Iqbal Week: April 18-24, ESSAY COMPETITION

[Niksik]

Iqbal Week: Short Essay Writing Competition
Hey folks! In honor of Allama Iqbal, Café is holding a competition for all of you to participate in. Starting today please submit a short paragraph on What Iqbal’s Work Means to You.

I know this is a topic where one could go on and on but because of a short timeline, it will be better to keep the essay short and sweet.

Here are the rules:

1. Try not to exceed 200 words.
2. Only one submission per nick.
3. The deadline for submission will be Thursday, April 23rd.
4. Essays will be judged on substance, originality, writing style, composition and organization.
5. You may go back and edit your entry for typographical errors but not to change content matter.
6. Regarding multinicks, please avoid using more than one nick per person unless you really have something more to say with a different perspective. Please use the honor system and make your decision wisely!

Judges will announce the winner soon after the closing date.

Prizes:
First prize: original painting by HHL
Second prize: a framed hand-written note from TLK
Third prize: a taweez from X2

Judges:
Mods of Café & one mystery judge!

Please don’t flood this thread or leave comments here. This thread is only for submission of entries. There is another thread for leaving comments: http://www.paklinks.com/gs/showthread.php?t=283078

Let us begin!

[Dushwari]

Re: Iqbal Week: April 18-24, ESSAY COMPETITION

amazing thread.
here is a humble contribution.
sorry it is long. i cannot possibly appraise Iqbal's poetry so easily.

Iqbal, A man of deep thoughts, clear convictions and a visionary philosopher. Themes of his poetic works become point to historic and future times, their protagonists sift poignant questions that can change the fate of people or nation significantly and he invokes from even Almighty himself. Not just a poet, but a philosopher-thinker whose thought processes warrant a firm chase filled with intrigue, leading to a genuine leaning towards unearthing truth.

He dares to question the Self - the Self of a person or ‘Khudi’, and he stacks times’ and qualities’ arguments for and against the Self of a people or ‘Kaum’ to show what genuine realization can do.

Any topic from polytheistic or monotheistic Gods to struggles in reaching spirituality, understanding one’s identity, developing a sense of responsibility, having compassion and intelligence, drawing from universal elements to feeling the delicate human emotions – all is found in his writings.

He uses metaphors of strong animals to allude to qualities of wise people as symbols of better times for a steady nationhood. Aspects of very human conditions, the rise and the fall of character of a person or a nation, concepts of loyalty and self reliance & a whole variant of subjects such as the power of a prayer, historic places and monuments, events and people are appraised in Iqbals’ poetry - not just from his own time, but from times before him and what amazes is that fluently wrote about times after him. Such is the poetic vigilance of Iqbal.

Iqbal’s poetry is full of meaningfulness offering spiritual as well as ethical wisdom - essentially to own up to oneself, embrace one’s faith and a sense of belonging to one’s land, to be dutiful as a citizen and be able to think clearly and poetic as a person. Indeed, Iqbal is one and only and so is his poetry.

Dushwari

[SunnyBoy]

Re: Iqbal Week Essay Competition Comments

My Little Contribution:

A detailed discussion of the thematic and literary features of Iqbal’s poetry is not be undertaken here. A few general points may, however, be made.

A reader of Iqbal’s poetry is struck by its sheer thematic variety. Iqbal was deeply interested in the issues that have exercised the best minds of the human race—the issues of the meaning of life, change and constancy, freedom and determinism, survival and progress, the relation between the body and the soul, the conflict between reason and emotion, evil and suffering, the position and role of human beings in the universe—and in his poetry he deals with these and other issues. He had also read widely in history, philosophy, literature, mysticism, and politics, and, again, his catholic interests are reflected in his poetry.

Iqbal celebrates humanity, in more than one sense. On one level he shows broad acceptance for humanity. In “The Story of Adam”, the protagonist, Adam, plays a variety of roles-those of prophet, thinker, reformer, scientist, inventor, astronomer, martyr, and iconoclast. Adam in this poem is not simply a religious figure belonging to a certain tradition, but represents the whole of humankind. On another level, Iqbal takes pride in being human and has no desire to partake of the godhead of God. To be God is to have concerns and worries that would give one a headache, but to be human is to have that sweet pain called heartache. Humans can hold their heads high in view of their achievements in the world to which they were banished from paradise: if God has made the night, then humans have made the lamp, and if God has made deserts and mountains, then humans have made parks and meadows (“A Dialogue Between God and Man,”). Humans must, therefore, strive to be perfect qua humans, and that is a goal yet to be achieved.

Iqbal had a fine sense of the dramatic, and in his poetry he frequently employs dramatic techniques.

Many of his poems are structured like a play, with the first half of the poem building a tension or conflict that is resolved, or raising a question that is answered, in the second half Examples are “Gabriel and Iblis”, “The Dew and the Stars”, “The Houri and the Poet” and “Fatimah bint ‘Abdullah”.

Many poems are dialogues, with well-argued positions taken by the interlocutors (“A Dialogue Between God and Man”, “The Dew and the Stars”, “Reason and Heart” and “A Dialogue Between Knowledge and Love”; also the fables). Some poems are one-sided dialogues or monologues (“Give Me Another Adversary”, “The Falcon’s Advice to Its Youngster”). Again, Iqbal carefully weaves the “plot” of a poem, arousing the reader’s curiosity, dropping seemingly casual hints that turn out to be prophetic, providing flashback, and saving his masterstroke for the end. Two excellent examples are “The Night and the Poet” and “The Houri and the Poet”.

