ALLAMA IQBAL'S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY - 9th November, 1877
On November 9, 1877, famous Muslim thinker, philosopher, and Urdu and Farsi poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot, Punjab, British India (in present-day Pakistan).
In this photo, Iqbal can be seen at the Great Mosque of Córdoba (Masjid e Qurtuba) during his visit to Spain in 1932/33 CE.
The Great Mosque of Córdoba was converted into a Catholic Church in 1236 CE. However, Iqbal was fortunate that he was allowed to offer his prayers in the mosque (as you can see in the photo).
After paying his visit to the Great Mosque, Iqbal wrote a poem called Masjid e Qurtuba that was later published in his collection Baal e Jibril (The Wing of Gabriel) in 1936 CE. A couplet from that poem is as follow:
اے حرم قرطبہ عشق سے تیرا وجود
عشق سراپا دوام جس میں نہیں رفت و بود
Ae Haram-E-Qurtuba! Ishq Se Tera Wujood
Ishq Sarapa Dawam, Jis Mein Nahin Raft-o-Bood
English translation:
To Love, you owe your being, O, Harem of Cordoba,
To Love, that is eternal; Never waning, never fading.
Read a short biography of Iqbal here:
