THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 'ALLÿMAH IQBÿL

1. Early Influences- In the environment of ‘All«mah Iqb«l four men stand out prominently in shaping his personality in his formative years. These are Saiyyid Mâr Hasan⁵ , the oriental scholar at Sialkot, Sir Thomas Arnold⁶ , the philosopher, and Professor at the Government College, Lahore and the Muslim- Anglo Oriental College at Aligarh, D«gh the poet and Reynolds A. Nicholson⁸ , the renowned orientalist of Britain. This combination created, nurtured and perfected Islamic values and thought, philosophy and poetry which latter he used as the vehicle for conveying his thought to the Muslim intelligentsia.

2. First Visit to Europe- During his visit to Europe for higher studies he worked on the "Development of "Metaphysics in Persia" for his Ph.D. thesis. This provided a thorough knowledge of the history of Islamic thought, particularly "taÅawwuf" which made him the beacon of Love for God, the Holy Prophet S.A.W. and his righteous descendants, as well as for Islam and Muslims. During his entire career as poet-philosopher he benefited the human race in general and the Muslim Ummah in particular with this light. In the early days of his life he was somewhat convinced of the theory of "Waédat al-Wujëd" ⁹.However, on diving deeper into Islamic knowledge and influenced by the writings of Mujaddid Alf Thani¹⁰, he shifted his belief to the latter's theory of "Waédat al-Shuhëd" ¹¹. I shall deal with these subjects in more detail in Chapter 3.

‘All«mah Iqb«l got the opportunity of seeing some of the relics of Islamic civilization on his way to Europe and back which touched his heart immensely. He got the mixed feelings of pride for the past glory of Islamic civilization and abject disappointment on the present degenerated and deteriorated condition of the Muslim world, whose description is heart rending. He has expressed his thoughts in Poems 73 "‘Abd al-Q«dir Ke N«m" (Addressed to ‘Abd al-Q«dir), 74 "Öiqliyah" (The Island of Sicily) and 76 "Bil«d-i-Islamia" (The Islamic Cities) in B«ng-i-Dar«.

During his stay in Britain and Germany in the period 1905-08 he got the opportunity of close first hand study of Europeans, their culture and philosophy. He was favorably impressed by their patriotism, honesty, integrity and social graces in everyday life. He liked their democratic institutions and progress in science and technology, which he considered to be the Muslims' lost heritage. However, he soon realized, again by first hand experience, that the bright face of Europe had no more than a thin veil of these qualities under which existed the ugly face of nationalism as a political system which was no better than a euphemism for conquest and exploitation of the defenseless peoples of non-European origin for the benefit of the nation states of Europe. Muslim nations were the worst victims of this exploitation. He also witnessed the anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim machinations and activities of European nations.

3. Second Visit to Europe- He was very anxious to visit other centers of Islamic civilization but preoccupation with intellectual and political work in India kept his wishes unfulfilled. However, his long-felt wish was realized in 1933, the opportunity for which was provided by the Third Round Table Conference on the constitution of India in November 17-December 24, 1933, which he attended as a Muslim League delegate by virtue of being the President of the All India Muslim League. After closure of the conference he undertook a tour of Europe. This tour covered Italy, France and Spain where he met several European elite, both intellectual and political. The following are the more important events:

i. Interview with Bergson-¹² The discussion during this interview centered round Bergson's theory of the realism of time and space, which is close to Mujaddid's concept of "Waédat al-Shuhëd" and the Islamic thought of the Universe being real and a creation of God or a reflection of the Divine Light. At that time, as now, it was usually regarded as a contrasting alternative to Ibn ‘Arabâ’s ¹³ "Waédat al-Wujëd".

ii. Interview with Massignon- ‘All«mah Iqb«l renewed his admiration of Massignon for his profound knowledge in orientalism, particularly Sufism and comprehension of £all«j's declaration of "Ana al-£aq" (I am the Creative Truth).

iii. Interview with Mussolini- ‘All«mah Iqb«l was favorably impressed by Mussolini's courteous ways and a healthy mind in a healthy body. The conversation centered round Iqb«l's book "Asr«r-i-Khudâ ", which Mussolini had recently read in English translation. The discussion extended into secular nationalism and religion. The interview ended with the following advice to the youth of Italy, requested for by Mussolini.

