Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which languages did Muhammad Iqbal use for his poetry?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Muhammad Iqbal, a renowned poet and philosopher, primarily composed his poetry in two languages: Urdu and Persian.1

While he is celebrated as the greatest 20th-century poet in the Urdu language, he also wrote extensively in Persian. Iqbal chose to write in Persian specifically to address his message to the entire Muslim world, including audiences in Afghanistan and Iran, rather than limiting his reach to the Indian subcontinent. His posthumous collection, Armaghān-e Hijāz, notably features verses in both languages.12