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Iqbal, Jinnah & Pakistan

Three Yet Only One;

Many Things Appears as Three

Which Are No More than One

                                   IBN EL ARABI

Book Prepared By, 

Group Vice Captain…………………Nauman Khan

Other Members………Quratulain Malik, Muhammad Ali Munir & Nouman-ul-Haq

1. Introduction & Iqbal                              1

 2. Jinnah before 1930                       50

      (by Nouman-ul-Haq)

 3. Jinnah after 1930                                  58

     (by Quratulain Malik)

 4. Relation among Iqbal, Jinnah & Pakistan     70

      (by Najia Azam)

5. Conclusion                                 84

     (by Muhammad Ali Munir)

Introduction & Iqbal

By Nauman Khan

 1     Introduction

 The aim of this book is to describe the relation among Iqbal, Jinnah & Pakistan & the theme is Just & Justice. To describe the theme, here is a wording,

A! Abni Adam...Ak teri chahat hai aur ik meri chahat hai...per hoga vohi, jo meri chahat hai...pss agar tu ne hawale ker diya apne aap ko us ke jo meri chahat hai tu main tujhe baksh doon ga voh jo teri chahat hai... aur agar tu ne nafarmani ke us ki jo meri chahat hai to main tujhe takha doon ga us main jo teri chahat hai aur phir hoga vohi jo meri chahat hai...........

-Jawad Ahmad

2     Introduction

 Sir Dr. Muhammad Allama Iqbal (1873-1938):

                                                                  Allama Iqbal was born at Sialkot in 1877. He is descended from an ancient family of Kashmiri Pandits some of whose descendants are now living in Kashmir with the family name of Sapru. The ancestors of Iqbal embraced Islam about 200 years ago out of sincere devotion to a Saint & even today; there are strong Sufistic tendencies that mark the members of his family to an admirable degree. It may be said that Iqbal, as a true descendant, has inherited the religious fervor of his ancestors along with, the noble qualities of mind.

                                                                                   The parents of Iqbal never thought that the boy would become in future the pride of the whole family, nay, the pride of the whole nation. There was nothing extraordinary about him to mark him out from the children of his place. He was sent to a Maktab along with other boys & after some time his education began in an elementary school. His success in the fifth standard won him a scholarship. He finished the middle school course & the scholarship he got in recognition of his merit made it easy for him to take to the entrance examination.

                                                                                                        His success in the entrance examination opened to him the field of higher studies. The ambitious young man could not stop with the laurels he had already won in the school. He joined the Scotch, Mission College, Sialkot, for his collegiate course. One thing happened at this time, which, perhaps, is the chief factor in his life to prepare him for his future greatness. His acquaintance with Maulana Syed Mir Hasan, who was a very profound Arabic Scholar of his time, exercised over him an imperceptible influence in creating him a noble devotion to Islamic culture & ardent appreciation for the literature of Islam. Iqbal, after finishing his course in Sialkot, joined the Government College, Lahore, where he graduated with distinction & a medal.

                                                                                                  Iqbal was extremely fortunate in his friendship with Maulana Syed Mir I-lasan at Sialkot. Even in Lahore, good fortune followed him in the person of the well-known Mr. Arnold who had been working in the Aligarh College, but as though by fortune, he was entertained in the Government College, Lahore. While Iqbal was a student there, he found him a promising

3     Introduction

young man & gradually made him his friend. He was no more the master of Iqbal but an experienced friend who took pleasure in his company. He once remarked about him that he really made his master wiser. Iqbal then took his M. A. degree, the highest degree of the University & received a medal for standing first among all the students.

Allama Iqbal's other famous poems include 'Zubur-e-Ajam' in Persian, & 'Shama-o-Shaer' (The Candle & the Poet), 'Taswir-e-Dard' (The Picture of Agony), 'Naya Shiwala' (New Temple), 'Tuloo-e-Islam' (The Dawn of Islam), all in Urdu. The last three were written to unite his countrymen for the common good.

Iqbal as a Poet:

                                    The poems of Iqbal may be divided into three different periods, as follows:

1) Those written before he went to England in 1905

2) Those written in Europe, till 1908

3) Those written after 1908

10     Introduction

First Era (1895-1905):

                                               An inclination to write Urdu verse was shown by him at a very early stage of his student life. Before he come to Lahore he had written some GHAZALS in Urdu, which he sent for correction to the famous poet Dagh, of Dehli, who was then a shining light of the court of the late Nizam of Hyderabad. After seeing Iqbal's poems a few times, Dagh is said to have written to him that his verses did not need correction. At Lahore, Iqbal took part in a Mushaihra where some well-known poets were present & his verses at once elicited praise for them. Sometime after that, he recited a poem on the natural beauties of the Himalayas at a meeting of an Urdu literary society, where it was greeted with unanonimous applause. As soon as he became known in literary circles as a rising poet, he was invited every year to the great annual gatherings of the Anjuman Himayat-i-Islam of Lahore, an institution responsible for religious & edutional work among the Muslims of the Punjab. The recitation of his poems like the Taswir-i-dard (" The Picture of Pain "), the Shikwa (" A complaint address of God "), & the Jawab-e-shikwa (" Answer to the complaint "), brought him into great prominence as a writer of Urdu poetry.

                                              All his Urdu poems, covering the work of his first ten years of his literary life were collected & published under the name of `Bang-i-Dara' "Tinkering of Caravan Bell"

Second Era (1905-1908):

                                                       This was a short period during which the poet visited Europe. It lasted from 1905 to 1908, when he qualified for Bar, in addition to widening his knowledge at Cambridge. The brief period of three years spent by Iqbal in England proved a turning point in his history & in the history of literature produced by him. The spark that there was in him was kindled into a flame by the intensive study to which he devoted himself at Cambridge.

                                                        The poems written by Iqbal during this era reflected his hate for Western civilization & materialism prevailed there. Iqbal studied weak points of Western civilization while his stay in Europe. The most important aspect of this era is to make Iqbal a poet of Persian language. It was chance that Iqbal discovered that he could express his thoughts in Persian verse with the same facilities as in Urdu. This discovery was made when he once asked in England to compose verses in Persian. That suggestion resulted in a few fine verses the next day, & thus the genius of Iqbal found a vehicle better suited than Urdu for the expression of his philosophic ideas.

