Iqbal holds a position of unique importance in the domain of Urdu and Persian poetry. He contributed so much and so immensely to the poetic genre that the very concept of poetry was revolutionized by him. Prior to him poetry was just a medium of expression of personal feelings, personal aesthetic concepts, romantic aspirations and personal imaginative flights into the mysteries of physics and metaphysics. Poetry was then an embodiment of personal ideas in stylistic rendering of language, diction, tone and lyricism. Iqbal contributed to all such elements of poetry and yet did much more. His works occupy a prestigious position in the world literature on account of the depth of observation & reflection, on account of the emphasis on sincerity and truth and on account of the unraveling of the mysteries of life and the ‘self’. But “Masjid-e-Qurtuba”, amongst his works, stands as a dominating and everlasting tribute to poet of the East because of its unlimited popularity and postulaÂted fame. None of his poems was ever given such a warm acceptance and none other leaves so much food for thought for the readers, particularly the Muslim readers, in all ages and all corners of the world.  Thought and style have so masterly been blended together in the said poem that, not to mention Urdu poetry, even the English poetry can hardly boast of any poem of such merits as enjoyed by Masjid-e- Qurtaba.  This poem, dealing with the subtleties of fine-arts, carved Iqbal’s name in the gallery of the greatest and the most-read poets of the world.
It is very difficult to classify this poem in any one of the different fields of learning because it covers so much stock of knowledge pertaining to so many different aspects of scholarly pursuits. This long poem presents the intricacies of philosophy, the salient features of history, the solid realities of the world, the temporarity of existence, the demands of the present, the traditions of the past, the happy auguries about the future and, above all, a message of life full of ecstatic peace, Masjid-e-Qurtuba proves to be a perfect and top-class poem from whatever angle it may be viewed. A smooth and eloquent master-piece, this poem moves forward with the flow of a musical stream which casts a spell on the the reader and takes him along into its wonderful depths.
“Masjid-e-Qurtaba” gets to a start in a very dramatic way. Although the mosque is its central idea, it is not projected abruptly right at the outÂset. Instead of that we find a horrifying picture of “Time” which has been depicted by Iqbal with the skill and surety of a master-painter. The reader is introduced to the concept of the continuity of time and through that introduction is painted the ruthlessness of the Time which devastates everything in its forward movement, leaving nothing intact and everything to shreds in its cruel jaws. In this process of learning about the crude realities of time, we reach a point where horrible and death-foreboding silence prevails.
Iqbal does not want to keep his readers in a state of bewilderment and terror for long. He tells us the means to remain safe from being destroyed by the fatal fangs of the continuity of time. He asserts that it is “love” and love alone which is immune to the changes of time. The reality of love is metropolitan and universal. Its Nature is above death and everything which manifests the element of love becomes immortal. The devastating claws of time can demolish everything except those objects which reflect the power of love ingrained in their essence.
Iqbal is aware of the manifold-utility of love. He knows that everything in the world has to come to an end, but that object is free from degeneration which is the result of the endeavors of a true Muslim because his heart is the centre of true love. It is because the Cardova mosque came into existence by dint of true love, it also stands immortalized, immune to the vagaries of time and age. Iqbal holds true love in high esteem and sings of true love with such great devotion that all the Muses arc made to focus on the glorious point of love.
Iqbal has unraveled an important mystery in this unique poem. He asserts that poetry and architecture, painting and music, all aspects of fine-art assume everlasting characteristics when they come in touch with the ennobling passion of love. When the artist is immersed in the ecstasy of love, he acquires the capability of creating immortal works. Being obsessed with the intensity of love, an artist pours his life-blood into his works and this life-blood glows on the fore-head of his achievements.
The realities of TIME and the philosophy of love have always been consiÂdered as very difficult domains of venture by the philosophers and thinkers, but Iqbal has adopted such a pleasant style and such eloquent diction, that his readers become aware of the meanings without being caught in the thorny-thickets of abstraction and ambiguity and all the mysteries and secrets find a direct transmission to his comprehension. It is, indeed, the great merit of Iqbal that he presents the vast and complex field of ‘continuity of time’ in such a lucid and vivid form.
Iqbal was well-aware of the fact that those who took their conquests deep into the European territories and who established the marks of their greatness there, were true Muslims. Everything which they set their hands upon was taken to the heights of development and refinement. The works of art created by them have become ever lasting monuments of their greatness. Their achievements have been immortalized because of the manifestations of true belief in them. The hearts of those people were illuminated by the light of God and this fact has been recognized by Iqbal in such words as:-
In tutubahe poem, Masjid-e-Qurtuba, we not only find the profundity of thought and philosophy, we also discover the highest values of art. Words have been beautifully and appropriately manipulated in the composition of the poem. Not a single word of the poem is found to be unnecessary or ambiguous.  Every word of the poem occupies its rightful place like  the selected and carefully chosen slabs in the structure of an edifice. Iqbal has structured this poem in the style of a master architect and as the clearer picture of the Cardova mosque goes on being projected before our eyes, the poem goes on covering the stages of development, as if both the mosque and  the poem were inter-dependent and integrated.  This element of unison and cohesion is the proof of the matchless skill of the poet.
We come across numerous examples of unique scenic description in this poem. The words go on revealing the artistic details and our imagination goes under a spell and mentally transports us right to the front of the grandiose structure. The architectural details of the mosque assume a tangible existence through words and the reader is lost in the color and design in a very spiritual way.
A unique amalgamation of conceits, metaphors, romanticism and sentimentality and poesy and realism is found in this poem. This pleasant blend has been achieved in such a marvelous way that a true word picture of the mosque with its characteristics of grandeur, aesthetic appeal and spiritual affiliations takes shape before our inward eyes and the colors of this pen-picture will never lose their sparkle and freshness.
Side by side with the minute description of the greatness of this great piece of architecture, Iqbal offers a message of revolution to the Muslims. It is only through revolution that the Muslims can regain there lost supremacy and greatness. The Muslim nation can climb up to the status of torch-bearers of civilization only through a revolution, a revolution of approach, a revolution of heart, a revolution of spirit and a revolution of mind, because revolution is the essence and motivating force of life.
It is a fact that life without change is nothing but death. As long as Muslims were moved by the desire to change, they retained their vigor to dominate the world and they left behind such glorious monuments of art and civilization, culture and art and thought and literature that their light continues to illuminate the horizons for good and the Cardova mosque is amongst the most valuable among such works.
In the poem “Masjid-e-Qurtuba”, it is the homogeneous blending of thought and art which gives the poem its sublime beauty. The poem holds a prestigious place in world literature and will always be termed as an immortal work.
