THE moment Dr Saleem Mazhar stepped down from the stage, something remarkable happened. The audience, their eyes moist, began reciting together. This was at an Iqbal Conference organised by Pakistan’s National Language Promotion Department. The two-day event brought together diplomats from Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Russia, vice-chancellors of twelve universities and Iqbal scholars from across Pakistan. Barrister Waleed Iqbal, son of Justice Javed Iqbal and grandson of the Poet of the East, attended and delivered an address.
Waleed recalled visiting Delhi University, where the head of its Urdu Department had gathered teachers and lovers of literature. Participants took turns reciting poetry. When the department head’s turn came, he recited Iqbal’s prayer: (Lab pe ati hai ban k tamanna meri, zindagi shamma ki surat ho Khudaya meri).“My longing rises to my lips as a prayer; O God, make my life like a candle’s flame.” He said he had read Wali Dakhni, Ghalib and many other great poets. Yet, in his opinion, no better verses had ever been written than these lines by Iqbal. This poem teaches knowledge, action, love of the homeland and service to the poor: values capable of transforming society into a model of paradise.
Waleed then shared an episode from the PTI government. The Delhi experience had remained with him. When his party came to power, he thought it was an opportunity to revive the forgotten tradition of reciting Iqbal’s prayer at school assemblies. He approached the then interior minister, retired Brigadier Ijaz Shah, who welcomed the proposal but said the prime minister’s approval was necessary. Waleed, a senator, suggested that they meet Imran Khan. However, they were told that the prime minister was occupied and unavailable. Nearly four years of PTI rule passed, but the prayer was never restored to federal school assemblies. Waleed admitted feeling ashamed that he had failed, even under his own government, to revive a tradition observed since before Pakistan’s creation.
As Waleed spoke, Dr Saleem Mazhar gave instructions to the stage secretary, stepped down and spoke to the head of the Jamil Jalibi Chair at the University of Punjab. What followed transported the audience half a century, perhaps further, back to mornings when schoolchildren stood in assemblies and sang: (Lab pe ati hai ban k tamanna meri, zindagi shamma ki surat ho Khudaya meri). Dr Arifa Shahzad recited the prayer with such emotion that she too became tearful, while her voice deeply moved the audience. I thought that Imran Khan had often invoked Iqbal’s name but pursued policies contrary to his thought. The present Pakistan Muslim League government also professes admiration for Iqbal. How welcome it would be if it restored this prayer to school assemblies.
The conference theme was “Iqbal and Economic Development”, an issue of particular importance in Pakistan’s present circumstances. The political turmoil that began in 2014 devastated the economy and brought the country to the brink of default. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has repeatedly said that before the no-confidence vote, Pakistan had effectively become internally bankrupt under PTI rule, as the Finance Ministry had refused to release the first quarterly instalment of the year. The subsequent Pakistan Democratic Movement government worked to stabilise the economy and saved the country from default. After the elections, the government resumed that effort, but the US-Iran war dealt it a setback and inflation rose again.
The government is making efforts to improve the situation. Yet Iqbal offers guidance. The opening poem of his *Payam-e-Mashriq* presents a six-point programme for enabling a nation to stand on its own feet. First, Iqbal emphasises freedom from servility and an inferiority complex. A nation can follow the right path only when it safeguards its self-respect. Second, rulers must love their people, treat them compassionately and ensure economic justice. This will restore public confidence and encourage citizens to participate wholeheartedly in economic recovery. Third comes *khair-e-kaseer* or abundant good, which Iqbal associates with beneficial knowledge. He interprets *ilm-ul-asma*, a Quranic expression associated with Adam, as education, research, science and technology. God taught Adam the names of things. For Iqbal, this knowledge can flourish only among free-minded people; servitude destroys human selfhood.
Beneficial knowledge enables humanity to penetrate mountains, discover their hidden treasures and use them for collective welfare. It is indispensable for eliminating poverty and standing confidently among nations. Fourth, Iqbal stresses discernment in choosing people. A nation must carefully select its leadership, while rulers must exercise equal wisdom in appointing their associates. Fifth, lasting success requires continuous self-accountability. A nation must regularly examine its conduct and never become complacent. The sixth principle is love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Iqbal sees no contradiction between religion and worldly life. Love for the Prophet brings blessings to human endeavours and helps bring their destination closer.
—This writer is former advisor to President, author & mass media theorist.
(farooq.adilbhuta@gmail,com)
