AS the nation is celebrating Iqbal Day today (Nov 9), it is appropriate to remember Allama Iqbal’s message for the youth, which, in a nutshell, is about the capacity of the powerful to create the environment, and the helplessness of the feeble to adjust to it. He wanted Muslim youth to be powerful physically, intellectually and spiritually.

Using the eagle as a metaphor for dignity, pride and resilience in his poetry. Iqbal urged teachers and scholars to groom the young in a manner that may put them on the path of self-actualisation. On the one hand, Iqbal acted as a catalyst for intellectual activity in young Muslims, while, on the other, he introduced them to the need of spiritual preparation. Science has proved that tiny subatomic particles can generate enough energy to destroy the whole world, and, likewise, human soul is a tremendous reservoir of energy that can change one’s fortune in the physical world.

Today, as we celebrate Iqbal Day, the young in Pakistan are searching for spiritual vigour and intellectual guidance. Thoughts of Iqbal, reflected in his verse and prose, can fulfil this task of guiding our youth. There is a need of extensive and intensive work on the message of Iqbal to further introduce him to the Western world.

Farrukh Shahab
Lahore

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2024