11     Introduction

Third Era:

                           After the return of Iqbal as a Lawyer & Ph.D. began third & most important period of his literary life. After his return, he started poetry in Persian & gave the most famous book `Asrar-i-Khudi' (" The secrets of the Self ") Then came his Persian poems in swift succession. In these poems, his thought became bolder, & he gave a message of hope to the people of the East in general, & the followers of Islam unparticular. It for this reason that he is often called

" Poet of Islam "

                            Other famous Persian works of Iqbal are Rumuz-i-Bekhudi (" Hints Of Selflessness "), Payam-i-Mashriq (" The Message of The East "), Zabur-i-Ajam, Javaid Namah & Pas Chih Bayd Kard Ai Aqwam-i-Sharq (" What are we to do, O Nation of the East? ")

                            During the last few years, Iqbal was persuaded to use Urdu once more as the vehicle of his verse, by the pressing demands of Indian public, as Persian read & understood by a small portion of people in the country the `Bal-i-jibril' (" The Wings of Gabriel "), & the `Zarb-i-Kalim' (" The Stroke of the rod of Moses ") are his latest Urdu poems. In these books, some of the favorite themes of his Persian poems have been given to the readers of Urdu including the invertible conflict between labor & capital in the present day world, the sympathetic heart of the poet beating in sympathy with the troubles of the laborer. Armughan-i-Hijaz (" The Present to Hijaz ") is another Urdu work of Iqbal.

Iqbal's religious Writings

                                                                 Besides poetical works, Iqbal made some valuable contributions to religious & philosophic thought, among which his book `The Reconstruction OF Religious Thought in Islam' deserves special mention. In this book, seven lectures in English delivered by him before a society in Madras [& elsewhere] have been put together. They have been widely appreciated by western scholars, as presenting some phrases of the philosophy of Islam that had not been brought out before. It was probably as the author of this book that Sir Muhammad Iqbal was invited to the Oxford University in 1935 to deliver a series of lectures as a Rhodes Memorial Lecturer, but he was unfortunately presented by ill health from doing so much to the disappointment of his admirers in this country.

12     Introduction

Iqbal as a Politician:

                                                 Though literature always remained the main occupation of Iqbal, yet for a time he took part in politics as well. By his temperament & constitution, he was not much suited to politics. Left to himself, perhaps, he would not have cared to step into this thorny field. Some of his admirers, however, obliged him to stand for the Legislative Council as a representative of Lahore, & he did so. Without much effort on his part, he was elected, as he was popular, & his friends exerted themselves earnestly on his behalf. This success, however, did not lead to any tangible result & his connection with the Council ceased after the expiry of the term of three years. On two other occasions he had a contact with politics, firstly when he was called upon to preside over the annual Session of the All-India Muslim League, & other when he went to England as a Member of the Second Round Table Conference in 1931.

                                                  Of these two occasions the Muslim League Session at Allahbad in 1930 deserves a special mention, because it was in his address there that the idea of two separate administrative areas in India, one for Muslims & one for Hindus, was offered as a solution of the differences between the two Nations.

Departure of Great Poet from Mortal World:

                                                                                              The last few years of his life were spent under the shadow of deep sorrow caused by the death of his wife, followed by a long spell of bad health. His weakened health, though a handicap, was not allowed by him to interfere with his literary pursuits of his accessive visitors. The end came somewhat unexpectectedly after a short illness, on 21 April 1938. His last resting-place is near the Shahi Mosque, at Lahore. Javaid Iqbal, only son of Iqbal, while describing his emotions on seeing his dead father says:

"I felt my heart bursting, but something prevented me from weeping. I imagined that father would rise from his bed & placing his hand on my shoulder say: `You are a man, remember men do not weep'."

                                                                                           Iqbal is no longer with us but his work lives & will be source of inspiration for generations to come.

13     Introduction

Summary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s 1930 Presidential Address:

                                                    The unity of an Indian nation must be sought, not in the negation, but in the mutual harmony & cooperation of the many. It is on the discovery of Indian unity in this direction that the fate of India as well as of Asia really depends. India is Asia in miniature. If an effective principle of cooperation is discovered in India, it will bring peace & mutual goodwill to this ancient land, which has suffered so long, more because of her situation in historic space than because of any inherent incapacity of her people. And it will at the same time solve the entire political problem of Asia.

                                                         It is however, painful to observe that our attempts to discover such a principle of internal harmony have so far failed. Perhaps, we suspect each other’s intentions, & inwardly aim at dominating each other. Perhaps, in the higher interests of mutual cooperation, we cannot afford to part with the monopolies which circumstances have placed in our hands, & conceal our egoism under the cloak of a nationalism, outwardly simulating a large-hearted patriotism, but inwardly as narrow-minded as a caste or tribe. Perhaps, we are unwilling to recognize that each group has a right to free development according to its own cultural traditions. [For a background to some of the issues mentioned in Allama's address, refer to 1923-24 & 1927 events in the Muslims in the Indian Subcontinent - V, 1800-1950 CE].

                                                        A community, which is inspired by a feeling of ill will towards other communities, is low & ignoble. I entertain the highest respect for the customs, laws, religious & social institutions of other communities. Nay, it is my duty, according to the teaching of the Quran, even to defend their places of worship if need be. Yet I love the communal group which is the source of my life & behavior; & which has formed me what I am by giving me its religion, its literature, its thought, its culture & thereby recreating its whole past, as a living operative factor, in my present consciousness.

                                                      The units of Indian society are not territorial as in European countries. India is a continent of human

14     Introduction

groups belonging to different races, speaking different languages, & professing different religions. The principle of European democracy cannot be applied to India without recognizing the fact of communal groups. Muslim future in India depends on proper solution of contemporary dialectic between nationalism & Islam. I have no hesitation in declaring that, if the principle that the Indian Muslim is entitled to full & free development on the lines of his own culture & tradition in his own Indian homelands is recognized as the basis of a permanent communal settlement, he will be ready to stake his all for the freedom of India. The Muslim demand is actuated by a genuine desire for free development, which is practically impossible under the type of unitary government contemplated by the nationalist Hindu politicians with a view to securing permanent communal dominance in the whole of India. The Muslim demand for the creation of a Muslim India within India is, therefore, perfectly justified.

                                                   I would like to see the Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province, Sind & Baluchistan amalgamated into a single state. Self-government within the British Empire, or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim state appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of North-West India. In view of India’s infinite variety in climates, races, languages, creeds & social systems, the creation of autonomous states based on the unity of language, race, history, religion & identity of economic interests, is the only possible way to secure a stable constitutional structure in India.

                                                 The Muslims of India can have no objection to purely territorial electorates if provinces are demarcated so as to secure comparatively homogeneous communities, possessing linguistic, racial, cultural, & religious unity. I would never advise the Muslims of India to agree to a system, whether of British or of Indian origin, which virtually negatives the principle of true federation, or fails to recognize them as a distinct political entity. The (Simon) scheme appears to be aiming at a kind of understanding between Hindu India & British Imperialism - you perpetuate me in India, & in return, I give you a Hindu oligarchy to keep all other Indian communities in perpetual subjection.

