Influence of Rumi on poetry of Pakistan’s national poet

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - For Pakistan's national poet Allama Iqbal 145th birth anniversary on Tuesday, observers are highlighting the influence of Mevlana, or Maulana Rumi, a 13th century Sufi mystic, poet and Islamic scholar.

Born Nov. 9, 1877, in the northeastern Sialkot, located 139 kilometers (89 miles) from Lahore, the capital of northeastern Punjab province, Iqbal is called "Mufakkir-e-Pakistan," or the “inceptor of Pakistan” for conceiving a separate homeland for Muslims of then-United India.

Also known as Iqbal Lahori outside Pakistan, he is seen as an extension of Rumi’s philosophy by literary critics. His Persian poetry, in particular, is heavily influenced by Rumi.

In Iqbal’s famous book, Javednama, the famous poet advises his son, Javed, that if he fails to find a wise friend in his life, then associate with Rumi's ideology because he knows the difference between reality and the mere appearance of things.

Iqbal proudly described himself as a student of Rumi.

"Iqbal's love with Rumi began during a period from 1889 and 1900. A thorough study of Iqbal's poetry and philosophy suggests that after the Holy Quran and hadith – sayings and (practices) of Prophet Mohammad – Rumi was his inspiration," observed Samina Bhatti, associate professor of Urdu language at Islamia College for Women Lahore.

Bhatti, who widely studied the comparison between the two men, told Anadolu Agency that most of Iqbal’s ideas are an extension of Rumi’s poetry and philosophy.

"Iqbal's poetry –​​​​​​​ both Persian and Urdu – is filled with praise and love for Rumi," she said, adding that the baseline of the two great poets was the "human being."

Although, Iqbal as a poet and philosopher, had followed a number of poets and philosophers around the world, nonetheless, Rumi remained his ultimate love and inspiration.

She said Iqbal narrates his feelings in this way:" The great sage Rumi's company revealed this secret to me that a myriad of wise men can do such miracles as a single entity like the Moses with his head on his hand."

At another place, in the context of British cultural influence on Muslims during the colonial era in India, he said, “Your wisdom is overpowered by the magic of Westerners. The only remedy for this enchantment/spell lies in the fire of Rumi (philosophy) that can cause this enchantment to wear off."

Sharing a similar view, Shahnawaz Farooqui, a Karachi-based poet and writer, said for Iqbal, Rumi was an "ocean of mysteries."

"According to Iqbal, he embodies a literal knowledge of the world and events, whereas Rumi is an ocean of real knowledge and mysteries," Farooqui told Anadolu Agency.

Many see Rumi and Iqbal as a connection between not only the literary world but the common people of Turkey and Pakistan.

Tehsin Firaqi, a former head of the Urdu department at Punjab University, said Iqbal's work inspired Turkish poets and authors.

Apart from Rumi, he said, several Turkish and Pakistani authors have equated Iqbal and Mehmet Akif Ersoy, poet and author of Turkey's national anthem.

Firaqi said beside his poetry, Iqbal's book, Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, was also translated into Turkish.

- Iqbal's life

A descendant of a Kashmiri family that settled in neighboring Sialkot district in the 17th century, Iqbal attended the Scottish Mission School Sialkot for his early education and graduated from the prestigious Government College Lahore in 1897. He earned his master's degree in philosophy in 1899.

He received a scholarship from Trinity College in Cambridge and graduated with a bachelor of arts in 1906. Iqbal earned a doctorate from Ludwig Maximilian University in Germany in 1908 with a thesis on the development of metaphysics in Persia.

The same year, he returned to Lahore and joined the Government College University as a professor of philosophy and English literature. In 1922, he was knighted by King George V.

In his famous address in Allahabad, India in 1930, Iqbal outlined his vision for a separate homeland for Indian Muslims, who, he said, are a distinct nation and deserve independence.

His address is known as the foundation of a "two-nation theory" that later paved the way for the foundation of Pakistan in 1947.

It was Iqbal who persuaded Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, to return from England and lead the Indian Muslims in their struggle for a separate homeland.

Jinnah returned to India in 1936 and became president of the All India Muslim League, the founding political party of Pakistan.

He died April 21, 1938, in Lahore.

- Literary accomplishments

Iqbal produced works in Persian and Urdu languages. Of his 12,000 verses of poetry, about 7,000 verses are in Persian.

He wrote his first book, Asrar-e-Khudi, -- a collection of his poetry that appeared in Persian in 1915. His other books of Persian poetry include Rumuz-i-Bekhudi, Payam-i-Mashriq and Zabur-i-Ajam. Iqbal's Urdu works are Bang-i-Dara, Bal-i-Jibril, Zarb-i Kalim and a part of Armughan-e-Hijaz.

A series of his lectures were published by Oxford University Press as “The reconstruction of Islamic religious thoughts in Islam.” His tremendous work in both languages earned him the title of "Poet of East" by literary critics.