Allama Iqbal was born on 9th November, 1877 in Sialkot. His birth name was Muhammad Iqbal. This was during the time of British India when the nation had not been partitioned. The region of Sialkot now falls in Pakistan. He was a Muslim poet, philosopher, and a politician. He was adept in many languages such as Urdu, Persian and Arabic and became one of the greatest poets of the modern era. He propagated the idea of a separate state for Muslims which was to be the main basis for the creation of Pakistan.