Allama Muhammad Iqbal – Letter of 22 August, 1926
Soft copy of translation in easy urdu of letter of Dr. Iqbal (click here)
English translation of the above mentioned letter courtesy my friend Mr. Ijaz Chaudhry, world renowned international sports journalist, is also given below.
“My dear,
Salaam.
Your journal, “Arabic Tibb” is very interesting.
Till today, no one in the Islamic world paid any attention to the Islamic medicine and history.
The European languages have a number of books on every topic.
The late Professor Brown’s four lectures on the “Arabic medicine” delivered in English, which were published in his life time, are really interesting.
I think research is required to find how much the Muslims utilised the benefits of experimentation in medicine and other fields of knowledge.
Sincerely
Muhammad Iqbal
22 August, 1926″
For the benefit of the lovers of historical items, I take this opportunity to post the pictures of a historic letter dated 22 August, 1926 written by the great poet of the East, Sir Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, addressed to his friend, Hakim Khawaja Shams Uddin Ahmad ( my maternal grand father). I am lucky to be in possession of both the original letter and the envelope.
The other interesting features of these historic documents are as follows:
1. The letter was posted on 23 August, 1926 in Lahore and delivered in Lucknow on 25 August, 1926. (As is evident from the post office seals on the reverse of the envelope). What an efficiency of the British Post 83 years ago.
2. Moreover, there is no address written on the envelope except, Lucknow and Hakim Khawaja Shams Uddin Ahmad. Now, here again, we must appreciate the efficiency of the post office staff of the then British Post at Lucknow and the confidence reposed in their working by Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal ,or may be he was sure that he was sending a letter to a very famous person in Lucknow, whose address was not much required on the envelope.
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bohat khub janab ye humara assasa hai nayaab hai ye
Great. thanks
Quite delectable
Nayyar sb
“This letter of Hazrat Allama Iqbal, the famous poet of the East was written in 1926, wherein he appreciated the efforts of Hakim Khawaja Shams uddin, who was your Grand father, regarding the issuance of first leaflets about the “Elam-e Tib”. However, according to him the importance of Elam –e-Tib was that How much experimental research had been done by the muslims .”
Congratulation on holding of such an ancient informative letter of Hakim UL Umat, Hazarat Allama Iqbal. This letter shows that you belongs to a very famous & literary family which has a glorious history.
@Tanvir-A-Shaikh Sb, please accept my profound thanks for your kind comments.
Its priceless and a precious document. Please share more of such letters if you have.
@Raja Mujtaba Sb, I am humbled by your nice comments.
great treasure, and you are lucky one
@Asmatullah Niazi Sb. Thanks.
Finally, an issue that I am passionate about. I have looked for information of this caliber for the last several hours. Your site is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for sharing Syed Sahib,
Priceless indeed, please let me know if you have more such stuff so we can share it on a larger scale with the people who are interested inshAllah.
Best Regards,
Noman Bokhari
سید نیرالدین احمد صاحب
حکیم الامت علامہ اقبال کا یہ خط واقعی ایک نادر دستاویز ہے اور اس کی پردہ کشائی پر آپ ڈھیروں ستائش اور شکریے کے مستحق ہیں۔میرا گمان ہے کہ اقبالیات کے طالب علموں کے لیے بھی یہ مکتوب ایک نئی دریافت ہے۔علامہ اقبال سے جس کسی کو بھی قلبی وابستگی ہے، آپ بھی ان سب کے لیے قابل احترام ہیں۔
@Asad Mustafa Sb, profound thanks for your extremely kind words.
nayyar bhai,
It is indeed a privilege to be a part of the Khwaja family and kudos to you for keeping this priceless treasure so well. Thanks and congratulations.
@huma khawaja, profound thanks for your very kind words. This historic letter is a joint family asset of entire Khawaja family. And I am just a custodian of it. My congratulations for sending the 1st comments from Lucknow. Indeed It is an honour for me.
What a great resource!
Mashallah,
This letter is a priceless historical treasure. Thank you for sharing with us.
Hussainabad,
Bihar/Jharkhand,
India
@AmirRizvi, thanks Sir. You will be glad to know that my late father was born and belonged to Patna.
An historical document, indeed. Alas! what Allama has written about the neglect in Islamic tibb or medicine is so true even after 84 years. What a sad commentary on education in general and medical research in particular on the part of Muslims. in the words of Iqbal again:
Lay ga’ay taslees ke farzand meeras e Khaleel
@Shoaib Mir, thanks for your very pertinent comments.
what is written here please?
Wonderful collection. Alas I can not read Urdu or Persian, but I can easily visualise the efficiency of the postal department. Alas with all the modern communication facilities the Indian Posts is doing everything except carrying the dak promptly and delivering it as well.