Though Italians are still a young nation they show signs of old age caused by opulence and the accompanying evils. If it wants to adopt the right course it should turn back from the degrading Western civilization and adopt the course laid down by the fresh and invigorating civilization of Islam.

He was also much impressed by the grandeur of Rome and the personality of Mussolini. These sentiments are reflected in several poems in his books B«l-i-Jibrâl and Zarb-i-Kalâm.. Cf.

(6) In the vicinity of Rome Delhi comes to mind
It’s admonition, grandeur, and beauty come to mind
(Appendix III, No.29.)

Similarly in the Poem "Mussolini" in B«l-i-Jibrâl he praises the qualities of leadership of Mussolini. In the poem of the same name in "Zarb-i-Kalâm" he sarcastically condemns European capitalist imperialism in the words of Mussolini.

(Appendix III, No. 29, pp. 202-03; No. 32, pp 51-52)

Later, some ill-informed critics of ‘All«mah Iqb«l alleged that he believed in material power as something to be admired as described by Nietzsche in his philosophy of "Superman". They erroneously equated ‘All«mah Iqb«l's admiration of Mussolini's political vitality and the magnetic qualities of his personality with accepting him and similar European leaders with admiration as Nietzsche's "Supermen". ‘All«mah Iqb«l’s correct evaluation of Mussolini can be understood only by perusal of the above poems. I have refrained from including these poems here for the sake of brevity. However, in brief the first poem included in "B«l-i-Jibrâl" presents an admiration of Mussolini for his services to Italy in ameliorating and stabilizing its economy and politics. The second poem of the same name in "Zarb-i-Kalâm" is only an unequivocal indictment of not only Mussolini but all the major European powers who had indulged in the same imperialism in the past and had condoned Italian imperialism in Tripolitania (present day Libya) and Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia). For details of these see Poem 101 "Huîër-i-Ris«lat Ma'«b Mein" (In Audience with the Holy Prophet S.A.W.).

iv. Visit to Spain- The fall of Muslim Spain resulting finally in the complete elimination of Muslims from that land after a period of over 800 years of rule was a deep wound in ‘All«mah's heart. The fact that the equal of the Muslim civilization in Spain in terms of spiritual as well as material values the world had never seen aggravated his agony. He had an ardent desire to visit Spain to witness at first hand the past Islamic glory in that land. His stay in Spain was, of necessity, shorter than he would have liked. During his stay there he visited all important sites of the Muslim period, including the famous mosque in Qurtuba (Cordoba). While in Spain he wrote the following six poems on Spain, which express the climax of his heart felt pathos:

I. Du’« (A Supplication) - Written in the Mosque of Cordoba

II Masjid-i-Qurtuba (The Mosque of Cordoba)

III. Qaidkh«ney Main M‘utamid kâ Fary«d (The Wailing of M‘utamid in the Prison)

IV. ‘Abd al-Raém«n Awwal K« Bày« Hu« Khajër K« Darakht.(The Date Tree Planted by ‘Abd al-Raém«n I)

V. Hasp«ni« (Spain)

VI. ñ«riq ¹⁵ Kâ Du‘« (The Supplication of T«riq)

All these poems are included in "B«l-i-Jibrâl". Their beauty and pathos will appeal to every Muslim whose heart is hurt by any calamity on the Muslim world. The feelings can only be appreciated by perusal of these poems.

While in Spain ‘All«mah Iqb«l was invited by Palacios ¹⁶ to address the students and faculty of the University of Madrid. In this lecture ‘All«mah Iqb«l highlighted the role of Muslim Spain in the intellectual development of Europe.

4. Visit to Afghanistan- ‘All«mah Iqb«l visited Afghanistan in the period October 17-November 2, 1933 accompanied by Mawl«n« Saiyyid Sulaim«n Nadavâ, Sir Ross Masoud (then Vice Chancellor of the Muslim University, Aligarh) and Dr. H«di £asan (then Professor and Chairman of the Department of Persian, Muslim University, Aligarh). This selected committee of intellectuals had been invited by King N«dir Khan of Afghanistan to advise the Afghanistan Government on religious and educational problems of the country in general and on the establishment of a university at Kabul on Islamic lines in particular.

