Allama Iqbal’s Address of

Allahabad, 1930
Lecture o2
M Junaid Javed
07-10-21
Background

• Hindu-Muslim question was crucial to the history of British India; Hindu Muslim
question meant is that what would be the relationship between the two
communities in the political and constitutional domains, what would be the rights
provided to the Muslims and what are going to be the safeguards and guarantees
for those rights. That was the Hindu Muslim question that acquired salience in the
20th century and this became a kind of a central question which the Muslims were
dealing with. The Congress perspective was that this issue of Hindu Muslim
relationship is the product of divide and rule policy. The British had consciously
created splits and divisions therefore it was an artificial issue which should not be
emphasized. For Muslims it was the core issue, I was the central issue, it related
to their culture, civilization, heritage and the type of arrangement that were to
be done in the future political and constitutional arrangements of India.
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• Therefore Muslims were talking in terms of two nations not in

terms of communities; they were talking about nations with
distinct identities, nations with their own interests and their
rights. So this was the basic difference that had developed
between the Muslims and the other communities at that time
when Iqbal gave this address. During that time three major issues
were of concern for the Muslim community.
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• The 1st was the decline and degeneration of the Muslims, there was a
time when Muslims were at the height of their power, they were
ruling large section of the World, they were making great
contributions to knowledge to science and technology but this phase
ended and started a period of degeneration. Most of the Muslim
states became the colonies of the European states Then the
industrial; revolution, development of science and technology
became a preserve of the European nations. So, the question for
Muslims was why the decline and degeneration has set in amongst the
Muslims. The people who were important in the history of the World
at one time were no longer important
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• The pivot of the international system has shifted to Europe, so this was one
important issue that concerned the Muslims
• The 2nd issue was how to work for revival and regeneration of Muslims in
general and how Muslims could overcome the decline and again assume their
rightful place in the international system.
• The 3rd issue was specific to the Muslims of South Asia who shared the problems
of the Muslims as a whole, problem of decline and degeneration but in addition
to this there were certain specific problems which pertain to British India and
one important problem which they faced here was that Muslims here were a
minority here, the majority were not Muslims and this makes the situation in
British India different from the situation in the Middle Eastern Countries where
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• Muslims were in majority. They did not have the fear or threat of being
overwhelmed by an unsympathetic majority. In British India the problem was
that they could be overwhelmed by the other community, therefore they
were emphasizing on their identity, value, culture and also heritage and
civilization which they thought and emphasize time and again that it gave
them a different, distinct and an exclusive identity. They were not simply a
minority but a community and a nation. The reason was that they did not
want to be absorbed into the majority. Muslims of British India were
conscious of their heritage and their historical importance and they were
defining their identity is protected and they live with others within certain
constitutional framework which assures them rights and interests which were
important to them
Phases of Development of Iqbal, s Thoughts

• By 1930, this sentiment had developed very clearly which was very
much demonstrated in the development of history of India or the
question of relationship between the Muslims and the other
communities. It was in this context that Allama Iqbal delivered his
presidential address. A I, political thoughts developed in three
phases.
Pre-1905

• The 1st phase pertains to pre-1905 period, in this period he was

talking about the factors for the decline of the Muslims and his
focus was on Indian nationality, nationhood or Indian unity. He
was talking about resolving differences; this type of poetry can be
found in his book BAANG-E-DARRA.He writes Taran-e-Hindi, Naya
shawala where he talks of doing away of differences.
The Stay in Europe 1905-08

• The 2nd phase pertains the period from 1905 to 1908, during these 3 years
he was in Europe, basically in England where he was getting higher
education and also in Germany from where he got his doctorate from
Monique University. His stay in Europe mainly in England help to crystallize
his views and ideas the views and ideas he was already developing. Iqbal
appreciated certain things in the West, for example quest for knowledge,
their efforts for innovation and change. However he was critical of
materialism, capitalism and competition an unrestricted and unlimited
competition that was undermining the society and it is during this period
that he began to think philosophically and scientifically about the Muslims
and he emphasized on the importance of spiritualness in one’s life.
Return to India 1908 onward

• The 3rd phase starts when he comes back to India after spending time, after
getting degrees from England and Germany he came back to India and
examined the situation. Here his exclusive attention and focus was on the
Muslim. He talked about the centrality of Islam, question of submission to
God, Oneness of God, He emphasized in his writings pros as well as poetry
and he talked about the Holy Prophet as the ideal leader as the leader that
the Muslims should try to follow. To, him returns to principles and ideals of
Islam assures the Muslims that they can recover from their decline and Islam
offers them their salvation, Islam can assures them that they can again
become a force to recon with. So the greater identification with the spirit of
Islam was to him one way to deal with the kinds of problems, the Muslims
not only in the Indo-Pak Sub-Continent but Muslims else where.
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• However, his focus was on primarily Muslims of this region when

he dealt with the political or the constitutional issues of India.
Iqbal got the title of SIR in 1922 in recognition of his intellectual
work-in 1927 Iqbal was elected to the Punjab Legislative Council,
so far next little over two years he served in the Punjab legislative
council that is from 1927 to 1930.
Prelude- The Address

