Allama Muhammad Iqbal and His Theories: Malik Ahmer Shamim

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ALLAMA MUHAMMAD IQBAL AND

HIS THEORIES

Malik Ahmer Shamim


Malik Ahmer Shamim

Allama Muhammad Iqbal(1877-1938)


Allama Sir Muhammad Iqbal was a poet, philosopher and politician born in Sialkot,
British India (now in Pakistan), whose poetry in Urdu, Arabic and Persian is considered
to be among the greatest of the modern era and whose vision of an independent state for
the Muslims of British India was to inspire the creation of Pakistan. He is commonly
referred to as Allama Iqbal, Allama meaning "Scholar". Iqbal was a strong proponent of
the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilisation across the world, but specifically
in India; a series of famous lectures he delivered to this effect were published as The
Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam. One of the most prominent leaders of the
All India Muslim League, Iqbal encouraged the creation of a "state in northwestern India
for Indian Muslims" in his 1930 presidential address. Iqbal encouraged and worked
closely with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and he is known as Muffakir-e-Pakistan ("The
Thinker of Pakistan"), Shair-e-Mashriq ("The Poet of the East"), and Hakeem-ul-Ummat
("The Sage of Ummah"). He is officially recognized as the "national poet" in Pakistan

Early life
Allama Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot, Punjab, British India (now part of
Pakistan); the eldest of five siblings in a Kashmiri family. Iqbal's father Shaikh Nur
Muhammad was a prosperous tailor, well-known for his devotion to Islam, and the
family raised their children with deep religious grounding.

Iqbal was educated initially by tutors in languages and writing, history, poetry and
religion. His potential as a poet and writer was recognized by one of his tutors, Syed Mir
Hassan, and Iqbal would continue to study under him at the Scotch Mission College in
Sialkot. The student became proficient in several languages and the skill of writing prose
and poetry, and graduated in 1897. Following custom, at the age of 15 Iqbal's family
arranged for him to be married to Karim Bibi, the daughter of an affluent Gujrati
physician. The couple had two children: a daughter, Mi'raj Begam (born 1895) and a son,
Aftab (born 1899). Iqbal's third son died soon after birth. The husband and wife were
unhappy in their marriage and eventually divorced in 1916.
Iqbal entered the Government College in Lahore where he studied philosophy, English
literature and Arabic and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating cum laude. He
won a gold medal for topping his examination in philosophy. While studying for his
masters’ degree, Iqbal came under the wing of Sir Thomas Arnold, a scholar of Islam and
modern philosophy at the college. Arnold exposed the young man to Western culture and
ideas, and served as a bridge for Iqbal between the ideas of East and West. Iqbal was
appointed to a readership in Arabic at the Oriental College in Lahore, and he published
his first book in Urdu, The Knowledge of Economics in 1903. In 1905 Iqbal published the
patriotic song, Tarana-e-Hind (Song of India).
At Sir Thomas's encouragement, Iqbal traveled to and spend many years studying in
Europe. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College at Cambridge in
1907, while simultaneously studying law at Lincoln's Inn, from where he qualified as a
barrister in 1908. In Europe, he started writing his poetry in Persian as well.
Throughout his life, Iqbal would prefer writing in Persian as he believed it allowed him

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to fully express philosophical concepts, and it gave him a wider audience. It was while in
England that he first participated in politics. Following the formation of the All-India
Muslim League in 1906, Iqbal was elected to the executive committee of its British
chapter in 1908. Together with two other politicians, Syed Hassan Bilgrami and Syed
Ameer Ali, Iqbal sat on the subcommittee which drafted the constitution of the League.
In 1907, Iqbal traveled to Germany to pursue a doctorate from the Faculty of Philosophy
of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität at Munich. Working under the supervision of
Friedrich Hommel, Iqbal published a thesis titled: The Development of Metaphysics in
Persia.