                                                No Muslim politician should be sensitive to the taunt embodied in that propaganda word ‘communalism’. We are seventy millions & far more homogeneous than any other people in India. Indeed, the Muslims of India are the only Indian people who can truly be described as a nation in the modern sense of the word. The

15     Introduction

Hindus, though ahead of us in almost all respects, have not yet been able to achieve the kind of homogeneity which is necessary for a nation, & which Islam has given you as a free gift.

                                               Leading Muslims of all shades of opinion will have to meet together, not to pass resolutions, but finally to decide the Muslim attitude & to show the path to tangible achievement. If territorial reorganization, federal principle, & religious identity are not accepted, Muslims must prepare for independent & concerted political action. At critical moments in their history, it is Islam that has saved Muslims & not vice versa. If today you focus your vision on Islam & seek inspiration from the ever-vitalizing idea embodied in it, you will be only reassembling your scattered forces, regaining your lost integrity, & thereby saving yourself from total destruction.

An Abridged Version of the 1930 Address:

                                                                                                    ... I lead no party; I follow no leader. I have given the best part of my life to careful study of Islam, its law & polity, its culture, its history & its literature. This constant contact with the spirit of Islam, as it unfolds itself in time, has, I think, given me a kind of insight into the significance as a world fact. It is in the light of this insight, whatever its value, that while assuming that the Muslims of India are determined to remain true to the spirit of Islam, I propose, not to guide you in your decision, but to attempt the humbler task of bringing clearly to your consciousness the main principle which, in my opinion, should determine the general character of these decisions.

Islam & Nationalism:

                                                          It cannot be denied that Islam, regarded as an ethical ideal plus a certain kind of polity – by which expression I mean a social structure regulated by a legal system & animated by a specific ethical ideal – has been the chief formative factor in the life-history of the Muslims of India. It has furnished those basic emotions & loyalties, which gradually unify scattered individuals & groups, & finally transform them into a well-defined people, possessing a moral consciousness of their own. Indeed, it is not exaggeration to say that India is perhaps the only country in the world where Islam, as a people-building force, has worked at its best. In India, as elsewhere, the structure of Islam as a society is almost entirely due to the working of Islam as a culture inspired by a specific ethical ideal. What I mean to say is that Muslim society, with its remarkable homogeneity & inner unity, has grown to be what it is, under the pressure of the laws & institutions associated with the culture of Islam...

16     Introduction

                                                             Islam does not bifurcate the unity of man into an irreconcilable duality of spirit & matter. In Islam, God & the universe, spirit & matter, church & state, are organic to each other. Man is not the citizen of a profane world to be renounced in the interest of a world of spirit situated elsewhere. To Islam matter is spirit realizing itself in space & time...

                                                              ... In the world of Islam, we have a universal polity whose fundamentals are believed to have been revealed, but whose structure, owing to our legists’ want of contact with the modern world, today stands in need of renewed power by adjustments. I do not know what will be the final fate of the national idea in the world of Islam. Whether Islam will assimilate & transform it, as it has before assimilated & transformed many ideas expressive of a different spirit, or allow a radical transformation of its own structure by the force of this idea, is hard to predict... At the present moment, the national idea is racializing the outlook of Muslims, & this is materially counteracting the humanizing work of Islam. And the growth of racial consciousness may mean the growth of standards different & even opposed to the standards of Islam.

                                                              ... Do not think that the problem I am indicating is a purely theoretical one. It is a very living & practical problem calculated to affect the very fabric of Islam as a system of life & conduct. On a proper solution of it alone depends your future as a distinct cultural unit in India. Never in our history has Islam had to stand a greater trial than the one which confronts it today. It is open to a people to modify, reinterpret or reject the foundation principles of their social structure; but it is absolutely necessary for them to see clearly what they are doing before they undertake to try a fresh experiment...

Unity through Harmony of Differences:

                                                                                                   What, then, is the problem & its implications? Is religion a private affair? Would you like to see Islam as a moral & political ideal, meeting the same fate in the world of Islam as Christianity has already met in Europe? Is it possible to retain Islam as an ethical ideal & to reject it as a polity, in favor of national polities in which the religious attitude is not permitted to play any part? This question becomes of special importance in India where the Muslims happen to be a minority.

                                                                                                     The religious ideal of Islam, therefore, is organically related to the social order, which it has created. The rejection of the one will eventually involve the rejection of the other. Therefore, the construction of a polity on national lines, if it

17     Introduction

 means a displacement of the Islamic principle of solidarity; is simply unthinkable to a Muslim. This is a matter, which, at the present moment, directly concerns the Muslims of India.

“Man,” says Renan, “is enslaved neither by his race, nor by his religion, nor by the course of rivers, nor by the direction of the mountain ranges. A great aggregation of men, sane of mind & warm of heart, creates a moral consciousness which is called a nation.”

                                                                                            ...Experience, however, shows that the various caste units & religious units in India have shown no inclination to sink their respective individualities in a larger whole. Each group is intensely jealous of the collective existence. The formation of the kind of moral consciousness which constitutes the essence of a nation in Renan’s sense demands a price which the peoples of India are not prepared to pay.

                                                                                              The unity of an Indian nation, therefore, must be sought, not in the negation, but in the mutual harmony & cooperation of the many… It is on the discovery of Indian unity in this direction that the fate of India as well as of Asia really depends. India is Asia in miniature. Part of her people have cultural affinities with nations of the East, & part with nations in the middle & west of Asia. If an effective principle of cooperation is discovered in India, it will bring peace & mutual goodwill to this ancient land, which has suffered so long, more because of her situation in historic space than because of any inherent incapacity of her people. And it will at the same time solve the entire political problem of Asia.

                                                                                              It is, however, painful to observe that our attempts to discover such a principle of internal harmony have so far failed. Why have they failed? Perhaps, we suspect each other’s intentions, & inwardly aim at dominating each other. Perhaps, in the higher interests of mutual cooperation, we cannot afford to part with the monopolies which circumstances have placed in our hands, & conceal our egoism under the cloak of a nationalism, outwardly simulating a large-hearted patriotism, but inwardly as narrow-minded as a caste or tribe. Perhaps, we are unwilling to recognize that each group has a right to free development according to its own cultural traditions.

                                                                                              But whatever may be the causes of our failure, I still feel hopeful. As far as I have been able to read the Muslim mind, I have no hesitation in declaring that, if the principle that the Indian Muslim is entitled to full & free development on the lines of his own culture & tradition in his own Indian homelands

 18     Introduction

 is recognized as the basis of a permanent communal settlement, he will be ready to stake his all for the freedom of India. The principle is not inspired by any feeling of narrow communalism.

