The artist attracts the problems of the society like an antenna, filters them and transfers them to

the reader. Art is the mirror of society, and the artist holds that mirror unto it. The case of
Muhammed Ikbal and Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the national poets of Pakistan and Turkey
respectively is unique in the world of arts, culture and philosophy. Both defended Islam and their
national values.

It is also interesting to note that Iqbal and Akif exchanged letters and were influenced by each
other's ideas. They fought for the independence of their countries and defended Pan-Islamism.
They voiced not only the problems of Muslims in their own country, but also the problems of
Muslims all over the world. they criticized the laziness of the Muslim world in the face of the
West, and they argued that Muslims should become enlightened, and work and follow theır own
path.

I know you know İkbal’s life and ideas very well. Therefore, now I would like to introduce to
you Turkish poet Mehemt Akif Ersoy. He wrote our national anthem; that’s why he is called
national poet of Turkey. He was born in 1873, just 4 years before Ikbal. Also he died in 1936, 2
years before Ikbal. So they were also quite contemporary. Akif knew eastern and western
cultures very well. He knew Persian and French. He studied in the faculty of agriculture. He
published “Sıratul mustakim” journal. This journal was so important during Turkish
Independence War.

"Some of Muhammad Iqbal's poems, which he wrote as a Muslim poet, are similar to the poems
of Mehmed Akif, they lived in the same age and they wrote poetry for the same purpose."

we should say in Turkey Mehmet Akif was first Muslim who recognized Muhammed
Iqbal’s philosophy and values. First time they sent letters to each other in 1930 when Akif was
in Cairo. Akif's son-in-law Ömer Rıza Doğrul gave a conference "Mevlana and Iqbal" in Konya
and he read the letter Ikbal sent to Akif at that conference.

Iqbal says in his letter: "I love the Turkish nation, modern Turkey very much. One day, I
would like to visit Turkey, especially I want to visit place of Rumi in Konya. I pray that those
blessed lands accept me as a humble disciple of Mevlana. It seems to see a rose garden deep in
my heart. A burning flame is lighting in its middle and I am running towards that fire like
parwana. That fire is the love and affection of Mevlana-i Rumi.”
 Mehmet Önder writes in one of his memories: When we were hosted at Muhammed
Iqbal's house in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1976, Iqbal's younger son, Javid Iqbal, showed us his
father's private library. There was also a copy of Safahat's old editions in the library.

After telling a little about the relations of the two poets with each other, I would like to tell about
their similarities with each other in terms of ideology.

İkbal mind was formed by Indian, Western and Islamic worldviews. Akif mind was based on
Islamic, Western and Turkish culture. İkbal says: “If you want to be heard in the noise of this
world, then only one idea must dominate your soul. Human makes social and political
revolutions with a single idea.” Akif also believes this idea. Both of them believed in the unity of
Islam all their life. they were affected by the plight of the Muslims for a quarter of a century,
they made their own troubles.

KURAN

Some people who were influenced by western culture in Ottoman Turkey also thought Muslim
countries were undeveloped because they were backward looking as they derived their ideologies
from the Kuran and Islam. According to them Islam was not suitable for modern age. That’s
why both poets started to search about Kuranic ideology and defend Islamic civilization. Akif
translated Kuran to other languages.

İkbal takes the inspiration of his political and social ideas from the Islamic texts. he takes
many of the stories in his poems from the Quran. When he wrote his poems he always kept
Kuran next to him.

Iqbal and Akif wanted the Qur'an to be understood and followed by a sincere Muslim.

Iqbal says: "The Qur'an is a book that gives life to people. In its wisdom, there are the
secrets of life's creation." Iqbal sees the former glory of Islam with respect to the Qur'an. In his
poem in "Cevab-ı Şikve" he calls out:

Wo zamanay mein moazziz thay musalman ho kar

Aur tum khawar huay tarik ay Kuran ho kar…

Iqbal and Akif have also sensitively focused on fatalism, which they see as one of the
concepts that have been gradually misinterpreted and removed from its essence. Akif complains
that religion takes on an almost unrecognizable appearance because of those who interpret
destiny and fatalism in accordance with their own understanding. he calls those who cause it "the
shameless" and expresses that this state of fatalism is a black stain on the faces of those who
suffer from fatalism.

Hard work and struggle

Mehmed Akif has turned the work he considers as the basis of national existence, into a
philosophy. Mehmed Akif, who suffered a terrible loss during the disaster of the Balkan War,
explained some of the terrible diseases that afflicted our nation; laziness, apathy, despair,
corruption, ignorance, discord, and moral disorder, and continued to fight for their treatment.

PANISLAMIZM

Both poets have same mind about Pan İslamizm. Acording to Panislamizm, İslam is
available for every political and social need brought about by modernity. İslam can be a guide
for human's view of the world. Islam is universal and can also provide guidance for all areas of
life. Islam is a religion open to modern developments, it easily adapts to the innovations of the
age and commands progress itself. Vahiy and mind both co-exist in Islam. Some traditions got
mixed with Islam later on. That prevented people for understanding Islam correctly. It is
necessary to save Islam from those bad traditions. The West is technologically superior. Muslims
should get this technology too. It is Islam that gives Muslims their national identity. Muslims
should gain their political identity around the bond of religion.

NATIONALISM

The negative consequences of nationalism in history prompted Muhammad Iqbal and he

Iqbal and Akif do not recognize race or region. They live the ideal of the Islamic nation.
He thinks about the past and the situation. It is realistic, not utopian. It expresses lived realities
and provides examples for the renaissance of Muslims. He recognizes Muslims all over the
world as the citizens of one Ummat, fellow citizens and comrades. Because a real Muslim is
interested in every aspect of another Muslim in another part of the world.

They couldn’t meet when toy lived in the world. I hope like Ali Kurucu says they are together
now.