Literary career

Upon his return to India in 1908, Iqbal took up assistant professorship at the Government
College in Lahore, but for financial reasons he relinquished it within a year to practice
law. During this period, Iqbal's personal life was in turmoil. He divorced Karim Bibi in
1916, but provided financial support to her and their children for the rest of his life.
While maintaining his legal practice, Iqbal began concentrating on spiritual and religious
subjects, and publishing poetry and literary works. He became active in the Anjuman-e-
Himayat-e-Islam, a congress of Muslim intellectuals, writers and poets as well as
politicians and in 1919 became the general secretary of the organization. Iqbal's thoughts
in his work primarily focused on the spiritual direction and development of human
society, centered on experiences from his travel and stay in Western Europe and the
Middle East. He was profoundly influenced by Western philosophers such as Friedrich
Nietzsche, Henri Bergson and Goethe, and soon became a strong critic of Western
society's separation of religion from state and what he perceived as its obsession with
materialist pursuits.
The poetry and philosophy of Mawlana Rumi bore the deepest influence on Iqbal's mind.
Deeply grounded in religion since childhood, Iqbal would begin intensely concentrating
on the study of Islam, the culture and history of Islamic civilization and its political future,
and embrace Rumi as "his guide." Iqbal would feature Rumi in the role of a guide in many
of his poems, and his works focused on reminding his readers of the past glories of Islamic
civilization, and delivering a message of a pure, spiritual focus on Islam as a source for
socio-political liberation and greatness. Iqbal denounced political divisions within and
amongst Muslim nations, and frequently alluded to and spoke in terms of the global
Muslim community, or the Ummah
Political career
While dividing his time between law and poetry, Iqbal had remained active in the Muslim
League. He supported Indian involvement in World War I, as well as the Khilafat
movement and remained in close touch with Muslim political leaders such as Maulana
Mohammad Aliand Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He was a critic of the mainstream Indian
National Congress, which he regarded as dominated by Hindus and was disappointed
with the League when during the 1920s, it was absorbed in factional divides between the
pro-British group led by Sir Muhammad Shafi and the centrist group led by Jinnah.In
November 1926, with the encouragement of friends and supporters, Iqbal contested for a
seat in the Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Muslim district of Lahore, and defeated

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his opponent by a margin of 3,177 votes. He supported the constitutional proposals


presented by Jinnah with the aim of guaranteeing Muslim political rights and influence
in a coalition with the Congress, and worked with the Aga Khan and other Muslim leaders
to mend the factional divisions and achieve unity in the Muslim League

Works in Persian
Iqbal's poetic works are written mostly in Persian rather. Among his 12,000 verses of
poem, about 7,000 verses are in Persian. In 1915, he published his first collection of
poetry, the Asrar-e-Khudi (Secrets of the Self) in Persian. The poems delve into concepts
of ego and emphasize the spirit and self from a religious, spiritual perspective. Many
critics have called this Iqbal's finest poetic work. In Asrar-e-Khudi, Iqbal has explained
his philosophy of "Khudi," or "Self." He proves by various means that the whole universe
obeys the will of the "Self." Iqbal condemns self-destruction. For him the aim of life is self-
realization and self-knowledge. He charts the stages through which the "Self" has to pass
before finally arriving at its point of perfection, enabling the knower of the "Self" to
become the viceregent of Allah.Also in Persian and published in 1917, this group of poems
has as its main themes the ideal community, Islamic ethical and social principles and the
relationship between the individualand society. Although he is true throughout to Islam,
Iqbal recognises also the positive analogous aspects of other religions.

Death

In 1933, after returning from a trip to Spain and Afghanistan, Iqbal's health
deteriorated. He spent his final years working to establish the Idara Dar-ul-Islam, an
institution where studies in classical Islam and contemporary social science would be
subsidized, and advocating the demand for an independent Muslim state. Iqbal ceased
practicing law in 1934 and he was granted pension by the Nawab of Bhopal. After
suffering for months from a series of protracted illnesses, Iqbal died in Lahore in 1938.
His tomb is located in the space between the entrance of the Badshahi Mosque and the
Lahore Fort.

