Munshi Fazal Elahi Margoob Raqam

The First Calligrapher of Iqbal's Poetry

Abstract

In the 20th century Lahore was the nucleus of Islamic calligraphy. A number of calligraphers of Punjab contributed for the development of art of calligraphy in Lahore. During the same era, Allama Iqbal earned a title: “Poet of the East”. He was in search of a skilled calligrapher for scribing his poetry for publication. Finally, he selected Munshi Fazal Elahi Margoob Raqam for the Calligraphy of his book Asrar-e-Khudi, the first edition of which was published in 1915. It is preserved in the collection of Allama Iqbal Museum, Lahore. In the present study, the contribution of Munshi Fazal Elahi Margoob Raqam is being highlighted with the special reference of the Calligraphy of the Allama Iqbal’s poetic works published by Margoob Agency Lahore.