                                                                                          There are communalism & communities. A community, which is inspired by a feeling of ill will towards other communities, is low & ignoble. I entertain the highest respect for the customs, laws, religious & social institutions of other communities. Nay, it is my duty, according to the teaching of the Quran, even to defend their places of worship if need be. Yet I love the communal group which is the source of my life & behavior; & which has formed me what I am by giving me its religion, its literature, its thought, its culture & thereby recreating its whole past, as a living operative factor, in my present consciousness. Even the authors of the Nehru Report recognize the value of this higher aspect of communalism. While discussing the separation of Sind, they say,

“... Without the fullest cultural autonomy - & communalism in its better aspect is culture – it will be difficult to create a harmonious nation.”

Muslim India within India:

                                                                  Communalism, is its higher aspect, then, is indispensable to the formation of a harmonious whole in a country like India. The units of Indian society are not territorial as in European countries. India is a continent of human groups belonging to different races, speaking different languages, & professing different religions. Their behavior is not at all determined by a common race consciousness. Even the Hindus do not form a homogenous group. [A note on 'Hindu', a follower of Hinduism: According to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of modern India [1947-64], as stated in 'The Discovery of India,'

"... Hinduism, as a faith, is vague, amorphous, many-sided, all things to all men. It is hardly possible to define it, or indeed to say definitely whether it is a religion or not, in the usual sense of the word...".

                                                                    And according to Dr. Radhakrishnan, second President of modern India, as quoted in 'India: An Introduction' by Khushwant Singh,

"... Its [Hinduism] content, if any, has altered from age to age, from community to community. It meant one thing in the Vedic period, another in the Brahmanical, a third in the Buddhist - one to Saivite, another to Vaishnavite & Sakta..."].

19     Introduction

                                                                       The principle of European democracy cannot be applied to India without recognizing the fact of communal groups. The Muslim demand for the creation of a Muslim India within India is, therefore, perfectly justified. The resolution of the All-Parties Muslim Conference at Delhi is to my mind wholly inspired by this noble ideal of a harmonious whole which, instead of stifling the respective individualities of its component wholes, affords them changes of fully working out the possibilities that may be latent in them.

A Muslim State in the Northwest:

                                                                                       Personally, I would go further... I would like to see the Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province, Sind & Baluchistan amalgamated into a single state. Self-government within the British Empire, or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim state appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of North-West India. The proposal was put forward before the Nehru Committee. They rejected it on the ground that, if carried into effect, it would give a very unwieldy state. This is true as far as the area is concerned in point of population, the state contemplated by the proposal would be much smaller than some of the present Indian provinces. The exclusion of Ambala division, & perhaps of some districts where non-Muslims predominate, will make it less extensive & more Muslim in population... so that the exclusion suggested will enable this consolidated state to give a more effective protection to non-Muslim minorities within its area.

                                                                          The idea need not alarm the Hindus or the British; India is the greatest Muslim country in the world. The life of Islam as cultural force in this living country very largely depends on its centralization in a specified territory... Possessing full opportunity of development within the body-politic of India, the North-West Indian Muslims will prove the best defenders of India against a foreign invasion, be that invasion one of the ideas or of the bayonets... The Muslim demand.... is actuated by a genuine desire for free development, which is practically impossible under the type of unitary government contemplated by the nationalist Hindu politicians with a view to securing permanent communal dominance in the whole of India.

                                                                          Nor should the Hindus fear that the creation of autonomous Muslim states will mean the introduction of a kind of religious rule in such states... I, therefore, demand the formation of a consolidated Muslim State in the best interests of India

20     Introduction

 & Islam. For India, it means security & peace resulting from an internal balance of power; for Islam, an opportunity to rid itself of the stamp that Arabian imperialism was forced to give it, to mobilize its laws, its education, its culture, & to bring them into closer contact with its own original spirit & with the spirit of modern times.

Federal Idea:

                               In view of India’s infinite variety in climates, races, languages, creeds & social systems, the creation of autonomous states based on the unity of language, race, history, religion & identity of economic interests, is the only possible way to secure a stable constitutional structure in India. The conception of federation underlying the Simon Report necessitates the abolition of the Central Legislative Assembly & makes it an Assembly of the Representatives of Federal States. It further demands a redistribution of territory on the lines, which I have indicated...

                            Proper redistribution will make the question of joint & separate electorates automatically disappear from the constitutional controversy of India... The Hindu thinks that separate electorates are contrary to the spirit of true nationalism, because he understands the word ‘nation’ to mean a kind of universal amalgamation in which no communal entity ought to retain its private individuality. Such a state of things, however, does not exist. Nor is it desirable that it should exist. India is a land of racial & religious variety. Add to this the general economic inferiority of the Muslims... In such a country & in such circumstances, territorial electorates cannot secure adequate representation of all interests, & must inevitably lead to the creation of an oligarchy. The Muslims of India can have no objection to purely territorial electorates if provinces are demarcated so as to secure comparatively homogeneous communities, possessing linguistic, racial, cultural, & religious unity.

                           ... The Muslims demand federation because it is pre-eminently a solution of India’s most difficult problem, i.e. the communal problem. The Royal Commissioner’s view of federation.... does not go beyond providing means of escape from the situation which the introduction of democracy in India has created for the British, & wholly disregards the communal problem by leaving it where it was.

                          ... To my mind, a unitary form of government is simply unthinkable in a self-governing India. What is called ‘residuary powers’ must be left entirely to self-governing states, the Central Federal State exercising only those powers, which are expressly vested in it by the free consent of Federal States. I would never advise the Muslims of India to agree to a system, whether of British or of Indian origin, which virtually negatives the principle of true federation, or fails to recognize them as a distinct political entity.

21     Introduction

                          ... The [Simon] scheme appears to be aiming at a kind of understanding between Hindu India & British Imperialism - you perpetuate me in India, & in return, I give you a Hindu oligarchy to keep all other Indian communities in perpetual subjection. If, therefore, the British Indian provinces are not transformed into really autonomous states..., scheme of Indian federation will be interpreted only as a dexterous move on the part of British politicians to satisfy, without parting with any real power, all parties concerned; Muslims with the word ‘federation’; Hindus with a majority in the Center; & British imperialists.... with the substance of real power.

