Iqbal Lahori Memorial, a Sign of Mutual Love Between Two Nations

According to the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), a poetry evening commemorating Allama Iqbal Lahori was held on Sunday, November 8, 2025, at Mehr Theater Hall of the Art Center of the Islamic Revolution, with the presence of Mohammad Mudassir Tippu, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Zahed Munir, researcher and Iqbal scholar, and a group of distinguished Iranian, Pakistani, Afghan, and Tajik poets.

At the beginning of this meeting, Milad Erfanpour, poet and director of the Literary Creations Center of the Art Center, welcomed the guests and said: “We are honored to speak at the Art Center about one of the greatest Islamic poets; the people of Iran and the noble people of Pakistan have long been brothers and have a unified cultural body. One of the important elements of this body is poetry and literature; although Allama Iqbal Lahori’s most prominent aspect is poetry, as stated by the Supreme Leader, if we limit Iqbal Lahori to poetry, we have wronged him.”

He added: “If his thought and freedom are revived in this era and paid attention to by Muslim nations, many of today’s world challenges will be resolved. Iqbal Lahori is one of the poets who sees his mission in human thought, and this is the need that the Islamic world feels today. We hope that literary and poetic relations between Iran and Pakistan will expand, and we wholeheartedly welcome this cooperation here.”

He concluded his remarks by reciting a ghazal.

Mohammad Mudassir Tippu, Pakistan’s Ambassador, also expressed his pleasure at attending the Iqbal Lahori memorial ceremony and said: “Iran is like a second home to me.”

Referring to the historical and political ties between the two countries, he added: “Pakistan was the only country that stood by Iran during the 12-day war, and at the very first moment Iran was attacked, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Iran has the right to defend itself, and we support this right. Similarly, in the Pakistan-India war, Iran stood by Pakistan, and I thank Iran for that.”

Tippu emphasized the expansion of relations between the two countries, stating: “Today’s relations between Iran and Pakistan have reached their peak in all fields, and officials of both countries are pursuing closer ties; holding a memorial ceremony for one of Pakistan’s greatest thinkers is a sign of mutual love and affection between the two nations and has made me love Iran even more.”

He continued: “Every Iranian official who travels to Pakistan, including Martyr Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, visits Iqbal Lahori’s tomb, and this shows how valuable his poetry is to the people of Iran; you Iranians know Iqbal Lahori better than I do, but the symbols in his poetry transcend time and place.”

The Pakistani Ambassador added: “My father and grandfather were fluent in Persian and knew Iqbal Lahori’s works well. In his books, there are contents that beautifully describe the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and my only regret is that I do not know Persian; a language that is extremely delicate and rich, and I know no other language that can be compared to Persian.”

He further said: “Allama Iqbal Lahori had a deep love for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and this love permeates his poems; the year 2027 is planned to be ‘Iqbal Lahori Year,’ and I invite the Art Center to be with us and cooperate. Today, the Islamic world faces many problems and needs unity more than ever. The Supreme Leader also emphasizes this unity, and Iqbal Lahori also conveyed this message to us in his poems.”

Following the program, various poets from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan recited poetry.

Morteza Amiri Esfandagheh spoke about Iqbal Lahori and recited a poem in praise of Iran.

Hassan Reza, a Pakistani poet, Mahmoud Habibi Kasbi, Shah Mansour from Tajikistan, Seyed Ahmad Hosseini Shahriar, a Pakistani poet, Ali Mohammad Moaddab, Shah Mansour, a Tajik poet, Rahmani, and Ali Davoudi also recited their poems.

The Endurance of Iran is a Divine Grace

In another part of the ceremony, Zahed Munir, a researcher and Iqbal scholar, shared his views and said: “In ancient times, Iran was one of the countries that determined the fate of the world, and after thousands of years, Iran continues to be a living force in the world. Iqbal Lahori considered Persian a sweet language and repeatedly mentioned Iran’s history in his poems. He regards Iran’s endurance as divine grace and believed that Iran has a special place on the world stage due to its excellent art and culture; so much so that the arrogant powers of the world fear Iran, and this itself is a favor from God.”

He added: “Some have compared Iqbal Lahori to Keykhosrow and the kings of Iran, but he did not agree with this view and said that countries should not be known only by their rulers. Those familiar with Iqbal Lahori’s thought know that with his poems, he dealt a severe blow to arrogance and fought for the realization of his freedom-seeking ideas.”

Zahed Munir stated: “The concept of Islamic ethnicity in Iqbal Lahori’s view is inspired by the migration of the Prophet (PBUH), and any thought based on the negation of oppression, in his opinion, stems from Iranian identity.”

He also emphasized: “Iqbal Lahori’s attachment to Iran was not merely political or historical; he also loved Iran’s literary and artistic treasury and mentioned great Persian literary figures like Hafiz, Saadi, Jami, and Ferdowsi in his poems. This poet considered Iran not just a historical land, but a land of poetry and art, and cities like Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tabriz in his poetry are not just cities, but symbols of Iran’s cultural identity. He also praised Tus in memory of the great Ferdowsi, and although he never traveled to Iran, Iqbal Lahori’s heart beat for Iran, and the hearts of Iranians also beat for Iqbal Lahori.”

At the end of the ceremony, Mashallah Shakeri, Iran’s former ambassador to Pakistan, also recited poetry.