Ayub Sabir

Muhammad Ayub Sabir was a Pakistani writer and academic better known as a scholar of Muhammad Iqbal. He was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Iqbal award and Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan for his literary works.

He died on 17 November 2022 in Islamabad.

Early life and education Sabir was born on 2 January 1940 in Haripur, NWFP, British India (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). He had thirty-two years (1963 to 1995) including sixteen years of teaching of post-graduate level at Government Post Graduate College Abbottabad and Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He served as the head of the department of Iqbal Studies at Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad from 2006 to 2008 and as chairman of the Department of Urdu at Government Post Graduate College Abbottabad from 1981 to 1986. He traveled to the United Kingdom for the study and research on Iqbal. He attended and been invited to many conferences in India.

Books His published books include:

Iqbal studies

Iqbal Ki Shakhsiyat Par Etrazāt Ka Jaiza (Critique of Objections to Iqbal's Personality) – 2003 A rebuttal of critical claims against Allama Iqbal’s personality and ideas, based on scholarly review.

Iqbal Dushmani: Ek Mutālā (Hostility Towards Iqbal: A Study) – 1993 (rev. ed. 2022) Analyzes ideological and political opposition to Allama Iqbal, detailing the motives and arguments of his critics.

Allāmah Iqbal Ka Tasawwur‑e‑Ijtihād (Allama Iqbal’s Concept of Ijtihad) – 2008 Discusses Iqbal’s approach to Islamic jurisprudence and renewal through independent reasoning (ijtihad).

Mū’atrizeen‑e‑Iqbal (The Critics of Iqbal) – 2004 A critical study of intellectual opposition to Iqbal, engaging with contemporary and historical critiques.

Iqbal Ka Urdu Kalām (Iqbal’s Urdu Works) – 2008 Explores Iqbal’s contributions to Urdu poetry and prose, highlighting his linguistic and thematic mastery.

Language and sociolinguistic studies

Āzād Kashmir Mein Nifāz‑e‑Urdu (Implementation of Urdu in Azad Kashmir) – 1984 A sociolinguistic study of Urdu’s institutional role in the Azad Kashmir's education and administration.

Pakistan Mein Urdu Ke Taraqqiyātī Idāre (Institutions Promoting Urdu in Pakistan) – 1985 Documents the evolution and function of Urdu-promoting institutions in Pakistan.

Literary surveys of the Hazara region

Adabistān‑e‑Hazāra (The Literary Culture of Hazara) – 1989 A regional survey of Hazara’s literary heritage, with focus on Urdu and Pashto literary trends.

Abbottābād Ke Ghazal‑go Shuarā (Ghazal Poets of Abbottabad) – 2000 An anthology edited by Sabir compiling Urdu ghazals of regional poets from Abbottabad.

Editorial and historical works

Intikhāb‑i‑Khatūt‑e‑G̲h̲ālib (Selected Letters of Ghalib) – c.1998 Annotated selection of letters written by Ghalib, edited and introduced by Ayub Sabir.

Urdu Ki Ibtidā Ke Bāre Mein Muḥaqqiqīn Ke Nazariyāt (Scholarly Theories on the Origins of Urdu) – c.2000 A historiographical analysis of scholarly views on the development and early history of Urdu.