As was usual with ‘All«mah Iqb«l this visit to a brother Muslim country raised a flood of Islamic sentiments in him. The motivation for these emotions was provided by his visit to the tombs of £akâm San«’i, Gh«zâ Sultan Mahmëd of Ghaznâ and the site where the Holy Prophet's S.A.W. mantel was kept at Qandhar.

He has recorded his impressions and the feelings aroused in his heart at each of these visits in separate poems included in Mus«fir (The Wayfarer). It is necessary to read these poems to enjoy their beauty and message fully.

i. At the Tomb of B«bur- At his tomb ‘All«mah Iqb«l was reminded of the glory of Muslim rule in India during the Mughal period. He wrote a long poem out of which the following verses represent the spirit:

(7) Raise the banner of the Uthm«ni Khil«fah again
How can I tell you about what has befallen Taimër's progeny

(8) How fortunate that your remains are resting here
As this land free from the spell of the West is

(9) Though the £aram's holy man repeats 'L« Ilaha' by rote
Where is the sight which is sharper than steel ?
(Appendix III, No. 31)

ii. At the Tomb of £akâm San«’â¹⁷- After eulogizing the personality of Hakim San«’â in sixteen verses he asks a question in the last two verses:

(10) O Sage of the Unseen world, Im«m of the Gnostics
Matured by your grace is this servant of the Gnostics

(11) Relate what behind the curtain of the Unseen is
May be the disappeared water returns to the stream
(Appendix III, No. 31)

iii. Response of £akâm San«’â- The poem containing the response of Hakâm San«’â stresses that Islam is acquired from the teachings of the Holy Prophet S.A.W., the pillars of which are Love, Faqr ¹⁹ and Khudâ.

(12) O Ignorant one, do not search in books for Dân
Knowledge and wisdom are from books,.from insight is Dân

(13) The Holy Prophet is an ocean with high waves
Rise and fill your stream with (the water of) this ocean.
(Appendix III, No. 31.)

iv. At the Tomb of Sulè«n Maémëd of Ghaznâ-¹⁸This poem recapitulates the services of Sultan Mahmëd to the struggle in the cause of eliminating infidelity and idol worship for establishing the Kingdom of God on earth:

(14) Burning thunder was his indefensible sword
Deserts and cities were in terror by his attack

(15) In his life his banner was the Holy Qur’«n
Celestials at his tomb now recite the Holy Qur’«n
(Appendix III, No. 31.)

v. At Qandh«r on Seeing the Holy Prophet's Mantel- He was so much overwhelmed with the Love of the Holy Prophet S.A.W. that a poem spontaneously came out, some important verses of which are reproduced below:

(16) The lanes of that city are the lanes of my beloved!
O camel driver at the litter's strings march towards the beloved

(17) The songs of my friends from Najd I sing
By the music I throw the camel into ecstasy
(Appendix III, No. 31.)

In addition to the above specific sites he also visited the ruins of Ghaznâ, which in the days of Sultan Mahmëd was the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire and was the rendezvous of the best in the secular as well as the spiritual realms of the time. The ruins of a city which was such a glory touched ‘All«mah Iqb«l immensely and he wrote a poem expressing his frustration. The poem has a short part followed by a long one. The first part is a commentary on the vicissitudes of time and ends on:

(18) From the tricks of time we seek protection
From morning and evening's tricks we seek protection
(Appendix III, No.31.)

In the second part, weeping with anguish ,he complains to God about the decline of the Muslim world and the rise of the Western world to power. He wails about the disappearance of Islamic virtues from Muslim society and prays to God to restore the same:

(19) Veracity, sincerity and purity have disappeared
"That goblet is broken and that cup bearer has disappeared"
(Appendix III, No. 31.)

(20) Thy gaze is fixed on the "white race Europeans"
By whose spell has Mankind turned inglorious

(21) Whose worshiper this Muslim is?
In his heart there is no restlessness!

