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Muhammad Ikram Chughtai (1941 – January 7, 2023) was a Pakistani researcher, translator, historian, and biographer. He conducted research on Muhammad Husain Azad and Muhammad Asad and published several rare and previously unpublished documents, contributing to Urdu research.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 are widely cited within Urdu scholarship.

Early life and education

Muhammad Ikram Chughtai was born in 1941. He developed an early interest in Urdu, English, and history, which later 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 University of the Punjab. He later held the position of Director at the Urdu Science Board. Additionally, he worked as a research scholar at the Central Urdu Board, Lahore.

Research on Muhammad Husain Azad

Chughtai conducted research on Muhammad Husain Azad 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 Muhammad Asad. 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, Goethe, and Syed Ahmad Khan. His book Iqbal, Afghan and Afghanistan explored Iqbal’s influence on Afghanistan. He also authored Mutala-e-Azad, focusing on Muhammad Husain Azad, compiled the biography of Deputy Nazir Ahmad, and edited various diaries and memoirs concerning the War of Independence 1857. Additionally, he curated and analyzed the correspondence of Wajid Ali Shah and conducted research on the works of 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-Oudh 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.

Awards and honours

The Austrian government recognized Chughtai's research contributions by awarding him the Presidential Gold Medal in 1998, marking the first international acknowledgment of his work. Later, the Pakistani government awarded him the Presidential Iqbal Award for his outstanding book on Muhammad Iqbal. A further Presidential Award was announced for him on March 23, 2023, though he passed away on January 7, 2023, before its conferment.

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 Awadh)
• Āsār al-Bīrūnī (Research on the life and contributions of Al-Biruni)
• Iqbal aur Germany (Iqbal and Germany)
• Iqbal aur Goethe (Iqbal and Goethe)
• Muhammad Asad: Bandah-e-Sahrā’ī (Muhammad Asad: Man of the Desert)
• Muhammad Asad: Aik Europian Badawi (Muhammad Asad: A European Nomad)
• Mutāla-e-Āzād (Collected essays on Muhammad Husain Azad)
• Muhammad Husain Azad: Naye Daryaft 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)
• Fighār Dehlvi – Hayat aur Kalam (Life and Works of Fighar Dehlvi)
• Husayn bin Mansur Hallaj (Compilation)
• Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: Fikr-e-Islami ki Tameer-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)
• 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: Roznamche, Mu’āṣir Teḥrīrain (1857: Diaries and Contemporary Writings)
• Shāh Walīullāh (Biography, works, etc., of Shah Waliullah)
• Majmua Khwaja Hasan Nizami (Collected works of Hasan Nizami)
• Dātā Sāhib: Hayat wa Afkār (Biography and contributions of Ali Hujwiri)
• Tārīkh-e-Yūsufi al-ma’rūf Ajāibāt-e-Farang (History of Yusuf, also known as Wonders of the West)

English

• Iqbal: New Dimensions
• Goethe, Iqbal and the Orient (Research on the intellectual parallels between German poet Goethe and Iqbal)
• Iqbal & Goethe
• Homer Purgstall and the Muslim India
• Bibliography of Annemarie Schimmel's Works (Comprehensive bibliography of Annemarie Schimmel's writings)
• Writings of Dr. Litner (Biography and contributions of British orientalist Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner)
• Home Coming of the Heart
• 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

Death

Chughtai died on 7 January 2023 at Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore. 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