[goodnews]

Re: Iqbal Week: April 18-24, ESSAY COMPETITION

Iqbal Ka Apny Rohani Walid ky Liy Ehtram
Allama Iqbal hamary qaomi shair or azeem falsafi. Duniya bher ky jaziya nigaron ny on ky khiyalat or shairi per inhin khirajy tehseen paish kiya. **
**Kabhi kabhi mujhy khiyal ata hy Allah kissi kissi bandy ko kitni shuhraty dwam ata kerta hy. Jysi ky Allama Muhammad Iqbal ky hisy main aai.
Iqbal na sirf aik muddabir falsafi or azeem shair thy aik nihayat badab or frmanbrdar talib-e-ilm bhi thy. Apny ustad ka ehtram kerny waly is taliby-ilm ko Allah ny nwaza bhi khub. Jab Allama Iqbal ki Sir ka khitab diya giya tu Allam Iqbal ny woh khitab lyny sy inkar ker diya or shart rakhi ky agar mujhy yeh khitab diya j araha hy tu mery Ustady Muhtram Meer Hasan ko mujh sy pehly "Shams-Ul_Ullama" k akhitab diya jaay. Kion ky aj main ju kuch hon aony Ustad Meer Hasan ki badolat hon.
Angryz sarkar ny pocha on ka koi Maqala??? jis ki bina per unhin yeh khitab diya ja saky. Tu Iqbal ny kaha on Ka zinda o Jawaid Maqala "Iqbal" Ap ky samny maujod hy. Or is per Ustad-e-Iqbal ko *Shamsulullama *ka khitab diya giya.Phir Iqbal ny apny liy "Sir" ka khitab qabool kia.
Iqbal sy shagird Allah her ustad ko dy or hamari qaom main Meer Hassan jysy Ulama paida hoty rahain. Ameen

[Aliyish]

Re: Iqbal Week: April 18-24, ESSAY COMPETITION

’ Allama’s work to me ’

One wouldn’t be exaggerating if he states Islamic republic of Pakistan and Pakistanis fortunate for just one single reason. And the reason is having Allama Iqbal as Mufakir-e-Pakistan . To me it seems like Allah’s own will , Almighty’s desire , to give a beauteous gift to Pakistanis in form of Allama and believe me my argument for declaring him a benefaction is nothing else then Hazrat’s work ..

The zinda javed Kalam which is written for every era , every nation , every country …. The deed which is derived from Allah’s kalam known as quran-e-majeed …

He once said :

Gard-e-Laymay Aeena Bay Jhooar assT
War Behar Faam Gair Quran muzamar assT
Roz-e-Mehsaar Khwar-o-ruswa kun mera
*Bay Naseeb az boosa Pakaan mera *

Translation would be roughly … O lord if there is something else in Work then your words ( quran ) .. Drag me to insult on the day of judgement …

Iqbal is literally one of the gigantic Scholars of our Time and era , a savant of wisdom, knowledge, and judgment. The way he blended religion , philosophy and other studies in his poetry is exceptional and preeminent .. The food of thought one enjoys reading his work is clearly distinguished then others .. He was indeed the poet laureate of his generation ..

But unfortunately Iqbal has been misused by Pakistani nation for several ordinary purposes .. Often used to just fill colors in political speeches … a successful attempt to bully our opponents and religious and no religious parties , both are culprits …

They have used his work but never bothered to understand his true message..

I suggest that its high time that we not only read his book ‘ reconstruction of religious thoughts ‘ but try to grasp the hidden message in his work ..

Disclaimer : To be very honest , I am not an authority on Allama Iqbal and his work .. In poetry Ghalib was my first love and still he stands high up there ..

when it comes to Allama Iqbal , I have only read couple of his famous poems and the book I mentioned in my short essay on ‘ Iqbal ‘s work to me ‘ and I have no shame acknowledging that I have missed a lot by not reading Iqbal’s work…

I think .. We have to reconstruct our nation on Iqbal ‘s thoughts and his work , derived from Quran ‘…

We have kill our differences as Iqbal said

Na Turani rahay Baqi na Irani na Afghani

We have to re-read the forgotten lessons of Justice , honesty and courage

Sabaq phir par Sadaqat Ka Adalat ka ShujaAt ka
Lia Jaay ga Kaam tuj se Duniya k Imma’mat ka

Today I pray for us .. what Iqbal once said

*Ek hoon Muslim Haaram ki PassBani k leay *
Nail k sahil se lay kar TaabHka k KashGar

May lord .. Give us Tofeeq to be united …

P.s: This yoke is written on Niksik Baji ‘s order therefore all acclamation and condemnation goes to her And it was very hard to fit every thing under 200 words :pcg:

[zobia]

Re: Iqbal Week: April 18-24, ESSAY COMPETITION

my essay

"Allama Muhammad Iqbal was a great thinker and great leader of a pathetically great nation and it is impossible to put his contribution in words that what he gave to this corrupt nation.

Hum kabhi apni khudi ko itna buland ker he nahi payea k khuda hum say khud poochay k bata kaisa “leader” tujh ko chaiyeha hai!

mazrat k saath, mujahy gher-ay murday ukharay ka koe shouk nahi k marhoom khud kia thay…cuz jo bhi ho wo kia mufakir thay,koe teen dabay walay nahi jin ki sooch ko hum nay sajay sanwaray dust bin main saja deya!

Thank you"

ps. i better get the price …gn/sunny/ali bhai ki terha main nay rata to nahi lageya howa