(22) His breast without pathos, his soul is without clamor
Though he is the Israfil his trumpet is quiet

(23) In the battle of life he shows no firmness
With Lat and Manat up his sleeves

(24) Like infidels he considers death as destruction
Like the ashes worthless is his fire

(25) Again give that internal feeling to him
Again give that madness of Creative Love to him
(Appendix III, No. 31.)

5. Asr«r-i-Khudâ- His first book in Persian verse, called "Asr«r-i-Khudâ", published in 1915, was a source of only mixed happiness to him. It was very much appreciated in Europe to the extent that the famous orientalist Reynolds A. Nicholson translated it into English after obtaining his formal permission. He was also honored with Knighthood by the British Government in India. However, this joy and prestige earned by him were very much marred by the uninformed criticism. For details of this see Chapter 3, Section II Paragraph 4 "Khudi". Later , people understood him correctly and appreciated this book immensely . It is held in great respect till today .

6. The Condition of Muslim Society in India and Abroad- Though the decline of the Muslim world and society can be considered to have commenced with the replacement of the Khil«fah-i-R«shidah with autocratic dynastic rule the last three hundred years have seen the constant fall of the Muslim world, which reached its lowest ebb after World War I. This period witnessed the crumbling down of the last vestiges of the Khil«fah and the complete fragmentation and subjugation of the Muslim world.

From the very beginning of Islam the Christian West has been its greatest adversary, primarily due to the revolutionary religious and politico-socio-economic system of Islam. Muslim scholars and their works at the centers of learning at Baghdad and in the North African and Spanish universities brought the science and philosophy of the day to the Christian world. Europe could not remain insulated from the enlightening effects of this learning. The spirit of innovative thinking, freedom of expression and cosmopolitanism, which characterized the Muslim society of that time, freed Europe from the dogmatism and monasticism of the Church. Europe entered a new era of reformation and renaissance which culminated in the industrial revolution.

One important result of the industrial revolution was the invention and mass production of ships and armaments. Armed with these superior tools of destruction Europeans discovered the Americas and other parts of the "New World" and appropriated their vast resources in land and material wealth, completely depriving the indigenous people of their use. They also slowly, but surely, usurped the resources of Asian and African countries, the majority of which were Muslim. Extreme avarice, religious fanaticism and lack of moral and ethical scruples speeded the destruction of Muslim countries. Cf.

(26) The science which was the pride of the West's sages
Has become the battle sword in the blood stained clutches of greed
(Appendix III , No. 25)

Resulting from all these events the Muslim world also underwent political, economic and social decline till it touched its lowest ebb during the life time of ‘All«mah Iqb«l. All Muslim countries from Indonesia in the east to Morocco in the west were under complete political and economic suzerainty of the West. At the end of World War I Muslims in Muslim countries as well as those with sizable Muslim minorities were directly under the political yoke of some European power. The apparently independent Muslim countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and the Arab countries from Syria to Morocco were only nominally independent. The Arab countries had been created by the European imperialists by fragmentation of the Ottoman Caliphate and were receiving substantial subsidies from Britain and France. Hence, all of them owed their very existence to some European power, mainly Britain and France.

To ‘All«mah Iqb«l more painful than the political slavery was the intellectual and moral slavery of the Muslim world. He has expressed his abject disappointment at this state of affairs throughout his works, of which a very small sample is given below:

(27) Why should we cry for suzerainty, as a temporary thing it was?
No escape from the world's established principles there was

(28) But those pearls of wisdom, the books of our ancestors
By seeing them in Europe the heart is rent asunder
(Appendix III, No. 25)

(29) If Man's escape from the struggles of life
Is not defeat what else is the defeat of life
(Appendix III, No. 32.)

(30) The sands of Iraq waiting, the crops of Hijaz shriveled
Again the Husain's ²⁰ blood is needed by Këfah and Syria
(Appendix III, No. 26.)

However, notwithstanding the superiority of European war machine and their unethical maneuvering, this process of destruction was in no small way helped by the internal weaknesses of the Muslim countries and their society. ‘Allama Iqb«l, true to the epithet of £akâm-i-Millat spent the major part of his genius in investigating the causes of this downfall. These causes can be summed up by saying that the Muslim world suffered from a growing back-sliding from their original high spiritual, moral and ethical pedestal. This condensed statement is elaborated below, avoiding the supportive verses for the sake of brevity, as also many of them appear later in the commentary:

(a) Muslims have distanced themselves from the Holy Qur’«n and have accepted Western values in thought and action in personal as well as corporate life. Judging from the amount of material he has produced on this subject he obviously considers this as a prime cause of the decline of Muslims.

(b) Muslims have given up Islamic learning. The European colonists relegated Islamic and other oriental learning to an inferior position in all the lands conquered by them. For example, in the Indian subcontinent the high class scholars of Persian and Arabic and specialists of Islamic and other oriental learning were suddenly made to join the ranks of the "uneducated" and became unemployed. In a very short time they were drifted out of the mainstream of national life. Islamic learning was confined to the precincts of religious seminaries and the latter could only eke out a miserable existence out of the paltry collections from the dwindling private resources of the already impoverished Muslim society. Complete lack of opportunities to the graduates of these institutions reduced them and their alma maters to nonentities. All economic benefits went to the graduates of the state sponsored institutions of Western learning. The devastating effects of such a planned destruction of Islamic thought resulted in a situation in which the "educated classes" became completely ignorant of and apathetic to Islamic values. No single effect of colonialism touched ‘All«mah Iqb«l more pathetically than this one.

(c) Insincere religious leadership has been created. This was a direct consequence of the above situation.

(d) Insincere political leadership has been created. The Western educated talented section of the society also did not show any strength of character. Indeed, this was all that could be expected from the Western educational system, which was based on materialism, and was aiming only at creating and enhancing the earning capability of the people it produced. The system did not try to inculcate ethical values.

(e) Muslims have lost the Love of God and the concept of Tawéâd, which were the cements which kept the Muslim society together. This is the major theme of poem 103, "Jaw«b-i-Shakwah".

(f) Muslims have fallen into taqlâd and lack the spirit of ijtih«d. This also is an important component of his message. His writings show how disappointed he was with this state of affairs.

(g) Asceticism and monasticism of the Christian religion have crept into the Muslim society as a direct result of "taqlâd" and elimination of "ijtih«d".

The Christian world remained in the "dark ages"as long as monasticism was its creed. It started on the road to all-round progress only by ridding itself of this liability. The Muslim world plunged into the "dark ages" when it adopted monasticism. Study of the poems "Hindâ Islam" (Indian Islam), "Shikast" (Defeat), "Ay Peer-i-Haram" (O Priest of the Haram) , "L« O Illa" (None/Except), "Karl Marx Kee ÿw«z" (The Voice of Karl Marx), "Inqal«b" (The Revolution), "Masjid-i-Quwwat al-Islam" (The Mosque of Islamic Power), "Ghul«mon Kay Liye" (For Slaves), in his book Zarb-i-Kalâm reveal his thoughts very well.

Armagh«n-i-£ij«z (Appendix III, No. 33 pp. 12, 13 ,18 , 19, 21 and 139 ) have the anthology of his thinking on this subject. On p.18 he prays to God for creation of another Millat which would not reconcile with Evil, would fight for Truth and would aspire for the good of both worlds instead that of just the hereafter.

(h) Muslims have lost the urge for Jih«d (even in the broader sense of the term). ‘All«mah Iqb«l has expressed very great disappointment at this state of the Muslim world.

(i) The Muslim society is riddled with dissension’s. Though dissension’s have been the bane of Muslim society form the very beginning they have now reached fatal proportions, both in magnitude and intensity. The most disastrous result of this has been the recession of the Muslim world from the super-national ideal of Islam to the present day nation states and even farther. ‘All«mah Iqb«l has clearly warned Muslims of the dangers of this attempt of the West to divide humanity and conquer it bit by bit. This subject is discussed in more detail in Chapter 3 under ‘All«mah Iqb«l’s political theory. Another insidious dissension is based on the Dân itself and has resulted from different interpretations of the Holy Qur’«n. Though differences of opinion are healthy per se and exhibit a live interest in matters of importance, in our case the differences have assumed harmful dimensions and have resulted in compartmentalization of our society into sects and sub-sects with incessant internecine feuds.

