Rise of Muslim nationalism in South Asia with special reference to the role of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan,

Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah

· Examine the role of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Iqbal in promoting the growth of Muslim
nationalism in India.

· Discuss the’ achievements of the Quaid-i-Azam for the establishment of Pakistan.

· Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Allam Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah were forced by
historical events to shift from their view of Hindu-Muslim Unity to Muslim Nationalism.
Elaborate

· Role played by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in the rise of Muslim Nationalism in the sub-continent.

· Explain the factors that transformed Jinnah, the ambassador of Hindu Muslim Unity, into the
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah of the Muslims.

· Role of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as a reformer

· Factors responsible for evolution of two nation theory

· Discuss the Role of Quaid-i-Azam in creation of Pakistan.

· How Iqbal's wisdom helped in shaping the intellectual foundations of Pakistan?

· Explain the rise of Muslim nationalism in South Asia. What were its implications for the
nationalist politics of Indian National Congress?

· Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah were the genuine leaders
who led the Muslim Nation towards success through their socio-political visions in South Asia.
Discuss their community services rendered for the Muslims of the subcontinent

· Do you agree that Pakistan was achieved by “Jinnah” through the “constitutional democratic
process for the sake of constitutional democracy”?

· Iqbal is credited with creating the idea of Pakistan. Give your arguments. (Done)

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1. Iqbal is credited with creating the idea of Pakistan. Give your arguments.

Iqbal was a poet-philosopher whose work promoted the philosophy of self-hood and dealt with the
intellectual and cultural reconstruction of the Islamic world.
Allama Dr. Muhammad Iqbal is a seer whose vision and struggle had provided a direction to the Muslims
of India and saved them from going astray.

He embodied all the qualities of a philosopher-king, revolutionary poet, visionary leader and a political
thinker whose ideas ultimately outwitted the mighty British and the clever Hindus.

Iqbal's Poetry to Unite Muslims

A major part of Iqbal’s poetry was dedicated to the glorious past of the Muslims and his basic
contribution has been to create a sense of unity among the Muslim Ummah. Iqbal, through his poetry,
reminded the Muslims of their glorious past and urged the Muslims of the sub-continent to improve
their lot by following the golden traditions of Islam.

Iqbal's Idea about Nationhood

Allama Iqbal was the greatest philospher and poet of the present era. Alongwith this, he possessed a
view about political affairs. He awakened the feeling of Muslim Nationhood among the Muslims of India
through his poetry and told them about the propaganda of West about Muslims.

When the Hindu philosphers presented this philosphy that a nation is born throughout the country and
when Maulana Hussain Ahmed Madni seconded it, then Iqbal reacted strongly towards it. His thinking
and poetry reflect the Two Nation Theory and his poetry awakened the feeling of Islamic nationality
among the Muslims of India. This sense of a single unity was a major factor in the creation of Pakistan.

Iqbal's Political Life

Allama Iqbal made his debut in politics when he was elected as the member of Punjab's Legislative
Assembly in 1926. During the elections of 1937, when Quaid-e-Azam started the reconstruction of the
Muslim Leaague, Allama Iqbal stood besides him. He not only supported Quaid-e-Azam and the Muslim
League wholeheartedly, but he also respected Quaid-e-Azam's point of view.

Ideology of Pakistan and Iqbal

Iqbal was strictly against nationalism. He considered all the Muslims to be a part of One Ummah. For
him, a Muslim in any part of the world was part of a brotherly relation. He considered nationalism to be
a coffin for the Muslim Umma.

Thus, highlighting the limitations and disadvantages of nationalism, Iqbal gave the philosphy of a "Millat-
e-Islamia" and this philosphy became the basis of Pakistan's ideology.

Iqbal and Two Nation Theory

Allama Iqbal firmly believed that the Muslims of India have a separate identity and to protect this
identity, the establishment of a separate homeland for the Muslims of India was necessary. On 28th
March 1909, he rejected the invitation from the secular party "Minswa Lodge" highligting the fact that:
"I have been a keen supporter of this theory that religious differences in this country should end and
even now I practise this principle. But, now I have started to believe that separate national identity for
the Muslims and the Hindus is necessary for their survival."

In 1930, in the Annual Session of Muslim League at Allahbad, Iqbal said:

"India is a continent of human groups belonging to different races, speaking different languages and
professing different religions. Their behaviour is not at all determined by a common race conciousness. I
therefore, demand the formation of a consolidated Muslim state in the best intrest of India and Islam."

