“Words, without power, is mere philosophy”
Sir Muhammed Iqbal, who lived from 1877 to 1938, was a poet, politician, and is a personal role model of mine. Born during the British occupation of India, Iqbal is often considered one of the greatest poets of both his time and region. Writing in both Urdu and Farsi, his works eventually earned him Knighthood. Beyond his poetry, Iqbal is commonly attributed to the revival of Islamic political power in the East, particularly India. Iqbal envisioned a separate, Islamic state located in the northwestern regions of India, dedicating his literary and political career towards his vision.
Iqbal is not a personal role model of mine because of his politics or for the ethnicity we both share, but rather is my role model because he used a strength of his, poetry, to captivate and motivate the hearts of millions of Indian Muslims living in his time. Iqbal, along with Muhammed Ali Jinnah, is considered to be one of the founding fathers of Pakistan, and had success using his literary merit to achieve his goals. The title of my blog was a famous quote from Iqbal. Iqbal realized that at the end of the day, words were just really words, and without power they would be useless. Iqbal gained his power by captivating his followers with his words. His poetry was not just words, they were a political force that shaped the past, present, and future lives of millions of people. Being an Electrical Engineering major who passed out of any English requirements with the AP exam, I do not need to take this class. In fact, I do not like reading and writing. But like Iqbal, I realize that academic merit is often necessary to make an impact in the world. Through this class, I hope to gain the skills that will make my words powerful, not just mere philosophy.