Concept of khoodi/Ego

The concept of khudi are the higher self is synonymous with Allamah Iqbal, who was the
greatest philosopher poet of the modern era. His stature and visionary outlook being
perceived to behead and shoulder above the times that he and his contemporizes lived in
infect, the greatest tribute to his stature among poets is that even to this day, poets,
academicians, researches and scholars of Urdu, Persian, poetry and philosophy the
world over simply can not but approach his works except with the deepest of awe and
admiration at the depth of his thoughts
Asrar-e-Khudi
.1In 1915, he published his collection of poetry, the Asrar-e-Khudi (secrets of the self) in
Persian. The points emphasise the spirit and self from a religious, spiritual

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perspective. Many critics have called this Iqbal’s finest poetic work. In Asrar-e-Khudi,
Iqbal has explained his philosophy of “Khudi” or “Self”.
Meaning
Iqbal’s use of term “Khudi” is synonymous with the world of “Ruh” as mentioned in the
Qur’an. “Ruh” is that divine spark which is present in every human being and was
present in Adam for which God ordered all the angels to prostrate in front of
Adam. However one has to make a great journey of transformation to realize that divine
spark which Iqbal calls “Khudi”. A similitude of this journey could be understood by the
relationship of fragrance and seed.
Example of seed
Every seed has the potential for fragrance with in it. But to reach its fragrance the seed
must go through all the different changes and stages. First breaking out of its
shell. Then breaking the ground to come into the light developing roots at the same
time. Then fighting against the elements to develop leaves and flowers. Finally reaching
its pinnacle by attaining the fragrance that was hidden with in it. Same way to reach
one’s ‘Khudi’ or ‘ruh’ one needs to go through multiple stages which Iqbal himself went
through and encourages other to travel this spiritual path. Like not all seeds reach the
level of fragrance, many die along the way incomplete. Same way only few people could
climb this mount Everest of spiritually, most get consumed along the way by mentalism.
He charts the stage through which the “self” has to pass before finally arriving at its
point of perfection, enabling the knower of “self” to become the vicegerent of Allah on
earth. Iqbal beliefs the answers to essential questions regarding the Ego or important
in determining morality for both the society and the individual.
Universal principal
Iqbal presents his concept of Khudi as a universal cosmic principle which primarily
works as an individuating principle responsible for providing each unit of creation a
particular station or a unique position in the cosmos. He conceptualizes it as a principle
of self-assertion, self-manifestation, self-realization, self-completion or self-
development. Yet, Iqbal views Khudi as something mysterious. Its nature is generally
hidden from us and so in most cases we cannot understand it.

Theory of Ummah
Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) belonged to the age of early twentieth century. He
had a profound insight into the holy Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad and
had delved deep into the Western thought. His Islamic knowledge and his study of
philosophy in the West equipped him with a good access to the sources of both Islam and
Western modernism. His approach to Islam is thus on broader basis than that of the
traditional theologians and the Western educated Muslims. Iqbal’s later poetry
particularly poetical works in Persian and the lectures, entitled “The Reconstruction of
Religious Thought in Islam” testifies to his objective and dynamics. Keeping this in view,

