Muhammad Ikram Chughtai (22 October 1941 – 7 January 2023), also written as M. Ikram Chughtai or Ikram Chagatai, was a Pakistani researcher, translator, historian, and biographer. He conducted research on

Muhammad Husain Azad Muhammad Husain Azad ( — ; 5 May 1830 – 22 January 1910) was an Urdu writer and scholar who wrote both prose and poetry, but is mostly remembered for his prose. His best known work is Aab-e-Hayat ("Elixir of Life").

and

Muhammad Asad Muhammad Asad (born Leopold Weiss; 2 July 1900 – 20 February 1992) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Muslim polymath, born in modern day Ukraine. He worked as a journalist, traveler, writer, List of political theorists, political theori ...

and published several rare and previously unpublished documents, contributing to Urdu research. His work in Iqbal Studies is frequently referenced in academic literature. His research methodologies and findings have been cited in Urdu, English, and other languages.

Early life and education

Muhammad Ikram Chughtai was born in

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

on 22 October 1941. He obtained a master's degree in Urdu from the

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public university, public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South As ...

in 1964. He studied Urdu, English, and history, which became the foundation of his academic and research career.

Career and literary contributions

Early career

Chughtai began his professional journey as a lecturer at the

. He later held the position of Director at the

Urdu Science Board Urdu Science Board (abbreviated as USB) is an academic and literary institution in Pakistan that operates under the National Heritage and Culture Division, Government of Pakistan. It aims to promote scientific and technical knowledge in Urdu lang ...

(formerly known as the Central Urdu Board). Additionally, he worked as a research scholar at the Central Urdu Board, Lahore.

Research on Muhammad Husain Azad

Chughtai conducted research on

and authored key works such as ''Maulana Muhammad Husain Azad: Tanqeed o Tahqeeq Ka Dabistan'', ''Muhammad Husain Azad: Nai Daryaft Shuda Makhaz Ki Roshni Mein'', and ''Mutala-e-Azad''. These works focus on Azad's literary contributions and aspects of his personal life.

Research on Muhammad Asad

Chughtai made significant contributions through his research on

. His notable works include ''Muhammad Asad: Bandah-e-Sahrai'', ''Muhammad Asad: A European Bedouin'', and ''Home Coming of the Heart'', which explore various aspects of Asad's life and intellectual legacy.

Work on Iqbal and other figures

Chughtai conducted extensive research on

Muhammad Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 187721 April 1938) was a South Asian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician. Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

, and

Syed Ahmad Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898), also spelled Sayyid Ahmad Khan, was an Indian Muslim Islamic modernist, reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British Raj, British India. Though initially esp ...

. His book Iqbal, Afghan and Afghanistan explored Iqbal's influence on Afghanistan. He also authored Mutala-e-Azad, focusing on

, compiled the biography of Deputy Nazir Ahmad, and edited various diaries and memoirs concerning the

War of Independence 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

. Additionally, he curated and analyzed the correspondence of

Wajid Ali Shah Mirza Wajid Ali Shah () (30 July 1822 – 1 September 1887) was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856. Wajid Ali Shah's first wife was Alam Ara who was better known a ...

and conducted research on the works of Khwaja Hasan Nizami.

Contributions to Urdu scholarship

Chughtai utilized archival documents such as the Delhi College register and Azad's pension records for his research. He conducted studies in German, French, Persian, and Arabic, which enabled him to access various libraries in Vienna, Berlin, Rome, London, Washington, and Paris. One of his research areas was the early life and academic background of Austrian orientalist Aloys Sprenger. His edited book, ''Shahān-e-Awadh ke Kutubkhane'', is an Urdu translation of Sprenger's ''A Catalogue of the Arabic, Persian and Hindûstâny Manuscripts, of the Libraries of the King of Oudh''. According to Moinuddin Aqeel, Chughtai highlighted the works of three Northern Indian poets—Mail Dehlavi, Figar Dehlavi, and Aadeena Beg Kamil—for the first time. Aqeel also noted Chughtai's contributions to Urdu research.

Lexicographical contributions

In 1976, Chughtai's edited version of S.W. Fallon's English-Urdu Dictionary was published. He also contributed to the compilation of the ''Nau Zubani Lughat'' (), released by the Urdu Science Board, Lahore in 1974.

Lexicographical contributions

Awards and honours

The

Austrian government The Government of Austria () is the executive cabinet of the Republic of Austria. It consists of the chancellor, who is the head of government, the vice chancellor and the ministers. Appointment Since the 1929 reform of the Austrian Co ...

awarded Chughtai the Presidential Gold Medal in 1998 for his research contributions. In 1999, he received the Presidential Iqbal Award for his book ''Goethe, Iqbal and the Orient''. In October 2022, the

Pakistani government The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia ...

approved another Presidential Iqbal Award for his book ''Iqbal aur Germany''. Chughtai died on 7 January 2023, before this award could be formally conferred.

