IQBAL’S EARLY CONCEPTION OF

NATIONALISM.
Etymology (Origin of word) “of nation”
c. 1300, nacioun, "a race of people, large group of people
with common ancestry and language," from Old
French nacion "birth, rank; descendants, relatives; country,
homeland"
(12c.) and directly from Latin nationem (nominative natio)
"birth, origin; breed, stock, kind, species; race of people,
tribe," literally "that which has been born," from natus,
past participle of nasci "be born" (Old Latin gnasci), from
PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget," with derivatives
referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups.
 Wetern concept of nationalism
• Nationalism stems its roots back from Latin origin “Natio”
derived from “Nasci”. It denotes: “to be born” conveying
the idea of common blood ties. In the late thirteenth
century, it was imported to English people who meant by
it: ‘a blood related group’. Later, it referred to inhabitants of
a country. It merits an attention here that the word ‘nation’
became vogue in the eighteenth century, whereas
‘nationalism’ is a much more recent phenomenon.
• Nationalism is an ideology predicated upon the ground that
an individual’s loyalty and commitment to his/her nation-
state must surpass other individual or group interests.
 ‫‪Iqbal’s early conception from Caravan’s Bell‬‬
‫_‪(Bang idara‬‬
‫ہندوستانی‪ ‬بچوں کا قومی گيت •‬
‫•‬
‫چشتیي نے جس زميں ميں پيغام حق سنايا‬
‫نانک نے جس چمن ميں وحدت کا گيت گايا‬
‫تاتاريوں نے جس کو اپنا وطن بنايا‬
‫جس نے حجازيوں سے دشت عرب چھڑايا‬

‫ميرا وطن وہی ہے ‪ ،‬ميرا وطن وہی ہے‬

‫يونانيوں کو جس نے حيران کر ديا تھا‬

‫سارے جہاں کو جس نے علم و ہنر ديا تھا‬
‫مٹی کو جس کی حق نے زر کا اثر ديا تھا‬
‫ترکوں کا جس نے دامن ہيروں سے بھر ديا تھا‬

‫ميرا وطن وہی ہے‪ ،‬ميرا وطن وہی ہے‬

Iqbal’s early conception from Caravan’s Bell
(Bang i dara)
 ‫‪Iqbal’s early conception from Caravan’s Bell‬‬
‫‪(Bang i dara) Himala‬‬
‫اے ہمالہ اے فصیل کشور ہندوستاں •‬
‫•‬
‫چومتا ہے تیری پیشانی کو جھک کر آسماں‬
‫تجھ میں کچھ پیدا نہیں دیرینہ روزی کے نشاں •‬
‫تو جواں ہے گردش شام و سحر کے درمیاں •‬
‫ایک جلوہ تھا کلیم طور سینا کے لیے •‬
‫تو تجلی ہے سراپا چشم بینا کے لیے •‬
‫امتحان دیدۂ ظاہر میں کوہستاں ہے تو •‬
‫پاسباں اپنا ہے تو دیوار ہندستاں ہے تو •‬
‫مطلع اول فلک جس کا ہو وہ دیواں ہے تو •‬
‫سوئے خلوت گاہ دل دامن کش انساں ہے تو •‬
‫برف نے باندھی ہے دستار فضیلت تیرے سر •‬
‫خندہ زن ہے جو کالہ مہر عالم تاب پر •‬
‫تیری عمر رفتہ کی اک آن ہے عہد کہن •‬
‫وادیوں میں ہیں تری کالی گھٹائیں خیمہ زن •‬
‫چوٹیاں تیری ثریا سے ہیں سرگرم سخن •‬
‫تو زمیں پر اور پہنائے فلک تیرا وطن •‬
‫چشمۂ دامن ترا آئینہ سیال ہے •‬
‫دامن موج ہوا جس کے لیے رومال ہے •‬
‫ابر کے ہاتھوں میں رہوار ہوا کے واسطے •‬
‫تازیانہ دے دیا برق سر کوہسار نے •‬

‫•‬
‫اے ہمالہ داستاں اس وقت کی کوئی سنا‬
‫•‬ ‫مسکن آبائے انساں جب بنا دامن ترا‬
‫•‬ ‫کچھ بتا اس سیدھی سادھی زندگی کا ماجرا‬
‫•‬ ‫داغ جس پر غازۂ رنگ تکلف کا نہ تھا‬
‫•‬ ‫ہاں دکھا دے اے تصور پھر وہ صبح و شام تو‬
‫•‬ ‫دوڑ پیچھے کی طرف اے گردش ایام تو‬
Tarani-Hindi
 NAYA SHIWALA (NEW TEMPLE)
• ‘naya shivala’ was first published in March 1905, in a Lahore magazine called “maKhzan” and
also in December 1913 in a Hyderabadi magazine called “shahed-e suKhan”.   During this
phase iqbal wrote of universal love with sufi, vedantic and nationalist overtones. iqbal had
deep familial/ancestral roots in Kashmiri Saivite Brahminism and has written about it with
pride.  The title of this nazm, his translation of gaytri mantr, his ode to swami ramtirth, the
description of his encounter with shiva during his imaginary celestial travels, ‘javed naama’
and his many nationalist nazms are all indications of these tendencies. This early phase is in
sharp contrast to his later reactionary phase of pan-Islamism and strident religiosity during
which he wrote “shikwa”.
• It is interesting that in ‘naya shivala’, iqbal identifies religion as the source of evil, caste
system and “juNg o jadal”. He identifies the sense of superiority and exclusiveness in religion
as the source of discrimination in the caste system of Hinduism and aggressiveness in Islam.
iqbal seems to be willing to accept nationalism-patriotism as a force equivalent to “faith” and
in fact is declaring his preference for it.
• By the time, in 1924, he compiled his early works and published “baaNg-e dara” he was well
into his reacationary phase and was also keenly aware of the heavy criticism he had received
for ‘naya shivala’ and other similar works.  He edited the 1905 version of ‘naya shivala’
heavily, taking out a lot of the verses with very explicit Hindu imagery.  The edited version is
posted as ‘naya shivala 1924’.
Naya shiwala