Islamabad: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), through its Iqbal Chair on Muslim and Sufi Thought, organized a scholarly session as part of the celebrations marking the 150th birth anniversary of the Poet-Philosopher of the East, Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
Renowned Iqbal scholar Dr Qamar Iqbal delivered a keynote lecture on “Haqeeqat-e-Abadi Hai Maqam-e-Shabeeri” (The Eternal Reality of the Hussaini Spirit), shedding light on various dimensions of Iqbal’s philosophy of selfhood (Khudi), his message of freedom and the enduring significance of the tragedy of Karbala.
The session was presided over by Prof. Dr Abdul Aziz Sahir, Head of the Iqbal Chair. Addressing the participants, he emphasized the importance of promoting Iqbal’s thought, poetry and philosophy among the younger generation.
He announced that the Iqbal Chair would launch a regular weekly lecture series to encourage scholarly engagement with Iqbal’s intellectual legacy. He added that the lecture held today marked the beginning of this initiative and distinguished scholars, intellectuals, and researchers would be invited to participate in future sessions.
Dr Abdul Aziz Sahir further stated that Allama Iqbal’s masterpiece “Javid Nama” enjoys a unique and distinguished position in world literature. He announced that the Iqbal Chair would soon introduce a three-month academic course on Javid Nama, enabling students, teachers, researchers and admirers of Iqbal’s thought to gain a deeper understanding of one of the most significant works in Urdu and Persian literature. In his lecture, Dr Qamar Iqbal observed that in Iqbal’s view, the “Hussaini Spirit” represents truth, righteousness, perseverance and steadfast resistance against oppression.