1. ^ "Column: Two Iqbals and Nöldeke". Dawn (newspaper). 2010-03-14. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
2. "The Austrian who held Pakistan's first passport — and helped seal ties with Saudi Arabia". Arab News. 14 August 2020. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
3. Hussain, Intizar (26 July 2015). "Column: An enlightened citizen". Dawn. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
4. Anjum, Zafar (29 May 2015). "Politics or not, Mamata's celebration of Allama Iqbal will at least dispel the myths around him". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
5. Waqas, Arif (7 February 2006). "The Need for New Urdu Grammar". BBC Urdu (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 10 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
6. Munir, Tayyab (March 2007). Khutoot-e-Mushfiq (Letters of Mushfiq Khwaja to Dr. Tayyab Munir) (in Urdu). Islamabad: Poorab Academy. p. 60. ISBN 969-8917-24-1.
7. ^ Mughal, Fauzia (27 January 2023). "Muhammad Ikram Chughtai". Tarjeehat: Online Research Journal (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
8. Al-Ghani, Abdul (June 1982). Faiz-e-Bedil (in Urdu) (First ed.). Lahore: Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Director, Majlis-e-Taraqqi-e-Adab. p. 9.
9. ^ Ahmad, Uzair; Ashraf, Dr. Khan Muhammad; Mayo, Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman (30 September 2023). "Urdu mein Azad Shanasi ki Riwāyat aur Ikram Chughtai" [The tradition of Azad studies in Urdu and Ikram Chughtai]. Jahan-e-Tahqeeq. 6 (3): 23–29.
10. ^ Jafri et al. 2000, pp. 93–94. sfn error: no target: CITEREFJafriAaliKhawajaSuhail2000 (help)
11. ^ Haq, Muhammad Izhar-ul (10 January 2023). "Ikram Chughtai Sahib". Daily Dunya (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
12. ^ "Online Lecture Series 2nd lecture "Iqbal aur Germany" by Muhammad Ikram Chughtai (Presidential Iqbal Award holder)". Iqbal Academy Pakistan. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
13. ^ Jafri et al. 2000, p. 93. sfn error: no target: CITEREFJafriAaliKhawajaSuhail2000 (help)
14. Jalili, Abu Saadat. Sadullah Maseehi aur Farsi Ramayan Maseehi (in Urdu). Patna: Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library. pp. 4, 286.
15. Malik, Jamal (2000). Perspectives of Mutual Encounters in South Asian History: 1760 - 1860. BRILL. p. 201. ISBN 978-90-04-11802-7.
16. Aqeel, Moinuddin (1987). Pakistan Mein Urdu Tahqeeq: Mauzuat aur Meyar (in Urdu). Karachi: Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu, Pakistan. pp. 36–37.
17. Aqeel, Moinuddin (1995). Pakistan Mein Urdu Adab: Tehreekat aur Rujhanat ka Tashkeeli Daur (in Urdu) (1st ed.). Karachi: Maulana Azad Research Institute. p. 75.
18. Jafri, Ada; Aali, Jamiluddin; Khawaja, Mushfiq, eds. (November 2000). "Renowned Scholar Muhammad Ikram Chughtai Honored". Qaumi Zaban (in Urdu). 72 (11). Karachi: 94 – via Rekhta (website).
19. "President of Pakistan Honorable Dr. Arif Alvi approved the National Presidential Iqbal Awards (Urdu) for the year 2020". Heritage Pakistan. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
20. "Iqbal Presidential Awards approved for Muhammad Ikram Chughtai, Dr. Abdul Khaliq, and Ghaus Bakhsh". Daily Jang (in Urdu). 14 October 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
21. Chughtai, Muhammad Ikram (2004). "Maasir Tehqeeq ka Manzar Nama aur Muhammad Ikram Chughtai (Dr. Saleem Akhtar)". Muhammad Husain Azad: Naye Daryaft Shuda Maakhiz ki Roshni Mein. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications. pp. 13–14. ISBN 969-35-1661-3.
22. "Details for: Ās̲ār-i al-Bīrūnī : آثار البیرونی / › kalapan catalog". 182.180.118.29. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
23. Sadeed, Anwar (1989). Naye Jaiyzay (1978–1988) (in Urdu). West Pakistan Urdu Academy. p. 189.
24. "Data Sahib". Retrieved 10 January 2025.
25. Richards, A.; Omidi, I. (2015). Historic Engagements with Occidental Cultures, Religions, Powers. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-40502-9.
26. "When teaching power of mother was lost". Dawn. 5 September 2011. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
27. Chughtai, Muhammad Ikram, ed. (2019). Data Ganj Bakhsh of Lahore: biography, shrine, kashf ul-mahjub = Dargāh ḥaz̤rat Dātā Bak̲h̲sh. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications. ISBN 978-969-35-3241-8.
28. "Book Detail :: Library Online 2.0". State Bank of Pakistan Library. Archived from the original on 2025-01-10. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
29. "Muhammad Ikram Chughtai: The Quiet Death of a Great Man". Roznama Jurat (in Urdu). 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.

• 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