JEDDAH, 4 May 2005 — Sixty-seven years after the death of legendary poet, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, a group of scholars and aficionados gathered Sunday at Mehran Restaurant to commemorate his memory and examine his literary legacy.
French humanist and Iqbal expert Dr. Francis Lamand, who also is president of Islam and the West, was the guest of honor at the event organized by Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC). It was presided over by Dr. Monawar Hashmi, a noted poet and a leading Iqbal scholar.
Dr. Lamand said he started learning about Iqbal when he started teaching about him 50 years ago. The professor was so impressed that he devoted his pursuits to understanding him so that he now considers himself a servant of Iqbal.
In 1991, Dr. Lamand successfully convened an international conference on Iqbal in Cordoba, Spain, where one of the poet’s most popular verses were read. He succeeded in getting the mehrab of Cordoba Mosque opened for the first time in 800 years by special permission of Pope John Paul II.
Dr. Hashmi praised Dr. Lamand’s knowledge about Iqbal. “We must do more to understand the true message of Allama Iqbal,” he said.
According to Dr. Hashmi, when Iqbal met European leaders, including everyone from philosophers to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, they were surprised and impressed with the message of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Islamic values about humanity. Iqbal advised them to avoid Western materialism and search for the spiritualism of Islam in the East to solve their problems.
Dr. Hashmi also offered to translate Dr. Lamand’s upcoming book on the poet. He urged the Pakistani government to swiftly repatriate stranded Pakistanis living as refugees in Bangladesh who continue to suffer, a sentiment that was later echoed by community leader and Pakistan Repatriation Council convener Ehsanul Haque.
Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena also sent a message to the gathering. Siraj Wahab read Almaeena’s message on Iqbal’s lasting impact on the world.
Almaeena said Iqbal is studied in several European countries, and he was surprised to find streets there named in the poet’s honor. He especially referred to a street named after the poet in the German city of Heidelberg.
Almaeena said Iqbal was not just a poet of the Subcontinent but a global messenger. Just as Europe appears to have understood Iqbal’s message, Almaeena said Muslims today should make sure they understand Iqbal’s message.
Ehsanul Haque thanked Dr. Lamand and Almaeena for their thoughtful presentation on Iqbal. He also acknowledged their support for Pakistani community in general and stranded Pakistanis in particular. He said Iqbal was the one who convinced Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to work for the Muslim nation (Pakistan). “We urge the Pakistan government to create an Iqbal Research Academy to popularize the philosophy of Iqbal.”
“A quarter of a million patriotic Pakistanis are languishing in 66 camps in Bangladesh for 33 years... This is because we have forgotten the message of Quaid-e-Azam and Iqbal,” he added.
Among those in attendance were Latifur Rahman of Humanity Welfare, Abdur Rafi, Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi, Dilshad Jaani, Muhammad Ashfaque, Kamal Alam Khan, Azeez Ahmed of Pakistani Engineers Society (PES), Mian Matin Aslam of Pakistan National Circle, Shahid Nayeem and Jamil Rathore of the Pakistan Journalists Forum. Prominent poets Nasim-e-Sehar, Syed Mohsin Alavi and Abdul Qayyum Waseq read poems to pay tribute to Allama Iqbal. The function was conducted by Hamid Islam Khan.
