February 23, 2002

Majaalis-i-Iqbal, is a collection of articles, interviews and discussion sessions with Iqbal of persons from different strata of life comprising politicians, students, literati, some very close and intimate friends, and even some strangers who only wanted to meet and shake hands with the person whom they idolized. This book gives an insight into the life and personality of the person hidden from the public view.

The article by Taqi Shah, Iqbal’s childhood friend, and the son of his mentor and teacher Maulvi Mir Hasan, takes us into the period of his childhood. Iqbal’s father was a small businessman, who like all other businessmen wanted Iqbal to join him in his enterprise after finishing the Quran. But chance and good luck often guide our destinies. And that is what happened with Iqbal too.

A learned and pious elder of Sialkot, Maulvi Mir Hasan (popularly known as Shah Sahib), a friend of Iqbal’s father, was also present at the Quran finishing ceremony. And as Taqi Shah writes, he was so impressed by the “brilliance” in the child’s eyes, his broad forehead, and the “radiance of intelligence” on his face that he advised Iqbal to continue his education, and took him under his guardianship. And in this way chance and good luck not only guided Iqbal’s destiny but also that of the entire Muslim world.

Taqi Shah recalls that Iqbal was very fond of pigeons. Although the two youngsters were admonished by Taqi Shah’s mother, they secretly bought two pigeons with the two annas which each of them had received at eid and kept them with a common friend. But secrets do leak out and Shah Sahib also came to know about it. Although he was a strict disciplinarian, he called both the boys and only advised them to release the helpless birds and earn God’s blessings. It was this incident, which later motivated Iqbal to write his famous poem “Parindey ki faryad”.

Ghulam Bhik Nairang is a well-known personality. He and Iqbal were contemporaries at college. He writes that even in his youth Iqbal lived a very simple life. He was never meticulous or fussy about his attire. His favourite dress was a vest and a tahband (a long sheet of cloth wound round the waist down to the ankles). He went bareheaded, and draped a rug round him in winters. This part of his personality has been repeatedly mentioned in various articles in the book.

This is how he dressed throughout his life when at home, and welcomed everyone from a simple and rugged peasant and villager, to a well-dressed sophisticated aristocrat, a minister, a knight or a student. The guests were seated on simple or ordinary chairs, while he remained reclining on a cot smoking a hookah. And he welcomed all with the same cordiality. And, as Mumtaz Hasan mentions in his article, he talked to everyone according to his interest, understanding and intellect.

Iqbal was always lucid, unambiguous and categorical while discussing any subject, or explaining any point. Dr Jan Muhammad once pointed out that the word khudi in his famous couplet, “Khudi ko ker buland itna ke her taqdeer se pahle/ Khuda bande se khud poochhe bata teri reza kiya hai”, was interpreted in different ways by different people. The word khudi or ego could reflect a shade of arrogance. But Iqbal’s interpretation of khudi in this couplet clears all confusion forever. He said that in this couplet khudi didn’t mean ego or self-respect, but the person himself, and explained that man by means of piety and virtuous deed could rise in stature to a position where God rewards him by granting his wishes Himself without waiting to be requested.

Iqbal not only advocated khudi but also practised it in life. His refusal to accept invitations at short notice for dinner and lunch with the viceroy of India when he called on him to plead a case on behalf of the Nawab of Bahawalpur, and later his refusal of the Nawab’s invitation to visit Bahawalpur (probably to express his gratitude) speak highly of his own khudi.

Iqbal was a gifted speaker. His clarity of thought, full perception of the subject, and captivating power of expression, made him an excellent teacher and conversationalist. When he spoke there would be pin drop silence all around, and his audience would sit spellbound and listen to him with rapt attention. His clarity of thought, and full grasp of subject are evident from discussions he had with Yousuf Saleem Chishti on wide ranging subjects such as the ‘immortality of soul’, ‘religion and pantheism’, ‘relationship between God and man’ and many more.

Yousuf Chishti gives a lucid description of the nineteen meetings he had with Iqbal. This chapter should be of great interest to philosophers and thinkers.

Iqbal was a down-to-earth man. Amongst his childhood friends were Baba Dinoo and Laloo, the wrestler. Baba Dinoo served as a peon in an office, while Laloo worked at a ‘taal’ (wood mart). When Iqbal returned from England as a barrister, he had already earned fame as a poet-philosopher and had earned a place for himself as a prominent personality of the country. The first thing he did on reaching Sialkot was that he went to meet Baba Dinoo at his workplace and embraced him warmly without any reservations, to the utter amazement of those around him.

Laloo was not present at the ‘taal’. Iqbal left a message for him to call on “Bala” (as Iqbal was called by them when children). Childhood accounts as narrated by them who were gulli-danda friends of Iqbal are very interesting and heart-warming.

Jafar Baloch has done a commendable job by compiling this book which covers the entire life of the poet from his childhood to his last moments. The first hand accounts from prominent personalities of the time and his close friends give a new dimension to our knowledge of Iqbal. This book must be read, specially by the younger generation.

Majaalis-i-Iqbal
Compiled by Jafar Baloch
Daruz Tazkeer, Rahman Market, Ghazni Street, Urdu Bazar, Lahore
Tel: 042-7231119
236pp. Rs150

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