Do you know that Allama Muhammad Iqbal has two tombs? Every child knows that the philosopher of Pakistan, the poet of the East, Allama Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot and his final resting place is in Lahore. His mausoleum is located in the Hazuri Bagh between the Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort, and you may have even visited it. But did you know that Allama Sahab has a symbolic tomb in Turkey as well?
Although Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s body is buried in Lahore, there is also a symbolic tomb of him in the city of Konya, Turkey. A plaque with Allama Sahab’s name is placed on a symbolic tomb at the mausoleum of Hazrat Maulana Rumi.
Konya is still the most religious city in Turkey, and it is even called the “fortress of Islam” in the country.
Hazrat Maulana Rumi was a great Sufi saint and poet of the 13th century. His full name was Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi. He was born in the region of Balkh in present-day Afghanistan, but due to the increasing Mongol invasions, his father migrated towards the west, where Maulana finally settled in the city of Konya. Maulana Rumi’s mausoleum is now the center of attention in the same city. His poetic collection, “Masnavi”, is currently one of the most widely read books in the world after sacred heavenly books. People from all over the world visit his mausoleum, and the graves of his disciples are also present in the vicinity. The name of Allama Iqbal is also written on one of these graves.
It is written on a plaque that “This place is dedicated to the national poet and scholar of Pakistan, Muhammad Iqbal.” This symbolic grave actually represents the spiritual connection between Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi. How deep was this relationship? It is repeatedly described in Iqbal’s poetry.
The poem “Peer o Murid” from “Bal-e-Jibril” refers to Maulana Rumi as the “Peer-e-Rumi” and Iqbal identifies himself as the “Murid-e-Hindi” (the Indian disciple).
Perhaps it is knowledge that breaks the boundaries of time and space; otherwise, how could the Roman poets born in the early 13th century and Iqbal born at the end of the 19th century be separated by 670 years, but in the world of knowledge, this distance means nothing and it is broken to the extent that today we see the tombs of both under the same sky.
Abdul Wahab Azam was a famous scientific figure in Egypt, and once he said, “If Jalaluddin Rumi were to arise in this age, he would be Muhammad Iqbal. The Jalal of the 7th century and the Iqbal of the 14th century should be understood as one.”
In a poem titled “Baal-e-Jibreel,” Allama Iqbal refers to Maulana Rumi, saying:
“We are the buyers of the shore, aware of the sea’s turmoil and secrets. Rumi is a sea in a storm, filled with mysteries. You, Iqbal, are also part of this caravan of desire, of which Rumi is the master. Has he left any message for this era? They say he is the light of the path to freedom.”
Many tourists and faithful Turks from Pakistan visit the city of Konya, and after visiting the mausoleum of Maulana Rumi, they also pay their respects at the symbolic tomb of Allama Iqbal.
