Iqbāl, Muhammad (1876-1938)

Islamic poet and thinker. His literary works, in Urdu and Persian, were mostly verse in the classical style, suitable for public recitation. He sought through his writings to arouse Muslims to take their place in the modern world. He was knighted in 1922.

His most celebrated work, the Persian Asrā-e khūdī/Secrets of the Self 1915, put forward a theory of the self that was opposite to the traditional abnegation found in Islam. He was an influence on the movement that led to the creation of Pakistan.