Allama Muhammad Iqbal, was a revolutionary poet, politician, and Islamic philosopher. His efforts and ideas encouraged Pakistan’s formation and inspired British-oppressed Muslims to overcome ignorance by achieving their potential.
His work still holds significance in this era. However, his philosophy of Muslim Ummah’s unity, self-confidence, knowledge, and constant growth has often been neglected by recent generations.
On the occasion of Iqbal’s 145th birthday, it is essential that the youth be reminded of his concepts and ideas.
Here are the five life-changing lessons for youth from Iqbal’s literature:
Importance of Character
In this piece, Iqbal emphasizes the importance of going beyond the ordinary way to enhance one’s character, which can be done so by spending finances on education, traveling to seek knowledge, and experiencing different cultures.
In the second half of this verse, he cautions against pursuing materialistic goals at the expense of one’s character.
Achieving Unity
The above excerpt has been taken from Iqbal’s Allahabad Address in 1930. Here, he tried to influence the collective identity of Muslims, who were divided into different groups under British rule. He asked them to come together to pursue the common goal as determined by their faith.
Dreaming the Impossible
Here, Iqbal advises the youth to fly as high as a Shaheen (falcon) and free themselves from the societal chains that bar them from achieving freedom. A Shaheen, Iqbal says, thinks beyond the self and struggles to achieve that dream regardless of any challenge that may emerge.
A crow, on the other hand, is always striving for his or her own self-interest and is mentally shackled by fear and materialistic desires.
Not Fearing Anything
In this verse, a true believer, according to Iqbal, is one who does not fear death when confronting tyrants but rather accepts it with a smile on his/her face.
Learning from History
In the piece above, Iqbal advises youth about learning from the historical events that changed the direction of one’s course of life. He says this in order for the youth to learn from their mistakes and make better judgments in the future.
