CRITICAL evaluation of Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s poetry began in the early 1900s when Sheikh Abdul Qadir’s article on Iqbal appeared in May 1902 issue of Khadang-i-Nazar, an Urdu magazine published from Lucknow. Since then a century and a quarter have elapsed and critics and researchers have amassed an enormous number of articles and books on Iqbal’s life and his poetry.

The endeavours to understand Iqbal and his poetry are still going on and no year passes by without a few books being published on Iqbal. This year, too, is no exception. Among the recently published books on Iqbal, one brings up a perspective on Iqbal which is rarely discussed: prosodic metres and how Iqbal has made use of them in his Urdu and Persian poetry.

Titled Auzaan-i-Iqbal, or the prosodic metres Iqbal used in his poetry, it is in fact the much-needed reprint of the book by Abul Ejaz Hafeez Siddiqi (1930-2006), an educator, researcher and poet from Okara, Punjab. First published in 1983, the book covers a topic that has largely been ignored by critics and one of the reasons is that only those with a command over ilm-i-arooz, or prosody — the study of metrical structures and rhythms in poetry — can analyse the prosodic features and peculiarities of a poet, as the subject is often considered too complex.

Hafeez Siddiqi not only had mastery over prosody but also knew how to explain the complex art of prosody in an easy-to-understand manner. In the beginning, the author has done some wonderful work for common readers to make them understand the book by explaining the terms used in prosody as well as certain aspects of metres, genres, forms of poetry and terms useful in understanding Iqbal’s prosodic metres.

The author has listed each and every first line from Iqbal’s Urdu and Persian ghazals and poems — and other genres and poetic forms, such as, do baiti, masnavi, qit’a, tarkeeb band — mentioning the specific prosodic metre (behr) in which they are composed. He has also mentioned the variations of a metre in vogue and their technical names, along with each part of the metre known as rukn, or rhythmic unit, which is called, in English, ‘foot of a poetic line’. A list of metres used by Iqbal is given in an appendix, with each of the metres assigned a serial number. This number is mentioned in the relevant sections, thus avoiding the repetition of a metre’s name and metrical units.

The book, published by Karachi’s Fiqh Academy, is helpful in many ways. For instance, if we want to know which of Iqbal’s poems or ghazals are in a specific metre, say behr-i-ramal or behr-i-hazaj, a chapter in the book can guide us to find the answer and it also mentions the name of Iqbal’s poetic collection that includes that specific poem or ghazal. Another chapter offers the key to find which of Iqbal’s books, for instance Baang-i-Dara, has poems composed in a specific metre. It lists each and every poem and ghazal in Baang-i-Dara in a sequence as given in the book and mentions the prosodic metre. Poems in other works by Iqbal have been listed in a similar way. A chapter shows how many prosodic metres, and which ones, Iqbal has used in a specific book.

Metrical analysis in the book covers Iqbal’s each and every poetic collection, whether in Urdu or Persian, and they are: Baang-i-Dara, Baal-i-Jibreel, Zarb-i-Kaleem, Armughaan-i-Hijaaz, Asrar-i-Khudi, Rumooz-i-Bekhudi, Payam-i-Mashriq, Zaboor-i-Ajam, Javed Nama, Pas Che Bayad Kard Aye Aqvaam-i-Mashriq and Masnavi Musaafir.

Some useful appendices in the book present some charts, making it easy for the reader to find certain things at a glance. In an appendix is given a list of the prosodic metres used by Iqbal in each of his book, for example, Iqbal has used 20 different metres in Baang-i-Dara and 19 in Baal-i-Jibreel. Another list shows how many times a specific metre was used in Iqbal’s different books, for instance, Iqbal has used behr-i-ramal in seven of his books and behr-i-mujtas in nine books. All in all, Iqbal has used 24 different metres and their variations in his Urdu and Persian poetic works. The author has taken some real pains to determine the metres used in each and every poetic form or genre by Iqbal in each of his book, mentioning precise numbers every time.

The last chapter analyses Iqbal’s use of metres and draws some conclusions. It truly offers some insights into Iqbal’s use of metres. For instance, behr-i-ramal and behr-i-hazaj are among Iqbal’s most favourite metres in Urdu and masnavi most used form in his Persian works. Also, Iqbal had been experimenting with the poetic forms right from the beginning.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2025