Beautifull piece of History.
The Honour.
I am the son of Late Shifaulmulk Hakeem Khwaja Shamsuddin(1896-1971),who was a leading Hakeem of Lucknow.I am still residing in my ancestral home,where my father lived and died on 29th April some 40 years back.My elder sister Husna baji lives in Karachi, Pakistan. Syed Nayyar uddin Ahmad, her elder son is living in Lahore. While searching my father’s old papers sometime after his death, I happened to find this letter.Though a little surprised to to read it(becaused my father had never mentioned about it),I did not realise its historical importance.When Nayyar visited us sometime later,I showed it to him and he became highly excited and interested in this letter . C onsidering his deep interest, I gladly handed it over to him. I really feel proud of him for not only keeping it in his safe custody but also for taking pains to bring it to the knowledge of ALLAMA IQBAL’S admirers all over the world. My father never visited Lahore but he must have met the great poet during his visit/visits to Lucknow,where he used to stay with Justice Mubashshir Husain Qidwai at Jopling Road.Justice Qidwai was a close friend of my father I am writing this on the basis of what I heard from some elders.I have no personal knowledge about this fact because I was either a small child or was not born yet at that time.
Qudos to my highly talented nephew Nayyar.
Khwaja Jalaluddin Ahmad,M.Sc,Ph.D(Retd.Scientist)
T
Mashallah, You are the real asset of a nation.
Regards,
best
itna purana khat dekh ker dil khush howa q k hum urdu ki taraqi ke leay efforts ker rahe hain
This is very unique envelope of Allama Iqbal. I collect and display the collection of Philatelic Items on Allama Iqbal. You can see the other collectible items on http://www.allamaiqbalstamps.blogspot.com.
This is a great contribution of historic letters, I appreciate your efforts and pray for your Good Health…..
It’s really a great treasure, and you are the luckiest person who have kept it safe…you are the legend…masha Allah
May Allah always bless you with good health, long life, and prosperity in life….
Ameen, Happy Birthday to you….
I appreciate the hand writing.
dear syed nayar sahab. first of all, please accept my heartfelt felicitations for belonging to such a noble and respectable learned family. i am sure your ancestors noble services would have played an important role in grooming your personality. i will appreciate, that whenever you visit karachi, please meet me, and i would very much like to visit your mother, mohtarma husna baji as well. ( this i learnt from one of the post posted by khawaja jalaluddin ahmed sahab of lucknow )
walsalam
my dearest nayyar saheb.it was a rare honor to read and in fact see this historical document.may ALMIGHTY bless you for sharing this rare piece.aameen kindest regards grk
This is a treasure for the lovers of urdu adab and visionary philosophy. I will save it with other collecti
ons. Thanks.
Any thing relating to HAZRAT ALAMA DR SIR MOHAMMED IQBAL QALADDAR is very
respectable for me therefore this visionary philosophy is a treasure for me. Appreciate u to share with all lover of QALANDDAR.
Engr PARVEZ
I am very much pleased to see this historical document. The very much interesting thing for me in this letter is handwriting Allama Iqbal. It is matching with my Grand father Hakeem Shah Mohammed Taha (Lived in Bihar Sharif) then died in Karachi in 1967.
Sir , V pleased to see your valuable contribution . please keep me in your cotacts.
this is truly a depiction of the golden era that is lost forever , only few people are still around to treasure the memories in their heart with the pang of nostalgia . this is truth that we and our contemporaries can only dream of the peaceful and honest realities of the time bygone . thanks for sharing this precious piece of document Syed Nayyar Uddin sahib
Regards Shaista Mufti
This is the most valuable treasure with you. If u ever think of giving it in a museum give the photocopy not the original. Priceless I must say – and lucky u.
am
Dear Brother Syed Nayyar Uddin !
It is an important historical document.Thanks for sharing it.Congratulations.
شکریہ ، بھائی سید نیر الدین ۔ مبارک ہو ۔
صغیر احمد جعفری ، اردو منزل ، http://www.urdumanzil.com
Great Collection Of Urdu And English Shayaris And Quotes. Latest Shayari And Poetry Collection Of Dr. Iqbal Sahab. beautiful quotes by dr. iqbal sahab
Syed Nayyar Uddin Sb,
I’ m delighted to see and read the letter of the great poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal it took me into the history and in my imaginations, I could hear the echo of his Shikwa ( in the context of the present conditions in Pakistan, a country which was dream of Dr.Iqbal, where I could find nothing but massacre of his dreams ) and dare to give Jawab e Shikwa in few words ” Sir, after the partition we couldn’t find Iqbal, who could inspire us to feel and act like a nation, we locked you in the Libraries and in the junkyards of the history. Though we could hear your poetry even from the hypocrite leadership using it to hoodwink the masses to pose as Iqbal’s Shaeen , while they all have been Kurgus. I had the honor to exchange correspondence with Justice Javed Iqbal, in which I tried my best to find reflections of his great father and pride of Muslim World and Pakistan. May the Almighty bless his soul and may the masses of Pakistan start reading Iqbal to understand and implement his code of morality in our individual and collective lives.