                        ... In view.... of the participation of the Princes in the Indian Federation, we must now see our demand for representation in the British Indian Assembly in a new light. The questions is not one of the Muslim share in a British Indian Assembly, but one which relates to representation of British Indian Muslims in an All India Federal Assembly. Our demand for 33 per cent must now be taken as a demand for the same proportion in the All-India Federal Assembly, exclusive of the share allotted to the Muslim states entering the Federation.

                         ... The discussion of the communal question in London has demonstrated, more clearly than ever, the essential disparity between the two great cultural units of India. Yet, the Prime Minister of England apparently refuses to see that the problem of India is international. He is reported to have said that

“His government would find it difficult to submit to parliament proposals for the maintenance of separate electorates, since joint electorates were much more in accordance with British democratic sentiment.”

                         Obviously, he does not see that the model of British democracy cannot be of any use in a land of many nations; & that a system of separate electorates is only a poor substitute for a territorial solution of the problem...

                          To base a constitution on the concept of a homogeneous India, or to apply to India principles dictated by British democratic sentiments, is unwittingly to prepare her for a civil war. As far as I can see, there will be no peace in the country until the various peoples that constitute India are given opportunities of free self-development on modern lines, without abruptly breaking with their past.

                            No Muslim politician should be sensitive to the taunt embodied in that propaganda word ‘communalism’ – expressly devised to exploit what the Prime Minister calls British democratic sentiments, & to mislead England into assuming a state of things that does not really exist in India. Great interests are at stake. We are seventy millions [according to 1921 records: 71 millions or 23.2% of India’s

22     Introduction

 population; 1931 records: 79 millions or 23.5% of population. Official records have consistently underestimated Muslim population. It was nearly thirty percent.], & far more homogeneous than any other people in India. Indeed, the Muslims of India are the only Indian people who can truly be described as a nation in the modern sense of the word. The Hindus, though ahead of us in almost all respects, have not yet been able to achieve the kind of homogeneity which is necessary for a nation, & which Islam has given you as a free gift. No doubt they are anxious to become a nation, but the process of becoming a nation is kind of travail, & in the case of Hindu India, involves a complete overhauling of her social structure. Nor should the Muslim leaders & politicians allow themselves to be carried away by the subtle but fallacious arguments that Turkey & Persia & other Muslim countries are progressing on national, i.e. territorial lines. The Muslims of India are differently situated.

                          The countries of Islam outside India are practically wholly Muslim in population. The minorities there belong, in the language of the Quran, to the ‘People of the Book’. There are no social barriers between Muslims & ‘the people of the Book’...

                          ... If these demands are not agreed to, then a question of a very great & far-reaching importance will arise for the community. Then will arrive the moment for independent & concerted political action by the Muslims of India. If you are at all serious about your ideals & aspirations, you must be ready for such action...

                          Let me tell you frankly that, at the present moment, the Muslims of India are suffering from two evils. The first is the want of personalities…the community has failed to produce leaders. By leaders, I mean men who, by divine gift or experience, possess a keen perception of the spirit & destiny of Islam, along with an equally keen perception of the trend of modern history. Such men are really the driving forces of a people, but hey are God’s gift & cannot be made to order. The second evil from which the Muslims of India are suffering is that the community is fast losing what is called the herd instinct. This makes it possible for individuals & groups to start independent careers without contributing to the general thought & activity of the community. We are doing today in the domain of politics what we have been doing for centuries in the domain of religion... But diversity in political action, at a moment when concerted action is needed in the best interests of the very life of our people, may prove fatal... Leading Muslims of all shades of opinion will have to meet together, not to pass resolutions, but finally to decide the Muslim attitude & to show the path to tangible achievement...

 23     Introduction

                     ... The present crisis in the history of India demands complete organization & unity of will & purpose in the Muslim community, both in your own interest as a community & in the interest of India as a whole... We have a duty towards Asia, especially Muslim Asia. And since seventy millions of Muslims in single country constitute a far more valuable asset to Islam than all the countries of Muslim Asia put together, we must look at the Indian problem, not only from the Muslim point of view, but also from the stand point of the Indian Muslim as such. Our duty towards Asia & India cannot be loyally performed without an organized will fixed on a definite purpose. In your own interest, as a political entity among other political entities of India, such equipment is an absolute necessity...

                       In the near future, our community may be called upon to adopt an independent line of action to cope with the present crisis. And an independent line of political action, in such a crisis, is possible only to a determined people, possessing a will focalized by a single purpose.             

                     ... Rise above sectional interests & private ambitions.... Pass from matter to spirit. Matter is diversity; spirit is light, life & unity.... one lesson I have learnt from the history of Muslims.

                      At critical moments in their history, it is Islam that has saved Muslims & not vice versa. If today you focus your vision on Islam & seek inspiration from the ever-vitalizing idea embodied in it, you will be only reassembling your scattered forces, regaining your lost integrity, & thereby saving yourself from total destruction...

Some Quotes on Allama Muhammad Iqbal:

                                                                                                                Wilfred Cantwell Smith in 'Modern Islam in India', London: V.G. Ltd., 1946, p. 116:

“Iqbal's influence has been remarkably varied & widespread. Almost everyone found something in him to applaud, something, which stirred him to, renewed Islamic vigor. There are those, of the liberal school, who read Iqbal & were merely proud of him - were proud that modern Islam had produced so great a man, just as they were proud that classical Islam produced a university in Cordoba [Qurtuba]; proud without proposing to do anything about it. Others, however, were incited, by Iqbal's message to some degree of activity in the name of their Lord. They could not but see that the world about or within them was less good than it might be; & the poet's eloquence stirred them to do something about it - & to coordinate their doing it, more or less precisely, with their Islam.”

 24     Introduction

Sir Thomas Arnold:

“Sir Muhammad Iqbal, in spite of his learning & his wide reading, is no mere echo of other men's ideas but is distinctly an original thinker.”

Message of Sir Rabindranath Tagore, a great poet of India, sent at the demise of Allama Iqbal on April 21, 1938:

“The death of Sir Muhammad Iqbal creates a void in literature that like a mortal wound will take a very long time to heal. India, whose place in the world is too narrow, can ill afford to miss a poet whose poetry had such universal value.”

An Excerpt from a Letter of Allama Muhammad Iqbal:

                                                                                                                               Less than a year before his death, during his long illness beginning in 1934, Allama Iqbal wrote a letter to Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Quaid-i-Azam) on June 21, 1937:

“... In these circumstances, it is obvious that the only way to a peaceful India is a redistribution of the country on the lines of racial, religious, & linguistic affinities. Many British statesmen also realize this, & the Hindu-Muslim riots which are rapidly coming in the wake of this constitution are sure further to open their eyes to the real situation in the country. I remember Lord Lothian telling me before I left England that my scheme was the only possible solution of the troubles in India, but that it would take twenty-five years to come...” ['Letters of Iqbal to Jinnah', with a Foreword by M.A. Jinnah (Quaid-i-Azam), Lahore, 1942].

