Ummah failed to produce another Iqbal: Iranian scholar

LAHORE - A renowned Iranian scholar Dr Mohammad Baghai Makan has said that unfortunately after 72 years of Allama Muhammad Iqbals death, Muslim nation could not see another Iqbal. He said that fame of Iqbal was increasing in all over the world but Muslim Ummah was not practically following the great poet and philosophers philosophy and ideas to unite itself to withstand the challenges of time. Tehran-based scholar Dr Makan has wrote 30 books on Allama Iqbal and won Tmagha-e-Emtiaz form Pakistan on his research work on Dr Muhammad Iqbal. He was the first foreigner who earned this award. He was speaking exclusively to The Nation here on Saturday after attending a literary conference at Alhamra Hall. He said Muslim countries have lack of interest not only in the field of literature and arts but also in the fields of technology, science, agriculture, economy and politics whereof they were lagging behind others today. Yet he said, the message sent to them by Allama Iqbal was still effective to guide the Muslims in the regard. He said that sectarianism was increasing amongst us and we were becoming the masters of killing while leaving the philosophy of knowledge and peace as propounded by the great poet. He said he spent 30 years of his life in research on Iqbal and he found that the great poet preaches nothing but unity among Muslims wherein lies the solution of all our problems. He said Iqbal through his poetic and prose works impresses upon the Muslims to adopt the new technology and compete with the world. Dr Baghai said that Iqbal was becoming popular in the course of time and we observe his every death day and birthday with due regards and respect, but the need of the hour is to imbibe the message of unity in practical terms. He said that it was the time to translate into action what Iqbal had left to us as today despondency and disappointment in the Muslim world was rampant and Ummah badly needed something to bring us all on the common platform to fight the anti Muslim forces. He said the intelligentsia of the Muslim world must be brought to a common benefit of all instead of pitting them against each others on petty issues for political gains. He said young generation was fast getting Westernise and was following others cultures instead of our Eastern one, which was not a good trend. The need of the hour is to highlight and promote our own culture wherein rest our basis. He said that Muslim world by following the philosophy of Iqbal, should come nearer to each other to promote the Islamic culture. He said the West has devised things in such a manner that instead of directly forcing its own culture and values on us, it has picked up our intelligent persons by providing them all facilities who in turn speak favourably for the West. He said the Muslims need to counter this trend by brining forward its own experts and intelligentsia. He said that even after writing ten thousand pages on Allama Iqbal, he was not invited by any University of Pakistan to learn Urdu language, while in Tehran, there was not a single Urdu learning centre. He said only a two-hour lecture within a week was held in Tehran University, which was not enough for Urdu language learners. Dr Baghai also praised the role of Editor-in-Chief The Nation Majid Nizami and said that he did not know Urdu language well yet he knew well the Nawa-i-waqt role to spread the thoughts of Allama Iqbal. He said Majid Nizami always spoke the need of unity of the Muslim ummah.