It happens quite rarely when a name actually defines the holder’s attribute or sign. ‘Iqbal’ is an Urdu word which means ‘highness’. Allama Muhammad Iqbal did absolute justice to his name and its worth. He achieved highness in his poetry and his philosophical concepts. His ultimate success made him an inspiring legendary figure. His universal thoughts about mankind, self-awareness and self-development not only inspired Muslims or Eastern regions rather they also seemed to be affecting the whole World. Iqbal’s views on the Western world were appreciated by men including United States Supreme Court Associate Justice William O. Douglas, who said that Iqbal’s beliefs had “universal appeal”.
Soviet biographer, N. P. Anikoy from England wrote:
“Iqbal is great for his passionate condemnation of weak will and passiveness, his angry protest against inequality, discrimination and oppression in all forms i.e., economic, social, political, national, racial, religious, etc., his preaching of optimism, an active attitude towards life and man’s high purpose in the world, in a word, he is great for his assertion of the noble ideals and principles of humanism, democracy, peace and friendship among peoples”
Chinese students of Beijing Foreign Studies (BFS) University took a keen interest in Allama Iqbal’s thoughts and his impressive personality after studying him passionately. They got inspired to the extent that they are willing to become Urdu poets in the coming future. The birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal is celebrated by them every year. Among Chinese Urdu book writers is Zhang Shixuan who happens to be a prominent name, attended that birth anniversary ceremony recently, and told the students about the life, reviews, and services of “The Poet of East” as to how he raised Muslims from abysmal hopelessness.
On 6 November 2017, a three-day conference on Allama Iqbal was held in Islamabad, Pakistan in which many renowned and respectable international personalities participated. Dr. Alan, Abd-al-Haqq Godlas, University of Georgia, USA, Prof. Dr. Hug Van Skyhawk, Department of Science and Religion, Basel University, Germany, Dr. Geldimyrat Muhammedov, Head of the Department of History, Institute of Manuscripts, Academy of Sciences, Turkmenistan, Dr. Zhou Chuanbin, Lanzhou University, China, Dr. Irina N. Serenko, senior research scholar, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Piotr Kodkowski, Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilizations, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland addressed the sermon and spread light on Iqbal’s concepts about humanity, its untidiness and its peaceful existence. They all stated that the need of today’s hour is to follow these guidelines instructed by Iqbal.
Allama Iqbal’s poetry, which he originally wrote in Urdu and Persian, has been translated into many languages like English, German and French, and have garnered huge admiration. Iqbal Academy Pakistan gathered, sifted and processed the information about all his work written in foreign languages. Moving through a different levelled procedure of judgments, Gabriel’s Wing- A Study into the Religious Ideas of Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1963, rpt. 1989) written by Prof. Dr. Annemarie Schimmel (German Orientalist), was declared the best book on Iqbal for the period 1947-81.