Tribute to Allama Iqbal “Look at The Sun Rising from the East”

 

A lot has been written and spoken all over the world about the thoughts of Hazrat Allama Iqbal and his faith-inspiring messages to awaken the Muslims of India from slumber. Nevertheless, analysis of his concepts, philosophy, and poetry continues and will continue. Through his poems, he convinced the world a century ago that the coming time will belong to the East. The era when the sun did not set in the British empire. The whole world was dominated by English and English civilization. Ignorance and slavery reigned in Eastern countries. For the Eastern people, the life of those living in Western countries was like a dream. It was a sign of the British's fascination with the development that after getting primary education in English at the local level, a young person from the sub-continent went to study in Britain or any other Western country, then on his return, he would adapt to the western culture. As if this could be the accomplishment of dreams. He would have remained loyal to the Shah more than the Shah in order to prove himself superior to the rest of the local people and to prove himself to the British. This concept was impossible for those living in the East. They consider themselves equal to the British and think of bringing the East against the West.

It was the perfection of Allama Iqbal's strong personality and maturity of his ideas that he realized the end of Western civilization while acquiring knowledge in Western countries and knew that the foundation of civilization in the West is greed and wealth at any cost. Acquiring an animal-like matriarchal system of life is built on a foundation of weak ideals which are bound to collapse eventually. Keeping in mind the tenacity of the people living in the East, the dedication to work hard, and especially the awareness of the importance of Islam among Muslims, he through his poems, wrote down the British slavery in the subcontinent to those who lived their lives as a sign of fate. Messaged that

Open your eyes and look above,
Look at the streak of dawn;

This poem of Hazrat Allama Iqbal should be written everywhere in all Eastern countries with golden words. In the period in which Allama Iqbal tried to explain the importance of these poems to the people living in the East. Great Britain and British India. A notice board used to be displayed outside the entrance doors of the hotels, on which it was written that the entry of pets (dogs, cats) and Asians are prohibited. Today, the prime minister of the same UK is an Asian. Not only this, the economic development on the basis of which the British occupied more than half of the world by making different laws to keep the people living in their colonies as slaves despite the presence of a democratic system in their country and created a system of slavery. had proved that despite the democratic system, their standards are different for their own people and different for Asians. English looted the Eastern state,  to develop their own nation while keeping occupied nations backward. The message that Allama Iqbal gave at that time while highlighting Eastern values, Even today is helpful to reveal the hypocritical behavior of British colonialism. This was the mirror that Allama Iqbal held in front of the Western colonialists and their Indian servants that the development of man and humanity is not what we see in the dazzling lights of the Western countries. The entire economic structure of the West, which was built on the basis of a malicious capitalist system, and the way in which its own people were pushed into the swamp of nudity and obscenity in the name of modern civilization or Westernization to implement it, is nearing its end. Allama Iqbal not only saw all this while looking into the future but also warned the Western people with his poetic style that

the culture that prevails in West,
corrupts the heart and gaze of man :

But alas, the leaders of the Western nations continued to pursue their interests under the guise of corruption imposed on the world by resorting to war like a mad elephant. The following message of Allama Iqbal to the Muslims of the subcontinent, especially to the youth, against the West's fascist attitude and method of keeping the world under control through oppression.

A nation whose youth are endowed with self as strong and hard as steel:
No need for piercing swords in war such people brave can ever feel.

It is still viable today because of the speed with which the Middle or Eastern countries are setting stages of rapid development in every aspect of life. In the same East, Muslims are still far behind. On the one hand, in economic development, Muslims are also suffering from civilizational degradation. Even today, they are facing poverty of their own and their children's security like they did during British slavery. The main reason for this is the hypocrisy that is spreading among them. They have gone far from their real destination while running after the miracles. Allama Iqbal had a message for them as well.

Fortunes of States reside in the hands of  individuals  

Each man is the star of their ascendant (Destiny)

Written by Khalid Baig,

Date: 21 April 2023