Famous Pakistani Philosophers

Islamic scholar and philosopher Abul A'la Maududi was born into an elite Aurangabad family. He grew up to be fundamentalist who believed Islam should be free of Western influences and launched the Jamaʿat-i Islami. Though an important figure in Pakistani politics, he was also imprisoned for a while for opposing the government.

Muhammad Iqbal was a Scholar, poet, and politician. Born in British India (present-day Pakistan), Iqbal's poetry in Persian and Urdu languages is regarded as one of the greatest of the modern era. Also an influential politician, Muhammad Iqbal's vision of an independent Muslim state helped inspire the creation of Pakistan where he is recognized as the national poet.

Jon Elia was a poet, biographer, philosopher, and scholar. Best remembered for his unconventional ways, Elia is widely regarded as one of the most important modern Urdu poets. Apart from writing in Urdu, Jon Elia was also fluent in several other languages including Sanskrit, Hebrew, English, and Persian.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi is a Pakistani Muslim theologian, Islamic modernist, Quran scholar, and educationist. He is also the founding president of the Islamic research institute Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences and its sister organization Danish Sara. Currently, he is the principal research fellow of the Ghamidi Center of Islamic Learning in the United States.  

Javid Iqbal was a Pakistani philosopher whose publications on modern Islamic philosophy and the philosophy of law in national and international journals earned international acclaim. Javid Iqbal also served as the Lahore High Court's Chief Justice from 1982 to 1986. From 1986 to 1989, he served as the Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

A prominent Pakistani spiritual leader, Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi pioneered movements such as RAGS International, later renamed the Messiah Foundation International. He also penned numerous books, such as Deen-e-Ilahi, or The Religion of God, and Taryaq e Qalb, the latter being a book on Sufi poems.

Meher Ali Shah was a Sufi scholar best remembered as the leader of the anti-Ahmadiyya movement. A prolific writer, Shah's Saif e Chishtiyai which criticizes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's Ahmadiyya movement is counted among his best known literary works. In its Sufi saint series in 2013, Pakistan Post released a commemorative postage stamp to pay tribute to Meher Ali Shah.

Vasubandhu was an Indian Buddhist scholar and monk from Gandhara. A co-founder of the Yogachara school, Vasubandhu is also counted among the Seventeen Nalanda Masters for his contribution to Nalanda university. His commentary on the Abhidharma is widely used in East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism as the most important source for non-Mahayana Abhidharma philosophy.

Israr Ahmed was a Pakistani philosopher, Islamic theologian, and Islamic scholar. He is credited with founding an influential Islamic organization called Tanzeem-e-Islami, which has attracted followers from North America, Western Europe, and Middle East. Many of his books have been translated into various other languages. In 1981, Israr Ahmed was honored with the prestigious Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan.

Talib Jauhari was a Pakistani poet, Islamic scholar, historian, and philosopher. Best remembered for his association with the Shia sect of Islam, Jauhari is widely regarded as the most important Shia scholar. Talib Jauhari's contributions earned him the prestigious Sitara-i-Imtiaz from the Government of Pakistan.