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this paper discusses the Social Philosophy of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, with a special
focus on
Iqbal’s Views on the Concept of Ummah
The term Ummah, frequently interpreted as “Muslim community”, designates a basic
concept in Islam. The Qur’anic concept of Ummah, occurring sixty four times in Quran,
mostly designates a people to whom a Prophet was sent by God or a people who are objects
of a divine plan of salvation. According to these analyses, the term Ummah refers to a
single group sharing commonly religious orientation.1 As Community is generally defined
as a group of people organized together in a space-time, so the Islamic community is one
where its members share Islamic principles and duties in common. It is different from
‘nationality’ in the western sense of the term because it is against the territorial
boundaries.2 his views on Ummah and Islamic Society.
Unity of ummah
Iqbal believes in the universality of the Ummah (Muslim community) and is of the view
that the body and soul of the Ummah are composed of a belief in the unity of God, and
this very unity is the basis of the affinity of thought among Muslims. In similar manner
Risalat (Prophethood) creates a spirit of oneness among the Muslims. It is because the
Muslims received the message of God and the mission of life through the Prophet. In the
view of Iqbal the commonness and solidarity of the Muslim. Ummah depends on
Prophethood and that millions of Believers are joined together into one religion because
of the Prophet. The whole Muslim Ummah draws inspiration from him.7
The main result of Tawhid and Risalat is that the Ummah is not circumscribed by
territorial limitations. A Muslim does not belong to India, Rome, or Syria. His destiny is
Islam; in other words, the Ummah demands unity of hearts and belief rather than that of
race or territory.8
This shows that Iqbal’s concept of Ummah is a universal community of Believers, crossing
all barriers of caste, colour, race, nationality and territory.
According to Iqbal, the community is an entity whose functions and activities are
motivated by power and a spirit of triumph. The unity acquired through the emergence of
several individuals gives the community a unique personality of its own.9 Iqbal’s theory
of Ummah owes much to his concept of ego (self). Ego to Iqbal is the awareness of the
individual about his own position and potentialities.10 According to him, a nation also
has its Ego, which has all the attributes of the individual Ego. Vigour, force, power,
determination, will to rise and move forward, and courage to fight, are the characteristics
of the collective Ego of the community. Iqbal has drawn a graphic picture of the Muslim
community in his famous poem entitled Shikwa (Complaint). In this poem he states that
the Muslim Ummah at the time when it was endowed with a sense of purpose and spirit
of triumph, during this period, though small in number, the Muslims fought with power
and vigour to spread the message of God. They never hesitated to shed their blood
provided the cause was righteous and the mission devoid of all ulterior motives.11
Iqbal put forward ideals and the principles of Muslim Ummah with full efficacy in his
poetical and prose works. In the eye of Iqbal, Tawhid (oneness of God), Risalah
(prophethood) and Akhuwah (brotherhood) are the foundational principles of Muslim
ummah.

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Regarding Tawhid, Iqbal means stickness to the belief in one God (Allah), single value,
single truth and moving forward to this single Divine goal. Tawhid, states Iqbal, is the
fundamental principle that unites Muslims in a single community where they can have a
proper and full expression of their divinely conscious life.
According to Iqbal, Tawhid is the basic and fundamental principle that unites the entire
Islamic world. Iqbal’s second basic guiding principle of Muslim ummah is Risalah
(Prophethood). Iqbal had a firm conviction in Risalah.14 Iqbal views that it is an
important duty to illustrate the truth and the validity of prophethood and its finality in
the raising of Prophet Muhammad.15 Iqbal was against the materialistic ideals of the
secular community, based on country, race and language and stands for Tawhid preached
by Prophet Muhammad and considers it the solid and valid fabric of Islamic
community.16
Iqbal considers the basis of Muslim Ummah in the adherence to Prophet Muhammad by
stating:
“The essential difference between the Muslim community and other communities of the
world consists in our peculiar conception of nationality. It is not the unity of language or
country or the identity of economic interest that constitutes the basic principle of our
nationality. It is because we all believe in a certain view of the universe, and participate in
the same historical tradition that we are members of the society founded by the Prophet
of Islam. Islam abhors all material limitations, and bases its nationality on a purely
abstract idea, objectified in a potentially expansive group of concrete personalities. It is
not dependent for its life principle on the character and genuine of a particular people, in
its essence it is non-temporal, non-spatial”.
Conclusion
Iqbal was a firm believer in religion without which the social system cannot work
properly. That is why he focussed his efforts on the revival of Islam and the protection of
Islamic society. He believed Islam to be the most valuable contribution to world thought.
Islamic society has a permanent element in its structure of thought, such as the unity of
God, the finality of Prophethood, the sharia’t, the Islamic code of law and Akhuwah,
(Brotherhood). To Iqbal, the stable character of a society directly depends upon the
essential regard for the ultimate realities that govern life. From the above assessment of
Iqbal’s views it can be said that Iqbal defines Tawhid, Risalah, and Akhuwah as the
foundational and basic principles of Ummah (Muslim community). For him, if a
community deviates from any of these principles, it will deviate from the actual goals.
Thus, Iqbal was the most dynamic scholar-philosopher of the twentieth century, who gave many
valuable ideas and vehemently emphasized that Muslims should hold fast to the teachings of the Qur’an
in order to progress in life

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