Economic Vision of Allama Iqbal

Allama Iqbal used both poetry and prose in Persian, Urdu and English to convey his multi-dimensional feelings and thoughts. According to one scholar, “Iqbal was a humanist and true citizen of the world. His works testify to his acknowledged roles as poet and philosopher, educator and student of cultures, lawyer and politician, missionary and visionary, psychologist and sociologist, freedom fighter and inspirer of a new nation, scholar and a man of action, mystic, seer and statesman”.1 As an all time great poet, Allama Iqbal had two shining characteristics—an artistic one that presents poetry for leisurely enjoyment and a visionary one that propels inspirational beams for action and reform. As a great poet he also had a huge canvas to paint on, and his subjects are big issues like humanity. In most of his writings Allama Iqbal talks about the significance of man and his dignity, freedom not only from political subjugation and intellectual servility but also from hunger, ignorance, physical and spiritual illnesses and other social and economic development issues facing the poor and the weak nations of the East. As a universal humanist, Allama Iqbal waged a relentless struggle to promote and defend human self-esteem. Some scholars believe that “even his advocacy of Pakistan was really based on humanist considerations”. He could not bear to see one religions group dominating another simply because of numerical majority.2