Only through blatant favouritism and vote rigging. In any relatively fair elections the so-called religious parties have been comprehensively rejected.

Partition took place because Congress was willing to let the muslim provinces break away if it allowed them to have a strong central government.

Won’t go into more detail here but would recommend Ayesha Jalal’s, The Sole Spokesman. Btw this isn’t a fringe theory and has replaced the traditional history in most academic circles, even though it hasn’t filtered out to the general public.

Iqbal hasnt been keeping with the study of the Quran. Muslims bring it on themselves. Purify yourselves and Allah (azawajal) will make a way. InshaAllah.

Wah, Wah though and everyone’s happy.

Heh, that is some consolation but not much. I think the word ‘useless’ in this case applies to totally different states of understanding poetry.

I second Jay Singh — very educational thread.

If you’re looking for an outlet for your poetic urges, the Sepia Mutiny blog frequently has a “55Friday” theme. The aim is to write a short piece of “nanofiction” no more than 55 words long, but one can use it to write something poetic too.

Check it out if you haven’t done so already — the latest “theme” is still on SM’s main page.

Don’t worry Sunny. My father says the same about me.

Na tha kuch, to khuda tha, na hota kuch to khuda hota
Daboya mujh ko honay nay na hota main to kia hota?

(God ws there, when there was noone else, He would be there, where there would be nothing else, ….)

However there is something about Iqbal’s poetry, probably because of its religious/political theme which makes it great. When I was reading it, someone recommended that I should read Ghalib and while that is probably more aesthetically pleasing I’m not sure if I would enjoy it as much.

Thabet thanks for the comment about Milton. It’s one of those things which I’ve thought about reading but never gotten down to – may try to do so over the summer.

I think Iqbal’s relationship with Pakistan is very similar to Jinnah’s. Their nationalism trumping any religious sentiment. Its one of the reasons why I think Khilafat sentiment has never taken hold in independent Pakistan. Even the religious parties have only enjoyed political success recently.

Thank you so much for this post. It’s after such a loooooooong time I got in touch with my poetry-loving side.

Is it? I could never make the connection. But no doubt if there ever was a god of poetry, it would be Milton.

What did he say:
“Hell is but a STATE of mind”

But i think Milton was too Biblical. Iqbal on the other hand hardly quotes from Quran but more from the history in Shikwa.
Also, Milton finds it hard breaking away from the traditional text:

Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe

But yes, the more I think of it, shikwa /jawab shikwa could have been inspired by Milton’s Paradise lost/regained.
But why do people love controversey more? I know shikwa and Paradise lost are both more popular than the jawab and paradise regained.
Do poetry lovers like to get bad news?

Iqbal’s relationship with (conservative) Pakistan is an oddity, to say the least.

(Oh my friend! I am not a flower in the garden that stays quiet, after listening to heartbreaking song of the bird)

An understanding of Urdu and a bit of Muslim history, and Iqbal’s poetry is MAGIC.
And it was only Iqbal who could call Allah a friend? Could talk to him, be upset at him, and in fact dare to question him!
Interesting that maulvis of that time labelled him a stooge, non Muslim and KAFIR, (groan, what else did you expect).
But Iqbal was the first one who placed the idea in young Muslims minds that God could indeed be our friend.
Before him, Muslim God was something to be feared, followed blindly and never the one to talk to.
He made God, a human concept.
Also, Iqbal was the first one and sadly the last political Muslim in the sub-continent who stressed the need of “Ijtehad” in Islam. It’s an Islamic concept which means reform. He could see it a hundered years ago that Islam needed reformation. If only someone had followed his dream, maybe we would have been spared the humiliation of facing the suicide bomber generation.