Allahabad Adress

In 1930, Iqbal delivered a Presidential Address to the 25th Session of the All-India Muslim League in
Allahabad where he expressed his thoughts on Islam and nationalism, unity of the Indian nation and one
on the problem of defence. “The principle that each group is entitled to its free development on its own
lines is not inspired by any feeling of narrow communalism. There are communalisms and
communalisms. A community which is inspired by feelings of ill-will towards other communities is low
and ignoble. I entertain the highest respect for the customs, laws, religious and social institutions of
other communities. Nay, it is my duty, according to the teaching of the Quran, even to defend their
places of worship, if need be,” he said.

Iqbal is considered to have given the vision for the creation of Pakistan, whereas Jinnah is considered to
be the one who shaped this vision.

Allama Iqbal's Presidential Adress at Allahbad in 1930 determined the political path of the Muslims of
sub-continent. In his adress, he in clear words said:

"I would like to see the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sindh and Balochistan been combined into
a single state".

He further stated that:

"The formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim State appears to be the final destiny of the
Muslims, at least of the north west India."

Thus, Iqbal demanded a sovereign independent Muslim state even before the Muslim League demanded
it in Pakistan's Resolution.

Return of Jinnah

After the failure of Round Table Conference Quaid-e-Azam was very much disappointed by the behaviour
of Mr Gandhi and all his hopes came to an end, therefore Quaid-e-Azam decided to stay at London
forever. He hired a house in London and started his legal practice.

But Allama Iqbal wrote him several letters and told him to come back to India and guide Indian Muslims.
So due to efforts of Allama Iqbal, Quaid-e-Azam returned to India in 1934 and became permanent
President of Muslim League.

Iqbal's Letters to Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah

In 1937, Iqbal wrote two letters to Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In the first one dated May 28, 1937, he wrote,
“After a long and careful study of Islamic Law, I have come to the conclusion that if this system of Law is
properly understood and applied, at last, the right to subsistence is secured to everybody. But the
enforcement and development of the Shariat of Islam is impossible in this country without a free Muslim
state or states. This has been my honest conviction for many years and I still believe this to be the only
way to solve the problem of bread for Muslims as well as to secure a peaceful India.”

In the second letter marked “Private and Confidential” dated June 21, 1937, Iqbal wrote, “Why should
not the Muslims of North-West India and Bengal be considered as nations entitled to self-determination
just as other nations in India and outside India are? Personally I think that the Muslims of North-West
India and Bengal ought at present to ignore Muslim[-minority] provinces. This is the best course to adopt
in the interests of both Muslim majority and minority provinces.”

Conclusion

Iqbal’s role in the Pakistan Movement has been formative and it would not be an exaggeration to say
that Pakistan would not have been a reality without the presence of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal. His
actions proved a beacon of light when the path to a free homeland was dark and dreary during the
Pakistan Movement and his persona, today, spreads radiance for the generations to come.

In a public speech in 1940 following the death of Iqbal, Jinnah expressed his preference for
implementing Iqbal’s vision even at the expense of becoming a ruler. He stated: “If I live to see the ideal
of a Muslim state being achieved in India, and I was then offered to make a choice between the works of
Iqbal and rulership of the Muslim state, I would prefer the former.”

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2. Explain the factors that transformed Jinnah, the ambassador of Hindu Muslim Unity, into the Quaid-
e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah of the Muslims.

Jinnah rose to prominence in the Indian National Congress in the first two decades of the 20th century.
In these early years of his political career, Jinnah advocated Hindu–Muslim unity, helping to shape the
1916 Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the All-India Muslim League, in which Jinnah had also
become prominent. Jinnah became a key leader in the All India Home Rule League, and proposed a
fourteen-point constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims.

In 1920, however, Jinnah resigned from the Congress when it agreed to follow a campaign of satyagraha,
which he regarded as political anarchy.
Joins Congress

Jinnah devoted much of his time to his law practice in the early 1900s, but remained politically involved.
Jinnah began political life by attending the Congress’s twentieth annual meeting, in Bombay in December
1904. He was a member of the moderate group in the Congress, favouring Hindu–Muslim unity in
achieving self-government, and following such leaders as Mehta, Naoroji, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale.

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2. Role played by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in the rise of Muslim Nationalism in the sub-continent.

Pakistan nationalism is the direct outcome of Muslim nationalism, which emerged in India in the 19th
century. Its intellectual pioneer was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

Belonging to a family which had roots in the old Muslim nobility, Sir Syed’s prolific authorship on the
Muslim condition in India (during British rule) and his activism in the field of education helped formulate
nationalist ideas in the Muslims of the region.

These ideas went on to impact and influence a plethora of Muslim intellectuals, scholars, politicians,
poets, writers and journalists who then helped evolve Syed’s concept of Muslim nationalism into
becoming the ideological doctrine and soul of the very idea of Pakistan.