Iqbal’s poetry embodies essence of Quran, Sunnah: Prof. Zaid Gul Khattak

ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (APP): Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s poetry embodies the essence of the Quran and Sunnah, and there is a need to translate his teachings into practice.

These views were expressed by Professor Zaid Gul Khattak while presiding over an Iqbal Day ceremony organised by the Nazriya Pakistan Council Trust at Aiwan-e-Quaid, Islamabad, said a press release issued here on Wednesday.

The ceremony was held under the theme “A Greater Pakistan in the Light of Iqbal’s Thought.”

Prof. Zaid Gul Khattak observed that it was astonishing that people who had not even read a single poem of Iqbal attentively were making claims on social media that the poet had never presented the concept of Pakistan.

He said Iqbal aspired to establish a political and social entity where the values embodied in the Uswa-e-Hasana (the exemplary life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him) could flourish, enabling the Muslim Ummah to recognise the true purpose of its existence.

Speaking as the chief guest, Dr Shoaib Suddle said that society had drifted in different directions and expressed hope that the prevailing challenges would soon be overcome by returning to the path highlighted by Iqbal.

He stressed that people must understand and embrace the true spirit of Iqbal’s teachings.

Dr Suddle also expressed concern over the continuing atrocities in Gaza and Palestine, saying that people should not remain silent but play their role in raising their voices against the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Chairman of the Nazriya Pakistan Council Trust, Mian Muhammad Javed, said that Iqbal was not only an enlightened thinker himself but also deeply admired light and enlightenment.

He added that Iqbal spoke for all humanity and that his message was universal in nature.

Palestinian scholar Sheikh Dr Mufti Mahmoud Yousuf Al-Shobaki, who attended the ceremony from Gaza, said that Allama Iqbal was not merely the thinker of Pakistan but also a thinker of the entire Muslim Ummah. He had presented the concept of Muslim unity and a shared identity.

Expressing gratitude to the Council for inviting him, he described Iqbal as a true Muslim and a man of exceptional intellectual stature.

He said Iqbal had raised the issue of Palestine at an early stage and urged the Muslim Ummah to stand with the Palestinian people. He prayed that Allah Almighty would protect Pakistan from all hostile designs and threats.

Dr Abdul Ghafoor Abid, another guest of honour, suggested that anyone wishing to understand Iqbal and his philosophy should study three important books: Iqbal and the Reconstruction of Religious Thought in English, Pas Cheh Bayad Kard in Persian, and Hayat-e-Iqbal.

Another guest of honour, Muhammad Idrees Azad, quoted Iqbal’s famous message that a nation cannot change its circumstances unless it first resolves to change itself. He also referred to the Quranic teaching conveying the same principle.

Chairman of the Iqbal Studies Forum, Syed Zaheer Gilani, said that Iqbal was rightly known as the Poet of the East because his poetry had not only given a new intellectual direction to the Muslims of the subcontinent but had also awakened the entire East.
CEO of ILO, Waheed Rumi, said that the nation must revisit the missions of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal to transform Pakistan into a truly great state.

Hosting the event, Hameed Qaiser said that Allama Iqbal was an extraordinary personality whose vision and intellectual insight had influenced not only the Indian subcontinent but the entire world.

The ceremony was attended by prominent intellectuals, scholars and distinguished guests.