Srinagar, July 5 -- In a world where faith is often measured by ritual, not courage, Allama Iqbal takes us back to the heart of Islam, a place where love is defiance and resilience is worship.

Iqbal's poetry is not content with praising from a distance. His devotion to Hazrat Ali [A.S.] is raw, urgent, and deeply personal. In his verses, Ali is not just the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or the fourth caliph of Islam. Ali is the first Muslim, the king of the brave, and, most of all, the gate to the city of love.

But Iqbal's admiration is not for titles. It is for Ali's life, his fierce courage, his unmatched simplicity, his stubborn refusal to be dazzled by the world's empty crowns.

Ali ate barley bread, slept on th...