served for three years (1926–29). A close ally of
mUhammad ali Jinnah (d. 1948), he became presi-
dent of the all-india mUslim leagUe in 1930.
From this post, he moved from previous ideas
about the coexistence of Islam and Hinduism in
India and began to advocate the idea of establish-
ing an independent Muslim state to be carved out
of Indian territory. For this idea, he is known as
the “thinker of Pakistan” (mufakkir-i Pakistan).
Inspired by the reformist legacy of the aligarh
movement, he also called for a “reconstruction” of
Islamic thought, and the majority of his writing,
including his poetry, was to this end. Although
Iqbal opposed the secular nationalism of Europe,
he believed that the formation of an independent
state on the Indian subcontinent would somewhat
reverse the disasters faced by the Muslims in the
early years of the 20th century, including the fall
of the Ottoman caliphate. Iqbal did not live to see
the realization of his dream, as he passed away in
- His tomb is located in Lahore, Pakistan.
See also hindUism and islam; reneWal and
reForm movements.
J. Gordon MeltonFurther reading: Muhammad Iqbal, The Reconstruc-
tion of Religious Thought in Islam (Lahore: Institute of
Islamic Culture, 1986); ———, Tulip in the Desert: A
Selection of the Poetry of Muhammad Iqbal (Montreal:
McGill-Queens University Press, 1999); Annemarie
Schimmel, Gabriel’s Wing: A Study into the Religious
Ideas of Sir Muhammad Iqbal (Pakistan: Muhammad
Suheyl Umar, 2000); Dieter Taillieu, Francis Laleman,
and Winand M. Callewaert, Descriptive Bibliography
of Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938) (Brussels:
Peeters, 2000).
Iran (Official Name: Islamic Republic of
Iran, formerly Persia)
Located in southwest Asia (the Middle East), Iran,
comparable in size to the state of Alaska, covers an
area of 628,000 square miles. Deserts constitute a
large portion of this area, and two major mountain
ranges, Alburz and Zagros, cover about 50 percent
of the entire land. The Caspian Sea in the north,
Persian Gulf in the south, and more than a dozen
major rivers throughout the country are its main
water resources. Iran shares borders in the north
with the Republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Turkmenistan; in the east with aFghanistan and
pakistan; and in the west with iraq and tUrkey.
Its capital city is Tehran, near the Caspian Sea in
the north.
Iran’s population is estimated at 65.8 million
(2008 est.), with an equal divide between men
and women. Persians make up 51 percent of
the population. Azeris, a Turkic people, are the
largest non-Persian minority and constitute 24
percent of the population. They are followed by
the Gilaki and Mazandaranis (8 percent), Kurds
(7 percent), Arabs (3 percent), Lurs (2 percent),
Baluchis (2 percent), and Turkmen (2 percent).
Iran is a multiethnic and multireligious country
with an 89 percent Shii Muslim majority. Sunni
Muslims make up 9 percent of the population,
mostly Baluchis and Kurds. The remaining 2 per-
cent are Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Bahai.
The major language spoken is Persian (Farsi), an
Indo-European language.
Iran is an ancient country with more than
2,500 years of recorded history. The Greeks called
it Persia after the southwestern region Fars, which
was the home of the founders of the Achaeme-
nian dynasty (559–330 b.c.e.). The Achaemenians
established a powerful and sophisticated Persian
empire in the ancient world. The Sassanian dynasty
(224–651 c.e.) was the last Persian empire before
the Muslim Arab conquest that began in 637 and
was finalized by 651. Within two centuries of the
conquest, Islam had largely replaced Zoroastrian-
ism, which had been the ancient religion of Persia
and the official religion of the Sassanian Empire.
Iran remained mostly Sunni until the coming of
the saFavid dynasty (1501–1722), which patron-
ized tWelve-imam shiism and made it the official
religion of the state. In the 19th century, BritainK 362 Iran