Literary works

Chughtai authored books in Urdu and English, covering various topics. He also translated works from other languages into Urdu. Some of his notable publications include: ;Urdu * ''Shahān-e-Awadh ke Kutubkhāne'' (Libraries of the Kings of Oudh) * ''Āsār al-Bīrūnī'' (Research on the life and contributions of

Al-Biruni Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (; ; 973after 1050), known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously "Father of Comparative Religion", "Father of modern ...

) * ''Iqbal aur Germany'' (

and Germany) * ''Iqbal aur Goethe'' (Iqbal and

) * ''Muhammad Asad: Banda-e-Sahrā’ī'' (

: Man of the Desert) * ''Mutāla-e-Āzād'' (Collected essays on

) * ''Muhammad Husain Azad: Naye Daryāft Shuda Maakhiz ki Roshni Mein'' (Muhammad Husain Azad: Based on Newly Discovered Sources) * ''Ek Nazar Kafi Hai'' (Modern Austrian poetry selection, co-authored with Aslam Kolsari) * ''Figār Dehlvi – Hayat aur Kalam'' (Life and Works of ''Figār Dehlvi'') * ''Husain bin Mansur Hallaj'' (compilation) * ''Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: Fikr-e-Islami ki Tabīr-e-Nau'' (Translation of C.W. Troll's work with Afzal Hussain) * ''Goethe Ba-taur Scientist'' (Goethe as a Scientist) * ''Tārīkh-e-Mashghala'' (Correspondence of Wajid Ali Shah Akhtar with Nawab Abadi Jan Begum, with annotations) * ''Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī: Hayat aur Afkār'' (Life and Ideas of

Rumi Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (), or simply Rumi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century poet, Hanafi '' faqih'' (jurist), Maturidi theologian (''mutakallim''), and Sufi mystic born during the Khwarazmian Empire ...

) * ''Pīr-e-Rūmī wa Murīd-e-Hindī'' (A Comparative Study of Rumi and Iqbal) * ''Iqbal, Afghan aur Afghanistan'' (Iqbal, Afghan, and Afghanistan in Urdu, English, Persian, and Pashto) * ''Ek Duniya Sab ke Liye'' (Urdu translation of a German work) * ''1857: Roznāmche, Mu’āṣir Teḥrīrein'' (

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, '' Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Ja ...

: Diaries and Contemporary Writings) * ''Shāh Walīullāh'' (Biography, works, etc., of

Shah Waliullah Dehlawi Qutb ud-Din Ahmad ibn ʿAbd-ur-Rahim al-ʿUmari ad-Dehlawi (‎; 1703–1762), commonly known as Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (also Shah Wali Allah), was an Islamic Sunni scholar and Sufi reformer, who contributed to Islamic revival in the Indian s ...

) * ''Majmū'a-e-Khwaja Hasan Nizami'' (Collected works of Khwaja Hasan Nizami) * ''Dātā Sāhib: Hayat wa Afkār'' (Biography and contributions of

Ali Hujwiri Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Uthman al-Jullabi al-Hujwiri (; -1072/77), known reverentially as Data Sahib (), was an Islamic scholar and mystic who authored , the earliest treatise on Sufism in the Persian language. Born in the Ghaznavid Empire, al- ...

) * ''Tārīkh-e-Yūsufi al-ma’rūf Ajāibāt-e-Farang'' ;English * ''Iqbal: New Dimensions'' * ''Goethe, Iqbal and the Orient'' (Research on the intellectual parallels between German poet Goethe and Iqbal) * ''Iqbal & Goethe'' * ''Hammer-Purgstall and the Muslim India'' * ''Bibliography of Annemarie Schimmel's Works'' (Comprehensive bibliography of

Annemarie Schimmel Annemarie Schimmel SI HI TCLN (7 April 1922 – 26 January 2003) was an influential German Orientalist and scholar who wrote extensively on Islam, especially Sufism. She was a professor at Harvard University from 1967 to 1992. Early life a ...

's writings) * ''Writings of Dr. Litner'' (the life and achievements of British orientalist

Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner (14 October 1840 – 22 March 1899), also known as Gottlieb William Leitner, was a British orientalist. Early life and education Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner was born in Pest, Hungary, on 14 October 1840 to a Jewish fam ...

) * ''Home Coming of the Heart'' (editing of the part two of '' The Road to Mecca'') * ''Muhammad Asad: A European Bedouin'' * ''Jamal-ud-Din Afghani: A Promoter of Muslim Unity'' * ''Maulana Rumi: Bridge of East and West'' * ''Rumi: In the Light of Western and Eastern Scholarship'' * ''Data Ganj Bakhsh of Lahore'' * ''Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: A Prominent Muslim Politician, and Educationist''

Death

Chughtai died on 7 January 2023 at Shaikh Zayed Hospital,

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. His death was noted by academic and literary circles as a significant loss to Urdu research. Moeen Nizami and other scholars described it as an irreparable loss.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chughtai, Muhammad Ikram 1941 births 2023 deaths Pakistani historians Pakistani biographers Pakistani translators Iqbal scholars Urdu-language writers from Pakistan Muhammad Asad Academic staff of the University of the Punjab Academics from Lahore