Celebrating Iqbal Day

Iqbal Day is an annual national holiday, celebrated in Pakistan and is locally known as Yōm-eWelādat-e Muḥammad Iqbāl. Iqbal Day celebrates Sir Muhammad Iqbal who was born on the 9^th of November 1877 in Sialkot. He is commonly known as Allama Iqbal and passed away on 21st April 1938. He was a poet, a philosopher and a politician who influenced the Pakistan Movement.

Allama Iqbal was knighted by King George V, and hence obtained the title of ‘Sir’. His famous literary works are Asrar-e-Khudi, Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, Payam-e-Mashriq, Zabur-e-Ajam, and Javed Nama. Every year the whole world pays tribute to Allama Iqbal, the "Poet of the East". The Pakistan government has officially declared him as the national poet.

The Pakistan Movement also referred to as Tehrik-e-Pakistan aimed for the independence of Pakistan and Bengal from the British Empire. Iqbal harnessed his talent in literature and wrote powerful poetry as a tool for spreading political awareness. The Pakistan Movement is taught to students in Pakistan and mentioned in both school and universities textbooks.

One of the famous quotes said by Allama Iqbal in reference to the Pakistan Movement is, “I would like to see the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sindh and Baluchistan amalgamated into a single State. Self-government within the British Empire, or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim State appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of North-West India.”