The Mosque of Cordoba
Indian Muslim Poet and Philosopher, Allama Iqbal visited ‘what was’ the Córdoba Mosque in 1931-32 (now a cathedral), and he was blown away by its magnificence. It evoked for him strong emotions as he saw it as a landmark of Islam.
He was inspired to write the poem ‘Masjid-i-Qurtaba (the Mosque of Cordoba).
Iqbal was a pan-Islamist and felt a connection to all Muslims and Islamic history (totally relate!).
“The Muslim hero can never be erased, for his prayer -calls the secret of Moses and Abraham are revealed. His land is without borders, his horizon is without bounds; the waves of his sea are the Tigris, the Danube, the Nile.“
In this poem, he describes the mosque in emotive terms, and takes pride in its beauty as a reflection of the greatness of Andalusia- under the rule of Muslims for almost 800 years.
He believes that the legacy of the Muslims still lives on in the face of the Spanish people (e.g Muslim DNA).
“Because of whose blood to this very day the Spanish are happy-hearted, warm in their welcome, simple and radiant.“
He believes that the Muslim people are in turmoil due to various things happening across the world including colonialism, and he calls for a revolution and reawakening (a common theme in Iqbal’s poem).
He believes the Islamic world must revive itself with the beauty and zeal of the past.
It’s a beautiful poem - especially in its entirety.