Grate job….very nice
محترم جناب نیر الدین صاحب
سلام مسنون ۔
علامہ اقبال کا یہ خط ایک گرانقدر ’’ دریافت ‘‘ ہے جس کے لیے آپ مبارکباد کے مستحق ہیں۔ وہ اس لیے بھی کہ خط آپ ہی کے ایک بزرگ کے نام ہے ۔ علامہ کا یہ خط طب اسلامی میں ان کی دلچسپی تو ظاہر کرتا ہی ہے لیکن اس میں علامہ کی یہ تجویز خاص توجہ چاہتی ہے کہ مسلمانوں نے طب اور دیگر علوم میں کہاں تک تحقیق کی ہے اسے اجاگر کرنے اور تحقیق کے علم کو جاری رکھنے کی کوشش کی ہے ۔
علامہ کا یہ نادر خط ایک تبرک سے کم نہیں اور آپ خوش قسمت ہیں کہ یہ خط آپ کے پاس محفوظ ہے ۔ والسلام
نصر ملک
کوپن ہیگن / ڈنمارک
http://www.urduhamasr.dk
پس تحریر: وقت میسر ہو تو علامہ اقبال ہی کے حوالے سے مندرجہ ذیل لنک بھی ملاحظہ فرمائیے گا ۔
http://urduhamasr.dk/sufi/list.php?page=matrookkalam
SALAM O RAHMA,
WO HI QAUMAIN ZINDA RAHTI AUR KAMYABI KI RAH PAR GAMZAN HOTI HAIN JAHAN USKE LOOG APNE ASLAF KA ASASA ADBI MILKIYAT KA TAHHAFUUZ KARTEN HAYN.
AUR JAB TAK AYSE QADRDAN MAUJOOD HAY URDU AUR USKE CHANE WALE TA QIYAMAT ZINDA RAHENGE.
BEHAD SUKRIYA KE SAAT AAP KE HAQ MAIN BESHUMAR DUAAYEN.
ALLAH HAFIZ
MOHAMMED RAFIQUE AKOLVI
Dear bhai Nayyaruddin Assalamu Alaikum, I just received the letter written by the great Urdu and Farsi poet Allan’s Sir Dr. Mohammed Iqbal letter to your nana maternal grand father shifaulmulk Hakim khwaja Shamsuddin Chacha which my amma used to call because he is chachazad bhai to my nana maternal grand father khwaja Mohammed Idrees Quraishi and relative to my dada paternal grand father also was a very famous hakim of his time that is why he received the khitab خطاب of shifaulmulk because of his knowledge, research of Tib yane hikmat and shifa I.e. cure in his hand by the Grace of Allah. Allan’s Mohammed Iqbal Saheb’s letter to your nana is Avery historic, precious and priceless iconic letter you have kept safely you are praiseworthy for that. I really appreciate for sending me the copy of the valuable letter and please accept my lots of thanks for this. With your permission I would like to send Allama Mohammed Iqbal letter to your nana shifaulmulk hakim khwaja shamshuddin Chacha on face book so that all our relatives should read and recognize the great work done by your nana, Husna Baji, Siraj bhai, jalal bhai wa bazmo bazi’s father’s great work.
Respected Majid Khan Sahab, please accept my profound thanks for your very kind words and you have my full permission to circulate this family treasure according to your wish please Stay Blessed.
Indian post/ mail distribution is still the best in the world. In 1974 I mailed letter in an envelope and wrote only my brother name locality no house number and hyderabad and zip code without India country name it reached to my home in Hyderabad in five days without any confusion of other Hyderabad in Sindhi Pakistan. Still I think without the country name and zip code how did it reach to correct home.
Janab S.NayyUddin vee ver Happy to see & read letter of Sir Md Iqbaj Addressed to Mana Hakeem Shmasuddin My mother used to. Tell about who recognized & famous Hakeem Iwas introduced to him by my Khalu Khwala Lateefuddin on the occasion of marriage of my elder brother Dr.Sami khan in April, 1961 Recently while tracings old papers Iound two Nuskhe of Hakeem Nana .Iwill to find & put it on Face Book
Very very Happy. I will try to find
شاعر مشرق جتنا اچھا کہتے تھے اتنا ہی اچھا لکھتے بھی تھے۔ کمال کی شخصیت پائی تھی۔ قیامت تک ان کا نام روشن رہے گا۔