Iqbal’s perfect man and the spirit of ‘65

September 06 is celebrated by the nation as The Defence and Martyrs’ Day of Pakistan to commemorate the nation’s finest hour when its armed forces frustrated a surprise attack by its numerically-superior adversary on September 06, 1965.

The spirit of ‘65 is the strength of character, the firm resolution, the fortitude that overwhelmed every Pakistani to stand up to be counted as a defender of its homeland, whether one was a soldier, sailor or airman, whether one was a farmer, shopkeeper, student, or artisan, whether one was a singer, poet or writer.

I myself was a student of class 8th in PAF Public School Sargodha. I distinctly remember our Principal Hugh Catchpole, suspended classes on the morning of September 06 and assembled us in the School Auditorium and informed us that since Pakistan had been invaded by India, we were in a state of war. He was closing down the school and moving us to a safe location since Sargodha was likely to be the target of Indian air raids. He then switched on the radio on the public address system and we heard the President General Mohammad Ayub Khan, addressing the nation. What an address? Every word, every phrase is still imprinted in our minds today even after 56 long years. “The enemy does not know which nation it has challenged. On our lips tremble the kalima of La Ilaha Ill Allah.” Our whole being was filled with a mercurial spirit. We declared to Catchpole that our nation needed us and we did not want to go to a safe place, we would rather go to the war front and face the enemy. The principal cajoled us eleven and twelve years old that we had no formal training to fight but we insisted that we would help pass on the ammunition, bring supplies and whatever else was needed. However, he prevailed over us and we were shipped off to safety.

The fledgling nation, on the other hand, for the first time, in its brief history, was invited by its head of the state to jihad and it responded with full vim and vigour. The soldiers, sailors and airmen fought gallantly, even making the supreme sacrifice of their lives. The glorious trail of valour emblazoned by them shall remain inscribed in our history in golden words.

Every Pakistani was so imbued with the spirit of ‘65 that they were transformed into super beings or so it seemed. Poets, imbibed with the spirit of ‘65, rendered motivational songs in a matter of moments that raised the spirit of ‘65 and urged every Pakistani to meet the challenges undaunted. Musicians composed such melodious tunes that charged the spirit afresh. Singers crooned the martial songs with such zest that it filled the soul with the spirit of sacrifice. Farmers, labourers, artisans and common folk turned up for military or defence duties. When the city of Lahore was attacked by a crafty enemy in the dead of the night, it was only lightly defended, but the brave people of Lahore marched to the front armed with only spears, sticks and rods to shield their beloved city. Indeed “the enemy did not know which nation it had challenged!”

The rest is history. The spirit of ‘65 is something to take pride in and remember. However, the question is, Pakistan has been faced with numerous crisis situations after 1965, but why has the spirit of ‘65 never surfaced again? In 1971, when our Eastern wing was dismembered, in 1998, when sanctions were imposed on us and we were declared a pariah state after the nuclear tests, in 1999, during the Kargil Crisis, in 2001-2002, when the war on terror forced upon us a faceless enemy, which took a toll of over seventy five thousand precious lives. The onset of the global pandemic COVID-19, which needed a Herculean effort to bring the nation out of the morass.

In examining the attributes of the spirit of ’65, we come across Allama Iqbal’s description of the perfect man: “A Momin whose greatest qualities are power, vision, action and wisdom. These qualities are perfectly noticeable in the character of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), who was also the complete embodiment of the finest attributes. It is by emulating the character of the founder of the Faith, that a Momin becomes a master of his destiny and reaches a stage of perfection.”

Iqbal has expressed this idea in Bal-i-Jibril by saying that the Momin is powerful and is a conqueror of difficulties. He is the goal of reason; the sole harvest of love and all activities in the universe can be attributed to him. Amidst this graphic description, we find that in the trial and tribulation of the 1965 War, riveted by the spirit of ’65, every Pakistani appeared to have become the embodiment of the great bard, Allama Iqbal’s “Perfect Man”.

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) is the supreme example of the perfect man, and anybody following his path of life is sure to achieve the highest ideal which life is capable of bestowing upon man. Iqbal’s Perfect Man is not different from a true and honest Muslim who does not treat his religion as a wooden dogma but makes his life conform to the genuine pattern of the Holy Quran and attains the highest degree of perfection by living up to it sincerely and honestly and in every way. He is distinguished from fellowmen by the undying quality of his faith. It is the unbeatable spirit of belief which draws the line between him and the rest of humanity. He outshines them in courage and spiritual stamina.

In fact, Mard-i-Momin, the embodiment of self, has a few aspirations but the objectives are great.If we have to surmount the challenges we are facing, we need to revive the spirit of ’65 and seek leaders, who are a personification of Iqbal’s Perfect Man: presented inn his immortal poem Mosque of Cordoba:

His hopes are few, his goals are lofty;His heart is pure, his eyes are kind Soft-spoken, warm-heartedBe it war or peace, pure hearted and unblemished.