Aik hon Muslim Harrum ki pasbani kay leeyay
Neel ke Sahil say lay kar tab khakay kashghar

25     Introduction

Fard Qaim Rabt-e-Millat say hay, tanha kuch nahi
Moj hay Darya may or bayroon-e-Darya Kuch nahi

Manfay-at aik hay is qaum ki nuqsaan bhi aik
Aik hay sab ka Nabi, Deen bhi eeman bhi aik
Harrum Pak bhi Allah bhi Quran bhi aik
Kuch bari baat thi hotay jo Musalman bhi Aik

 A day in the life of Allama Muhammad Iqbal (An interview with Mian Ali Baksh - life-long servant of Allama Iqbal):

Q. When did Iqbal usually get up in the morning?
A. Very early. As a matter of fact, he slept very little. He was keen on his morning prayer. After the prayer, he read the Quran.

Q. In what manner did he read the Quran?
A. Before his throat was affected, he used to recite the Quran in a clear & melodious voice. Even after he got the throat disease, he used to read the Quran but not loudly.

Q. What did he usually do after he had finished his prayer & recitation?
A. He used to sit in an easy chair. I would prepare his "hookah" & place it before him. He would study the briefs of cases, which were to come up in court that day. Now & then, while still at his files, he would have moments of poetic inspiration.

Q. How did you know when he was in his poetic mood?
A. He would call me & say: "Bring my note book & my pencil." When I brought these, he would write down the verses in pencil. Now & then, when he did not feel satisfied with his composition, he was extremely restless. While composing, he would often ask for the Quran to be brought to him. Even otherwise, he called for the Quran a number of times in the day.

Q. What time did he usually go to court when he was practicing at the bar?
A. He used to leave 15 or 20 minutes before court time. As long as he lived in Anarkali [his house, which is no longer in existence, was where the New Market, Lahore, is now] he used to go to court in his horse carriage. Later, he bought a car.

26     Introduction

Q. How long was he active as a legal practitioner?
A. He was in practice until he got his throat disease, which was around 1932 or 1933.

Q. What did he do on return from court?
A. Before doing anything else he used to ask me to help him take off his court clothes. He was never fond of formal dress & used to put it only for the court & that also with effort.

Q. What did he do after changing his dress?
A. He composed verses whenever he felt like it.

Q. Did he sleep in the afternoon?
A. Not usually, but he did so now & then.

Q. At what time did he take his meals?
A. Between 12 & 1 o'clock in the day. He ate only one meal. Normally he did not eat in the evening.

Q. What were his favorite dishes?
A. He was fond of pulao, mash-ki-daal seasoned with ghee, karela stuffed with minced meat, & also khushka.

Q. Did he like many dishes at his meals?
A. No, there were only a few dishes at a time. He was a poor eater.

Q. Did he take any exercise?
A. In the early days, he did. In those days, he used dum-bells, & performed dand [a stretching exercise].

Q. Was he in the habit of going out in the evening?
A. Getting out in the evening was almost an impossibility with him. In the earlier days when he was living inside Bhati Gate [where he lived before going to Cambridge, England in 1905], he would sometimes walk as far as the platform outside the house of Hakim Shahbazuddin [a close friend of the poet]. Once in a while Sir Zulfiqar Ali [of the ruling family of Malerkotla; author of book on poet 'A voice from the East'] would come in his car & take him out.

Q. When did he go to sleep in the evening?
A. In the evening a number of friends & visitors used to call on him. These sittings went on till 9 or 10 o'clock. After this, he sat alone with Ch. Mohammad Hussain & recited to him the verses he had composed during the day.

27     Introduction

Q. How long did Choudhry Sahib normally stay?
A. Up to 12 or 1 o'clock in the night. After this Doctor Sahib would go to bed, but would get up for his Tahajjud prayer after he had hardly slept for two or three hours.

Q. And after the Tahajjud?
A. He used to lie down for a short time until it was time for the morning prayers.

Q. Did he compose verses during the night?
A. Yes. On occasions, the poetic mood would come to him. This would often-happened around two or two-thirty in the morning.

Endow your will with such power
That at every turn of fate it so be
That God Himself asks of His slave
'What is it that pleases thee?'

Iqbal’s Philosophy of Khudi:

                                                                     Throughout history, prophets,

28     Introduction

poets, & philosophers have appeared to remind human beings of their true nature — a nature that consists of a temporal as well as a heavenly element. They have attempted to rekindle in the human beings the Divine Spark, which is an integral part of their makeup. Speaking of this Divine Spark, the Quran notes that when Allah (SWT) created the first human being, He breathed His own spirit into this new creation (Al-Hijr 15:29 & Al-Sajdah 32:9). Consequently, human nature is not "human," it is a "humanness" that has an element of the Divine in it. But after having been created "in the best conformation" (Al-Teen 95:4), the human being was reduced "to the lowest of the low" (Al-Teen 95:5). The question now arises as to whether the human individual can again rise to the original noble heights at which he/she was created. In the twentieth century, no Muslim thinker has delved into the depths of this issue more perceptively than the great poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938). Iqbal formulated his philosophy of Khudi in order to express his ideas on this subject. The following quatrain illustrates the motive underlying his spiritual & intellectual endeavors as well as the essential core of his philosophy:

Why should I ask the sages about my eginning?

It is my ultimate destiny that I am really concerned about.

Elevate your Khudi to such heights that before every decree,

God Himself asks you: "Tell me, what is your wish?"

                                                             Iqbal’s philosophy essentially revolves around the issue of the progression of human being, or the rise of the "self" or "ego" — the Iqbalian Khudi — in the direction of attaining exalted heights — the heights at which Almighty Allah (SWT) Himself begins to take the wishes, hopes, & aspirations of the human being into account before formulating His decree.

                                                          Iqbal argues that Khudi is the root of all existence, an entity, which may appear to be perishable, but which can attain immortality. The human ego or "I" has the potential of achieving permanence as an element in the constitution of the universe provided that it adopts a certain mode of life. The ego can evolve, progress, & succeed as well as degenerate, atrophy, & fail. The Quran puts these two possibilities as follows:

"The one who causes this (self) to grow in purity has indeed attained success; & the one who is negligent of this (self) has indeed utterly failed" (Al-Shams 91:9,10).

29     Introduction

                                                        The human ego has the ability to grow by absorbing the elements of the universe, of which it appears to be an insignificant part, as well as the ability to incorporate the attributes of Allah (SWT). Muslim Sufis have advised:

"Create in yourself the attributes of Allah."

