Allama Iqbal highlighted need for renaissance of Islam, says Alvi

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday said the Pakistani nation will make strides in every walk of life and achieve progress by following the vision and philosophy of the great poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal.Speaking at the Presidential Iqbal Awards ceremony here, he said the people of Pakistan could progress and become at par with other nations by seeking knowledge and innovation and moving ahead with Iqbal's vision and hope.

“We are celebrating the birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal who was our national poet, philosopher, visionary leader, lawyer and a person with knowledge of science.” He said Allama Iqbal gave Muslims the Two-Nation Theory and stressed upon renaissance of Islam. Iqbal found Allah through creations in the universe, stars, atoms, Islam and philosophers like Rumi and pursued a path of discovery of the self, Dr Alvi observed.

He said the great poet propounded his viewpoint about revival of Islam through his book, “The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.” In different phases of his life, the Poet of the East pursued different strains of thought as at one stage he praised Hindustan through his poetry.But at a later stage he, along with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, went through a change of thought and emphasized upon separate identity of Muslims in India and stopped supporting a united India, he explained.

Alvi said both were of the view that Muslims and Hindus were two different nations because their culture, religion, languages and festivals were different, who could not live together in a unified country. The Two-Nation Theory gave Muslims the vision of a separate identity and reiterated the past glory of Islam, he added.