Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Indian Environment And The Muslims

Abstract

The Muslims of India under the British colonial rule faced great discrimination particularly after 1857 but some leaders like Allama Muhammad Iqbal who were the product of that suffocating environment played a pivotal role to rescue the Muslims. After 1857, the British started segregating and targeting the Muslims. At this juncture, the politico-cultural movements of Deoband and Aligarh sparked an inner fire in many Muslims including Allama Iqbal. The Hindus also developed a sense of their separate identity. In this research a qualitative analytical method is employed to highlight the contribution of Allama Muhammad Iqbal in awakening the Muslims of Indian Subcontinent because as a poet, thinker and philosopher, Iqbal struggled against Muslim stagnation through the power of his poetic and philosophical genius later on and had greatly influenced the politics of the Subcontinent. His metaphysical philosophy gave the Muslim community a sense of revolution and purpose in life. It was the result of his efforts that the Muslims clearly started a journey towards their destination. The question that will be dealt in this research work is that how the Indian environment shaped the personality and thinking of Allama Iqbal and how he utilized his poetry and philosophy to serve the Muslims of India?