905 BEGINNINGS
2.PART TWO: 1905–1908 EUROPE
3.PART THREE: 1908–1925 A LAWYER IN LAHORE
4.PART FOUR: 1926–1938 THE YEARS IN POLITICS
ABOUT IQBAL: Iqbal was influenced by the teachings of Sir Thomas Arnold, his philosophy teacher at Government College Lahore, to pursue higher education in the West. In 1905, he travelled to England for that purpose. While already acquainted with Friedrich Nietzsche and Henri Bergson, Iqbal would discover Rumi slightly before his departure to England, and he would teach the Masnavi to his friend Swami Rama Tirtha, who in return would teach him Sanskrit. Iqbal qualified for a scholarship from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1906. In the same year he was called to the bar as a barrister at Lincoln’s Inn. In 1907, Iqbal moved to Germany to pursue his doctoral studies, and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1908. Working under the guidance of Friedrich Hommel, Iqbal’s doctoral thesis was entitled The Development of Metaphysics in Persia.
Few Couplets of Iqbal from the book:
Dhoondta phirta hoon aye Iqbal apne aapko
Aap hi goya musafir, aap hi manzil hun mein
I keep looking, oh Iqbal, for myself,
As if I’m the traveller as well as the destination.
Janaab-e Daagh ki Iqbal yeh saari karamat hai
Tere jaise to kar dala, sukhandaan bhi sukhanwar bhi
You owe it to the miracle of Daagh, O Iqbal
That a worthless poet like you has become a master versifier
Watan ki fikr kar nadan musibat aane wali hai
Teri barbadiyon ke mashware hain aasmano me
Be worried about the fate of your country, you fool,
I see trouble brewing as, The skies are contemplating your destruction.
Justuju jis gul ki tadpati thi aye bulbul mujhe
Khubi-e qismat se aakhir mil gaya woh gul mujhe
Qaid me aya toh haasil mujh ko azaadi huyi
Dil ke lut jaane se mere ghar ki abaadi huyi
The flower I was restlessly in search of, hark O nightingale!
Fortunately now I hold that flower in my hands
I’ve found freedom in my captivity
And found my homeland when my heart was plundered
Few Quotes of Iqbal from the book:
1. Self-Control in individuals builds families; in communities, it builds empires.
2. Suffering is a gift from the gods to make men see the entirety of life.
3. The powerful man creates environments; the feeble have to adjust themselves to it.
4. Civilization is a thought of the powerful man.
5. Philosophy is a set of abstractions shivering in the cold night of human reason. The poet comes and warms them up into objectivity.
6. Love is a playful child. She makes our individuality and then quietly. whispers in our ears—‘Renounce it’
7. It is determination, not brains, that succeeds in life.
December 27, 2021
Zafar Anjum has made Iqbal come to life, as a philosopher, a poet and a thinker. Allama Iqbal lived for a mere six decades, but bestrides the South Asian subcontinent, and the Islamic world in general, like a colossus. His poetry in Urdu and Farsi, and his writings in Urdu, Farsi and English, inspire awe and provoke thought. A biography of such a figure has to make some important choices. Anjum focuses on Iqbal's philosophy and politics, setting his poetry aside often; a good choice given that the Allama's poetry has been given adequate attention elsewhere. Strongly recommended!
September 9, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.As a an uninformed Pakistani living abroad about Iqbal , this book served as a great medium to learn more about our great poet & spiritual leader of Pakistan.
Zafar Anjum has written this book in a way not to bore the reader at any point , this lucid read has immensely made me want to learn more about Iqbal & lahore.
Hope to visit Javed manzil one day & reminisce all that has taken place there.
Zafar Anjum has written this book in a way not to bore the reader at any point , this lucid read has immensely made me want to learn more about Iqbal & lahore.
Hope to visit Javed manzil one day & reminisce all that has taken place there.
January 23, 2021
A well researched book. I wanted to read an introduction to Iqbal so I could understand him as a person and his mindset In general, based on his circumstances at the time and my aim has mostly been achieved.
It uses Roman Urdu for all of his poems etc, followed by their translation in English, so it's good for anyone with bad Urdu and an interest in the great poet.
The author has ensured that, quite rightly, Iqbal does remain relevant to our present times, and times to come.
It uses Roman Urdu for all of his poems etc, followed by their translation in English, so it's good for anyone with bad Urdu and an interest in the great poet.
The author has ensured that, quite rightly, Iqbal does remain relevant to our present times, and times to come.
October 7, 2024
This book serves as a great concise intro into the life of Iqbal. It's a true tragedy that we don't pay enough attention to his words and thoughts and don't put into action his vision for muslims of the sub-continent and even around the world.
Used to read as a kid that iqbal dreamed of Pakistan, now Reading up about him and what he actually dreamed of. We were able to establish an independent muslim state but we did not live up to what he aspired for us.
Used to read as a kid that iqbal dreamed of Pakistan, now Reading up about him and what he actually dreamed of. We were able to establish an independent muslim state but we did not live up to what he aspired for us.
January 5, 2019
Very well written on life of Iqbal . Plus poetic verses of Iqbal makes it even more interesting to read !!
April 5, 2019
A very good book on iqbal if you want to know his journey.
September 2, 2020
A very vivid biography! This book gave me a lot of insight into Allama’s life in many aspects including and apart from his poetry. One has the opportunity to witness and experience his life through the book as the events are so meticulously laid out. One of the best biographies I’ve read!
August 29, 2015
A very Good attempt to portray the life of Iqbal. This book has served as a great introduction to the life of Iqbal for me, If you want to learn about Iqbal, this is a good place to start of before you begin reading his poems. Thank you Zafar Anjum.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews