Last Night of Allama Muhammad Iqbal

By: Justice Javed Iqbal (Son of Allama Muhammad Iqbal)

It was the night of 20th April 1938 when everyone, all his followers and friends were gathered around his bed in that curvy room.

I entered his room at around 9pm but he couldn't recognize me and asked who is it?

I replied, Javed.

He laughed and said: Be the actual Javed (Eternal).

Then he asked Chaudhry Muhammad Hussain to make me read that prayer ' Khitab ba Javed ' written at the end of Javed Nama.

Aunty Dauras brought Munira in the room, she sat on his bed and started talking to him. At around 10pm Aunty Dauras came to the room to take her as it was her sleeping time but she said she wanted to talk to father more.

Father smiled and told Aunty Dauras in English to let her stay, as she knows it might be her last night with me.

Munira slept in father's bed and Aunty Dauris carried her away later at night.

There were so many doctors at our place that night and all the people were worried because the doctors had said tonight will be a tough night to spend for father. People were standing in groups of twos and threes muttering between them.

Doctors hadn't told father about this, but it looked like he already had an idea because of the crowd of people who had gathered and he looked more active than the usual days.

Even I wasn't told about it that's why I came to my room and slept at my usual time. I don't know the exact time but it must have been sunrise when Ali Baksh came to my room and woke me up shouted: ' Go look what has happened to your father. '

I wasn't sleepy anymore and was really scared. I got out of my bed thinking maybe father wasn't feeling well. When I came out of my room and entered the other room I saw Munira sitting with her face covered with her hands, she was crying.

When she saw me going towards father's room she stood up, came towards me and held me with both her hands. She was shivering and could barely take a step properly, but still started walking with me.

We reached father's room and stopped just outside the door, I looked inside cautiously. There was no one in the room, the windows were open, and he was lying straight on the bed. A white cloth had covered his body up to his neck, which was moving slowly because of the breeze blowing. His eyes were closed and his face was towards the east. His mustaches were white and his white hair showed signs of black.

We realized, he was dead.