                                                       If the human ego is able to do this, it would become worthy of being the vicegerent of God on earth. Iqbal argues that the human ego has a central place in the universe, while it is, at the same time, intimately linked with the Ultimate Ego, or God Himself. Iqbal notes,

 ...throughout the entire gamut of being runs, the gradually rising note of ego hood until it reaches perfection in man. That is why the Quran declares the Ultimate Ego to be nearer to man than his own neck-vein.¹

                                                     In order to reach these noble heights of perfection, the ego has to pass through three stages, which Iqbal describes in Asrar-e-Khudi. These three stages can be seen as the different spiritual phases through which the ego has to pass in its journey of spiritual ascension:

Ita‘at, or obedience to the Divine Law;

Dabt-e-Nafs, or self-control, which is the highest form of self-consciousness or egohood;

Niyabat-e-Ilahi, or the vicegerency of God.

                                                     Even though these three stages in the spiritual progression of the human ego superficially resemble Nietzsche’s three stages of the metamorphosis of the spirit, they are not the same. In fact, Iqbal himself deemed it

"necessary to warn the reader of Asrar-i-Khudi that Nietzsche does not at all believe in the spiritual fact which I have described as Khudi...."

                                                     The fact that Nietzsche does not even accept the reality of the human ego is itself the most pressing evidence that the three stages in the development of the Iqbalian Khudi are not identical with the three stages in the development of the Nietzschean

30     Introduction

 spirit. Nietzsche argues that the human "I" is a fiction & Iqbal accepts the argument that this is indeed the case if the issue is viewed from a purely intellectual standpoint. This position of Nietzsche echoes the Kantian argument in The Critique of Pure Reason that the notions of God, immortality, & freedom cannot be proven on intellectual grounds, however useful such notions may be for practical purposes. But Iqbal goes on to note that the existence of the "I" cannot be rejected just because it cannot be proven on intellectual grounds because the human ego is not a purely intellectual entity — its existence is also rooted in inner experiences. Bradley (1846-1924) has also noted that when one moves beyond the constraints of purely intellectual thought, & views the issue from the perspective of "inner experience," the "I" is no longer a fiction but an indubitable fact. Iqbal notes that Leibnitz, in asserting that the "I" is an ultimate fact, was closer to the truth than either Kant or Nietzsche. But Leibnitz regarded the human ego as something closed or windowless. Iqbal, however, notes that this assertion is contradicted by our experience in which the "I" can grow & evolve through the process of education. In light of this, the most pressing question for Iqbal is not whether the human ego is a reality or not — it most certainly is a reality — but whether this weak, created, & dependent ego or "I" can survive the shock of death & thus become a permanent element in the constitution of universe. As Iqbal argues in Asrar-e-Khudi, the human ego can attain immortality if it adopts a certain way of life through which it can come into contact with the Ultimate Source of existence, the Ultimate Ego.

                                         Since attaining permanence depends upon perfecting the self & bringing it in accord with the Divine Will, Iqbal appropriately exhorts that one should "know" his or her inner self. "Know thyself" is an exhortation that has been made numerous times before by many others; the problem is not in the exhortation itself but in its approach. According to Iqbal, all distinctly philosophical problems have ultimate solution in the self, but, unfortunately, it is this very self which is still ignored. The reason underlying the ignorance of the self is the fact that the self is thought of as being a material entity. But the human being is not only a material being; he/she also possesses a non-material component. Iqbal says that

"The unity called man is body when you look at it as acting in regard to what we call the external world; it is mind or soul when you look at it as acting in regard to the ultimate aim & ideal to such setting."

                                             In other words, there is an element in the composition of the human being that manifests itself & experiences reality quite differently from the bodily element of the human composition — this non-corporeal element is the human soul. Together,

31     Introduction

 the body & soul exist as a unit. Thus, the Iqbalian "self" is an entity in which the body & the soul have to work together. Both have to grow together & have to work harmoniously if the personality of an individual is to be strengthened. The body & the soul are indispensable for the needs of each other, as Iqbal notes:

...The body is not a thing situated in an absolute void; it is a system of events or acts. The system of experiences we call soul or ego is also a system of acts. This does not obliterate the distinction of soul & body; it only brings them closer to each other. The characteristic of the ego is spontaneity; the acts composing the body repeat themselves. The body is accumulated action or habit of the soul; & as such undetachable from it.

                                                    Iqbal expresses the same point in a couplet:

To name body & soul separately is the requirement of speech.

But to see (or know) body & soul as separate entities is heresy.

                                                     According to Iqbal, the soul is that element in the constitution of the human being that can be explained only in the sense that it is a Divine Spark in the human being:

The ambiance of the Divine Light is shrouded within this very (body of) clay,

O you heedless person! You are not just a sentient being!

                                                       Modern secular thought has lost all cognizance of this Divine Spark. The ignorance of this spiritual reality has led to the degeneration of the human being to sub-human levels of existence, notwithstanding the many scientific, technological, & economic accomplishments. Le Compte Du Noüy ends his book Human Destiny with the these words:

And let him [man] above all never forget that the divine spark is in him, & in him alone, & that he is free to disregard it, or to come closer to God by showing eagerness to work with Him & for Him.⁵

                                                        When the human being forgets this Spark of Divinity within, he/she falls prey to the false sense of personal liberty — a liberty that, in reality, is the worst form of slavery. Having lost sight of the Divine Spark within, the human being inevitably loses sight

32     Introduction

 of all higher moral & ethical principles &, as a consequence, his/her life becomes totally subservient to the animal instincts of bodily flesh. As a result of neglecting the awareness & realization of the Divinity within, the Divine Spark fades away & eventually it is extinguished altogether. This leads to an unbalanced life in which the individual exists only as an animal, a Homo sapiens, & loses all sense of his/her humanity. The following observation by Le Compte Du Noüy takes on added significance in light of these facts:

Man must liberate himself from bondage, which is normal for animals & therefore evil for him. The soul of man demands a complete mastery over the flesh.⁶

                                                        The Age of Enlightenment, the subsequent Industrial Revolution, & the succeeding era of Marx, Darwin, & Freud, as well as of others like them, appear to be milestones in the evolution of human thought. But these & other such milestones signify progress & development in only a limited sense — the progress & development of technological & mechanical culture. In spite of the claims that humanity has "progressed" immensely during the modern age, the reality is that moral & spiritual developments have been virtually static while technological & mechanical development has been proceeding vigorously. As a matter of fact, much of the technological & material advancement has taken place at the expense of moral & spiritual values. The modern secular society has become spellbound by all this material development, without recognizing the inherent destructive tendency vis-à-vis moral & spiritual values that this development entails. All "progress" has come to be measured in purely materialist & Darwinian terms but, as the following observation highlights, this definition of "progress" has nothing to do with ethics & spirituality. Professor R.M. MecIver notes in his book Society:

We should not define social evolution as though it meant or implied progress. How far we find a correspondence between the direction of social evolution & the direction prescribed by our particular concept of social progress is another matter. We may properly enquire into the relationship between the two. But it is possible to do so only if we define social evolution in ethically neutral terms.⁷

                                               Having rendered the human being incapable of moral self-assessment, modern secular thought has become the greatest contemporary hurdle to human spiritual progress, because it makes the human being unconscious of the true nature of human reality as well as the true nature of the reality of the universe. The fatal flaw, the greatest

33     Introduction

 misfortune of modern secular science, philosophy, & art is that they have become totally lopsided — totally focused on the material dimension of reality & oblivious to its spiritual dimension. Consequently, it is no surprise that not only has the human being not progressed spiritually during the modern period, but more tragically, the human being’s moral & spiritual faculties have become numb & practically dysfunctional. However, even though the spiritual faculties have become dormant, they are not dead altogether. These faculties are waiting for the time when human beings would recognize the importance of these inner capacities & decide to re-appropriate them so that they can play their rightful role in the reconstruction of humanity. For the time being though, modern thought has come to rely exclusively on science (or a philosophy that is the handmaiden of science) in its search for "objective" knowledge. But, as a matter of fact, neither science nor philosophy is by itself capable of reaching the truly "objective" knowledge regarding the actual nature of reality & the actual reality of the human being. Speaking about the limitations of science in the human quest for knowledge, Iqbal notes:

Natural Science deals with matter, with life, & with mind; but the moment you ask the question how matter, life, & mind are mutually related, you begin to see the sectional character of the various sciences that deal with them & the inability of these sciences, taken singly, to furnish a complete answer to your question. In fact, the various natural sciences are like so many vultures falling on the dead body of Nature, & each running away with a piece of its flesh.... Natural Science is by nature sectional; it cannot, if it is true to its own nature & function, set up its theory as a complete view of Reality.

                                                   Whereas the limitation of science is that it is by nature "sectional," the limitation of philosophy is of a similar nature:

Philosophy is an intellectual view of things; &, as such, does not care to go beyond a concept, which can reduce all the rich variety of experience to a system. It sees Reality from a distance as it were.⁹

                                                    Because of the obvious limitations of science & philosophy, it is equally obvious that the human being cannot truly realize his/her humanity if the individual is left to depend upon his/her physical & mental capabilities alone. In other words, the human ago, the Iqbalian Khudi, cannot fulfill its true potential if the individual avails him/herself only of the resources of science & philosophy. For Iqbal it is only religion that can provide us with the intimate & holistic

34     Introduction

 knowledge of Reality — the type of knowledge that is an essential prerequisite for the realization of our humanity. Iqbal argues:

[Philosophy] is theory... [Religion] is living experience, association, and intimacy. In order to achieve this intimacy thought must rise higher than itself, & find its fulfillment in an attitude of mind which religion describes as prayer — one of the last words on the lips of the Prophet of Islam.¹⁰

                                                  This attitude of mind, though only in its most developed & highest form, is the theistic counterpart of Nietzsche’s atheistic will to power. Of course, the will is essential if one is to overcome the temptations of an immoral life, as demanded by religion. However, the will without the support of belief in something higher & more sublime cannot withstand the pull towards carnality & corruption.

                                                                  Khudi requires the coupling of will to power & belief, eventually realizing itself in the form of yaqeen or a deep inner conviction. In fact, it is undaunted conviction that serves as the pivotal point for the "self" to act & react to the sensual temptations of life. However, this conviction will not actualize itself unless the individual understands that his/her life has a purpose, & that this purpose has an individual as well as a collective dimension. The evolution & ascension of the ego is not merely a detached, personal, & individual event — this spiritual development has a collective dimension too that cannot be ignored. Iqbal notes that a great deal of sacrifice & benevolence is required on the part of a person in order to bring the individual, self-preserving ego in harmony with the collective ego. Consequently, the guiding principle in life cannot be one of conflict between the "self" & other "selves" if the dynamic process of the development of Khudi is to take place. This process can only unfold if there is conscious realization of the tension between the individual & collective dimensions, a consciousness that in turn enables the individual personality to balance this tension. Iqbal defines "personality" as being this very state of tension, which, if not maintained, will cause indolence to set in, short-circuiting khudi’s process of development. The process of self-realization requires tension to be present, as tension is the wellspring of dynamism. The human being’s complete freedom from the limitations of the material world — & from materialism itself — is contingent upon the maintenance of this tension. In essence, the human being’s aspiration to achieve perfection necessarily requires the achievement of a balance between the individual ego & the collective ego. In Iqbal’s words:

The life of the ego is a kind of tension caused by the ego invading the environment & the environment invading the ego. The ego does not

35     Introduction

stand outside this arena of mutual invasion. It is present in it as a directive energy & is formed & disciplined by its own experiences.

                                                      This constant interaction between the individual ego & the environment provides the ideal opportunity for self-evaluation. As the individual interacts with her/his environment, he/she must be constantly assessing his/her own "self" not only on an individual basis but also in relation to other "selves" in the environment. But one should not lose sight of the fact that the initial emphasis is on the individual ego. Only that individual ego which has attained a degree of self-realization & self-understanding will be able to genuinely understand & constructively engage with other individual egos. This is another way of saying that only that ego which has learned self-respect, self-love, & self-affirmation will be able to extend respect & love to other selves, & also affirm their dignity & autonomy. Iqbal’s philosophy of Khudi posits that a mature & developed understanding of respect, love, & affirmation on the part of individual ego requires respect, love, & affirmation for every other "self" because only that individual ego which is genuinely integrated with its environment & constructively engaged with other egos is really a conscious self.

                                                       In the context of Iqbal’s philosophy, then, the progress of the individual human being depends on his/her relationship to the self, to the family, to the society, & ultimately to God. The gradual realization of this intricate & delicate web of relations will lead the individual to realize his/her fullest potential & significance. Ultimately, with the rise of ego-hood on Iqbalian terms, the individual can become the architect of human destiny. It is worth repeating the quatrain that was cited in the beginning regarding the motivation & essence of Iqbal’s intellectual & spiritual quest:

Why should I ask the sages regarding my origin?

It is my ultimate destiny that I am really concerned about.

Elevate your Khudi to such heights that before every decree

God Himself asks you: "Tell me, what is your wish?"

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