We took turns watching over him and soothing his pain by sponging him with cool water. we could see that iqbal would recover quickly, to our nightly visits, the food, the water, and those oranges that alì had stolen from the garden for him. "brother," said salman one morning when iqbal finally returned to work, "you were really strong. nobody has ever had the courage to do something like that to hussain khan. do you realize how angry he still is about the carpet? iqbal is best characterized in this excerpt when the author uses the actions of iqbal to show that he is injured by the other boys. thoughts of iqbal to show that he is angry with the other boys. words of others to show that iqbal is foolish. actions of others to show that iqbal is respected.