Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education

ALLAMA IQBAL AND THE AFGHANS

Fakhr-ul-Islam PhD Professor and Director at Pakistan Study Centre, University of Peshawar, Pakistan.

Pakistan Annual Research Journal Vol. No 54, 2018

Abstract :Allama Iqbal (1877-1938) had a tremendous love for Afghans. Afghans or Pakhtuns are exceedingly gratified about their national and racial traits. They love their homeland, religious and customary canons, ancestral values and independence. Opinions vary on their strict adherence to these individualisms. Some people are of the view that it is the result of consistent foreign invasions. On the other hand, some analysts opine that since they remained independent for ages, barring some occasional invasions by world forces, therefore they held these traits close to their hearts. Iqbal was certainly impressed by these peculiarities of Afghans, so he not only showered praises on that resilient race but also took some practical steps including paying visit to Afghanistan in 1933. He contributed both intellectually and financially to the independence and welfare of Afghans. He attached great hopes with the Afghans and considered peaceful Afghanistan a prerequisite for the tranquility of the entire Asia. At the same time he warned that if there is any turmoil in Afghanistan, it can engulf the whole continent. Iqbal fell in love with Afghans at a time when almost all the Muslim world was under the control of colonial powers, and Afghanistan stood up as independent Muslim state against them. Moreover, the bravery and attachment to Islamic values of Afghans fascinated him a lot. It is worth mentioning that the love of Iqbal was not only confined to Afghanistan. He had equal affection for the tribes of NWFP. He paid a visit to Peshawar once (1933) and thrice to Dera Ismael Khan (1899, 1901 and 1903). In Peshawar, his stay was short but in Dera Ismail Khan, he stayed for a couple of months. During all three visits to D.I.Khan, he stayed with Sardar Ahmad Khan Leghari, father of Sardar Abdur Rashid, the former Chief Minister of NWFP.1 In this paper, an attempt has been made to give an analysis of Allama Iqbal’s incredible love and affection for Afghans.

Iqbal’s view of Afghanistan and its notable figures Afghanistan has common borders with China, Iran, Pakistan and three Central Asian States Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It is simultaneously located in Central and South Asia. Its history and geostrategic location has made it as the most sought after destination for invaders. In most parts of the 19th and 20th Centuries, Afghanistan remained a playground for the Czarist Russia and Great Briton.6 In the 20th Century, Afghanistan proved to be a graveyard of superpowers. In 1919, Great Briton received humiliating defeat there, while in 1988 Soviet Russia had to end its invasion inconclusively. On the defeat of Soviet Union, Mr. Iltaf Hasan Qureshi wrote in his Urdu Digest that it was a miracle of the 20th Century. The defeat was inflicted on a mighty Communist army by the poor Afghans.7 So the romance of Iqbal with that fearless nation was not out of place. History bears testimony to the fact that the happenings in Afghanistan has always affected outside world. It was in that context that Iqbal dedicated his Persian couplets to Afghanistan as:

Translation: The continent of Asia is like a body made of clay and water and Afghanistan lies like a heart in that body. In case there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be tranquility in the whole of Asia. But if there is chaos in Afghanistan, there will be disorder in the entire Asia.8

What prophetic verses these were! The subsequent decades proved beyond any iota of doubt that Afghanistan always affected regional as well as international peace. The hitting of twin towers in World Trade Centre New York on 11th September 2001 and subsequent War on Terror in the leadership of USA brought the world to the brink of an international conflict. That war continued for more than 16 years,

Full Paper PDF with Urdu , Persian Poetry & English Translation

http://www.pscpesh.org/PDFs/PJ/Volume_54/06-%20Iqbal%20and%20Afghans.pdf