The most harmful effect of the degeneration of Muslim society has been the loss of Khudâ or self cognizance. God has endowed Man with the capacity of recognizing his own potential and the purpose of his creation, which is to be the vicegerent of God on earth. Khudâ is the combination of the divinely bestowed attributes of ideal character and an incessant effort to achieve its goal. The former attribute includes self cognizance, self assertion, boldness, spirit of independence, self respect, and noble ideals. Essentially, the ideal of Islam is not self negation but self assertion. ‘All«mah Iqb«l's concept on this subject detailed in his two books Asr«r-i-Khudâ and Rumëz-i-Bekhudâ can be summarized as the individual's need to develop his Khudâ to the maximum and his readiness to be able to merge his Khudâ into that of the Millat, and to remain fired with the intense love of dynamism and freedom. Such individuals and such Millats are complementary to each other. The Islamic Millat is required to be unified in the institutions of Tawéâd of God and Tawéâd of Mankind and the Apostlehood of the Holy Prophet S.A.W. It is required to stand as a well built wall against the forces of evil (Holy Qur’«n 3:103; 48:29; 49:15; 61:4). Lack of individual and Millat's Khudâ has resulted in fragmentation of the Millat in the present day world and in the roaming astray of the Millat's components seeking the good pleasures of the Western capitalists-imperialists for their very survival. What could be more pathetic for the Ummah about whom ‘All«mah Iqb«l reminds us of the Qur’«nic message in 2:143.

7. The Last Five Years- The last five years of ‘All«mah Iqb«l's life saw the climax of his personal unhappiness. During this period the following events aggravated his grief:

(a) He had an ardent desire to continue his efforts at reconciling the principles of Islam with the tenets of modern science and technology as well as other fields of modern knowledge. He had achieved this to some extent in his book titled, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (Appendix III, No. 27). Now he wanted to prepare further elaboration of the same concept and the application of his philosophy to practical life. He had a four point plan for achieving this objective. This program consisted of writing the following three books:

"Aids to the Study of the Holy Qur’«n"

"Islam as I Understand It"

"The Book of An Unknown Prophet." In this book he wanted to discuss metaphysical problems or Qur’«nic TaÅawwuf.

and

Establish an "Institute of Advanced Islamic Research" in Punjab.

He could carry out very little of this program mainly because of his deep involvement in the Muslim League and its organization in his province of Punjab and at the all India level; lack of financial resources and his failing health from heart and liver ailments.

Though he had prepared notes and outlines of these three books he could not reach the stage at which he, or somebody else after him, could complete them. Out of this four-point program he could establish only the nucleus of the last named institute under Mawl«n« Abë’l-A‘l« Mawdëdâ in 1938 with the name of "Id«r«-i- D«r al-Isl«m" (Institute of Islam) at Pathankot in Punjab, now in India. Maul«n« Mawdëdâ started a journal called Tarjum«n al-Qur’«n (The Interpreter of the Qur’«n). Later he moved to Lahore on the establishment of Pakistan in 1947. Mawl«n« Mawdëdâ was a prominent scholar of Islam and a prolific writer. He had become famous while still at Hyderabad which led to his selection for this task by ‘All«mah Iqb«l. Mawl«n« Mawdëdâ prepared a new translation and exegesis of the Holy Qur’«n in Urdu called "Tafhâm al Qur’«n" (Comprehension of the Qur’«n )and organized a party called "Jam«‘at-i-Isl«mâ"(The Islamic Party). He published a large number of journal articles and several books on Islam in which he covered almost all aspects of the Dân. Mawl«n« Mawdëdâ’s approach to Islam, particularly to it’s esoteric fields, and to Pakistan as an Islamic State, appear to be at variance with those of ‘All«mah Iqb«l. Thus, in my opinion, though Mawl«n« Mawdëdâ rendered very good service to Islam this objective of ‘All«mah Iqb«l was only partially achieved.

‘All«mah Iqb«l died on April 21, 1938. He had written the following verses a few days before his death;

(31) Will the departed melody return or not?
Will the breeze from Hij«z come or not?

(32) This Faqâr's days have come to an end
Will another knower of the Secret come or not?
(Appendix III, No. 33.)