Could any one but passionate lover of this land write as he writes in his first poem in his first publication Bang-i-Dara. When slanderers brand those who fight for Pakistan as lacking in love for India, they forget the patriotic poems of the greatest Pakistani of all-Iqbal.
And the poet would indeed have been the first to applaud Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in saying that the Hindus and the Muslims when free would unitidly tell all aggressors “Hands off India”. All that Iqbal means is that Islamic fraternity is world-wide. There was no intention whatsoever in Iqbal’s mind or philosophy, as narrow minded bigots try to make out, of conquering countries for Islam. For Iqbal was also a firm internationalist believing in the brotherhood of Islamic nations. There are some whose minds are so shuttered-in, that they see a contradiction between the two anthems. Iqbal has written probably the greatest anthem of the Indian peoples as a whole – ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha Hindustan Hamara.’ And Iqbal also has written that wonderful song of the Muslims – ‘Cheeno Arab Hamara, Hindustan Hamara, Muslim Hain Ham Watan Hai Sara Jahan Hamara. But to him there is nothing inconsistent in the love of Islam and the love of India. He is the poet of Muslim national awakening. Iqbal follows in the footstep of Sir Syed. It was Sir Syed who learnt and who taught his people that it was necessary for the Muslims to be educated that they must know and understand the superior scientific methods of the West, and thus be able to keep pace with other people in the race for self-realization and self-assertion. The aftermath of the War of Independence of 1857 had kept the Muslims sad, sullen and inactive.