• On December 30,1930 the annual meeting of the All India Muslim

League was held at Allahabad, Allama Iqbal presided over the
meeting .On this occasion he delivered his famous historical
address which proved to be a milestone in the proceeding to make
a demand for an independent Muslim State
Concept of Separate Homeland

• In this address, Allama Iqbal gave the lucid explanation of the

inner feeling of the Muslims of India. He narrated the basic
principles of the Islam and loyalties of the Muslims to their faith.
He gave the idea and concept about a separate homeland in this
address because the Muslim were a nation and had a right that
they got the identification and passed their lives in order to the
Islamic principles. Due to these reasons, he expressed his thoughts
in this address
Two Branch Attacked on Muslims interests

• There were many reasons which caused Muslims to think about the separate
homeland and compelled to protect the rights of the Muslim. There was a
two branched attack on the Muslim interests. On the one side, Hindus were
creating the restrictions in the way of the Muslim and hurting the feeling of
the Muslim to propose the Nehru report as the ultimate constitution for
India. On the other side, the British government totally ignored the Muslim’s
rights and other facilities were not being provided to them. They were
ignored in every field of life, especially in education and government.
In that critical condition, Allama Muhammad Iqbal realized that these
eccentric problems of the Muslims in North West India needed to be
addressed. In order to solve these problems, Allama Iqbal pointed a line of
action.
Muslims As a proper nation

• In his address, Allama Iqbal explained that Islam was the major and
determining factor in the life of Indian Muslims. He defined the Muslims of
India as a nation and recommended there could be no possibility of peace in
India without recognizing them as one. Unless the Muslims are considered as
a nation and their rights are protected, it is impossible to establish peace
and order in the land. Because there are many nations in the land, every
nation is distinguished from the other in their customs, traditions and
religion. The difference in the mind, difference in thoughts and religion
furthermore, difference in the customs and tradition make them unable to
live together. So in these condition, it is essential that Muslim have a
separate homeland as without a separate homeland they might face many
difficulties for the rest of their life in united India.
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• As the permanent solution to the Muslim Hindus problem, Iqbal

proposed that Punjab, North West Frontier province, Baluchistan,
and Sindh should be converted into one state. He expressed that
the northwestern part of the country should be established to
unite as a self-governed unit, within or without the British Empire.
Islam and Nationalism

• In his address, Allama Iqbal explained that Islam was the major
formative factor in the life history of Indian Muslims. It furnished
those basic emotions and loyalties, which gradually unify scattered
individuals and groups and finally transform them into a well-
defined people, possessing a moral consciousness of their own.
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• He defined the Muslims of India as a nation and suggested that there could be no
possibility of peace in the country unless and until they were recognized as a
nation. He claimed that the only way for the Muslims and Hindus to prosper in
accordance with their respective cultural values was under a federal system
where Muslim majority units were given the same privileges that were to be given
to the Hindu majority units. In this section, Iqbal addressed the idea the Islam
and nationalism. Islam is a way of life in which the Muslims spend their lives with
peace and harmony, it gives the principles to regulate and organize life and also
form the identification of a separate nation within the Muslim psyche. Islam
provides the Muslims with a separate identification and distinguishes them from
others because its customs and traditions are different from other religions and
this faith stresses upon monotheism and acceptance of the Holy Prophet’s
principles.
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• As far as nationalism is concerned, it can be said that nationalism

comes through Islam in Muslims, Islam provides a different way of
life. Although Islam is a religion yet it declares the rules and
regulations about the different aspects of life. On the other hand,
Europeans considered Islam as a private affair and thought that
Islam should not guide political conditions. Whereas Iqbal
explained that Islam was not a private matter, the demand of
separate homeland was based on Islam as it did not neglect the
common life.
The question of unity

• In this section of his speech, Iqbal narrated the principle of unity and
whether unity in different nations was possible or not. According to
Iqbal’s point of view, there are many nations in this sub-continent and
every nation has its own social, political, and religious structure.
Without partition, establishment of peace and order in this land is
impossible; nevertheless they can pass their lives with peace. One
reason is that one nation does not accept the customs and traditions of
other nations and consider them lower. This thing expressed that peace
and harmony can be established but only after the division of the Indian
sub-continent to facilitate the Muslims to implement their religion.
Muslim Indians within India

• he unity of nations is not only territorial as is believed by

European countries. India is a continent of human groups
belonging to the different races, speaking different languages, and
professing different religions. Their behavior is not at all
determined by a common race consciousness.
Importance of address

• Iqbal's speech at the League session created a mild flutter but generally it
was not taken seriously. Though he had, in detail explained the basis leading
to demand a separate homeland. He mentioned that Islam was not simply the
name of a few creeds, the oral reorganization of which would make our ideal
Muslim. It had given its followers, the concept of a particular and unique
political society which covered all the phases of their life.
• Even though the Muslims of South Asia were disorganized and lay scattered in
different parts of the region, yet their central position was the same. They
had the same culture, the same history and same civilization. These elements
gave similarity and agreement to all the Muslims of the Sub Continent on the
one hand and made them quite distinct from the Hindus on the other.
In his Presidential address, Allama Iqbal said:
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• "I would like to see the Punjab, North West Frontier Province, Sind
and Baluchistan amalgamated into a single state. Self government
within the British empire without the British empire, the
formation of a consolidated North West Indian Muslim State
appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims at least of
North West India."