Review on Biography of IQBAL- Ibtadai daur (till 1904)

Imagine yourself surrounded by an enchanting daybreak in the valley of Kashmir where the mantra of the Brahmans spreads the aura of Love and Harmony. You are Welcomed to a world where you explore the Secrets of Nature embedded in the Life-story of Iqbal as narrated by a pen which has the power to relive the Story as if developments are taking place all around you.

Yes, I m talking about Khurram Ali Shafique’s  

Biography of Iqbal Part 1 “Ibtadai-Daur (till 1904)”.

Before embarking onto an enthralling Voyage, the Contents page declares that there are nine stations or stages to be covered before the reader finds itself arriving towards the end of the First out of a Total of Six Parts of a captivating experience. And as indicated in the Preface every ‘station’ holds a hidden message ready to get revealed as the journey of the reader proceeds.

The flow of Time takes a backward turn and the story begins from the time when the early ancestors of Iqbal would greet a newborn Day with hymn for the one who brought that day upon them. 15^th century saw the conversion of some of these ancestors to Islam and the end of 18^th century brought a family of them to the plains of Punjab.

Nature plans and the whole of the World positions itself in a way as to make perfect arrangements in order to assist the growth and advancement that was to be witnessed by the soul of Iqbal. The impact of Sir Syed’s Aligarh Movement on the society where Iqbal opened his eyes, and the personality of Mir Hassan, one of Iqbal’s early teachers and guide soon take over the imagination spectrum of the reader.

Historic and Literary developments continue to take place at the same time and if while reading this the readers develop such a feeling that they are trapped watching a 3-D Film, the book will not let this impression vanish.

The book comprehensively describes effects of any social or religious movements that took place around Iqbal and the direct or indirect influences it had on his Ideas.

The world of Iqbal grows and along with him the understanding of the Reader about Iqbal’s skills and the efforts of those who nurtured him, also develops. The book closely follows every major Cognitive development that took place in Iqbal and gives a clear picture of the events that led to their happening.

The Biography of Iqbal Part 1 “Ibtadai-Daur (till 1904)” is not just the life story of a single individual, it’s a track of all the major historic, social and cognitive revolutions that took place in the collective conscious of the society where Iqbal lived, and the impact they had on the psyche and vision of Iqbal. The truths of nature gets glimpsed here and there, and one may notice that the ‘reconstruction’ of Islamic thought and of Indian-Muslim culture is taking place as the society moves on from Shah WaliUllah and Ghalib to Sir Syed, Hali and Shibli Naumani and gets influenced by their viewpoints; and the same society is also nourishing Iqbal in its bosom so that further contributions can be made in uniting the Muslims as a Single nation and providing directions for them to follow.

The book can help us identify with the course that our ancestors underwent in order to carve out a place for us so that we can stand side by side to the other nations of the world. It can also assist individuals in their search for the secrets of life and to embark on a journey within. Truly it is a book not to be missed.

At the end I thank Khurram Ali Shafique heartily for writing such a marvel and introducing all of us to the life of Iqbal, taking into account all the aspects of history and society in such a novel way that the reader becomes part of every development that is taking place in the world of Iqbal.