A Presentation by AFIA SHAHID & QURAT UL AIN

Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938)

Introduction
Writings devoted to the revival of Islam. Encouraged Muslims to embrace ideals of brotherhood, justice and service. The Song of Eternity (1932) similar in theme to Dantes Divine Comedy, relates his ascent through all realms of thought & experience, guided by 13th century poet Jalal ud Din Rumi. Free the muslim mind from prevailing colonial mentality & from narrow self interests, also reflected in Toloo-e-Islam (Rise of Islam).

Poems & Works

Baang-e-Dara (1924) First written in Persian, later translated into Urdu. Anthology of poems divided into 3 parts. Baal-e-Jibraeel (1935) Gabriels Wing continues from Baang-e-Dara Contains 15 ghazals addressed to God & 61 ghazals & 22 quatrains dealing with the ego, faith, love, knowledge, the intellect & freedom.

Continued
Zarb-e-Kaleem (1936) Collection of Urdu poems, described as his political manifesto. Published with the subtitle A Declaration of War against the Present Times The Blow of Moses Staff meant to rescue Muslims from the ills of modern civilization. Armaghan-e-Hijaz (1938) Published a few months after his death Containing verses in Persian & Urdu The title means Gift from the Hijaz.

Prose work
The Reconstruction of Religious thought in Islam (1930) Religion vs Philosophy- To embrace or Exclude? The Development of Metaphysics in Persia (1908) Summary of Iqbals 1930 presidential Address.

Iqbals concept of KHUDI (Ego)

Significance of the Self in an individual is the source through which we can bring ourselves closest to the Ultimate. Like Soren Kierkgaard (Danish philosopher) for Iqbal, self emerges as a vital entity in the individual, energetic & productive. Vitalism renders the self an internal dynamic activity with intensity of violation, feeling & thought.

Continued
For Iqbal, man is the caretaker of all possibilities of life. In a verse he says: Your nature is the care-taker of the possibilities of life Self in individual is speculative, possesses a sharp insight that sees the whole, sees not merely the observable part of an object but the whole of it. In the subjective intensification (inner individual) of existence, truth comes to be in the life of an individual, Iqbal says; Dive into your own self, it is the very secret of life

Continued
Iqbals concept of self with regard to collective self is similar to that of Hegel (German Philosopher). Iqbals idea of collective self & individual self, or universal self & individual self, highlights full scope of self. Self is a synthesis of ideality & reality, infinitude & finitude, possibility & necessity, eternity & time, universality & individuality. The individual self derives attributes from All Embracing Ego. Role of self in this world is constructive & fight against destructive forces, activity of ones first self towards right direction that can achieve perfection & becomes an authentic self.

Continued
Iqbal explains the way of such trial (self examination) Art thou in the stage of life, death, or death-in-life.

Invoke the aid of three witnesses to verify thy station. The first witness is thine own consciousness See thyself, then, with own light. The second witness is the consciousness of another ego See thyself, then, with the light of an ego other than thee. The third witness is Gods consciousness See thyself, then, with Gods light. If thou standest unshaken in front of this light, Consider thyself as living and eternal as He! That man alone is real who dares Dares to see God face to face!

Continued
What is Ascension? Only a search for a witness, Who may finally confirm thy reality? A witness whose confirmation alone makes thee eternal. No one can stand unshaken in His Presence; And he who can, verily, he is pure gold. Art thou a mere particle of dust? Tighten the knot of thy ego; And hold fast to thy tiny being! How glorious to burnish ones ego. And to test its lustre in the presence of the Sun! Re-chisel, then, thine ancient frame; And build up a new being. Such being is real being; Or else thy ego is a mere ring of smoke.

Continued
Like Bergson (French philosopher) Iqbal says, Infinity is not beyond the reach of finite man. He says: In the world of Love Time is not limited to past, present & future, There exists Times as well, which have no names. Such a person holds intuitive eye. His relation with the matter remains but at the same time he remains relating to transcendental world, without breaking ties with the physical world. Iqbal says action alone is the highest form of contemplation. In great action alone the self of man becomes united with God without losing its own identity, & transcends the limits of space & time. In Baal-e-Jibreel Iqbal says, There are as yet many worlds to be manifested For the womb of Being is not empty Every world is waiting to be attacked by you To feel the sharpness of your thought & deed This is the object of the revolutions of day & night That yourself may reveal itself to you

Continued
For Iqbal Pure ego is the self which is authentic, & awakened self or inner of the individual which becomes moving force in the practical world. Such a man is God vicegerent, like Nietzsches super Man, Kierkegaards authentic person & Iqbals perfect man. Self doesn't end anywhere, even death doesn't stop its movement as Iqbal says, death opens up way to more light & carries us to those regions where we stand face to face with eternal beauty & truth.

ASRAR-I-KHUDI (The Secrets of the Self)

Famous book on Khudi in Persian language Translated by Prof. R.A Nicholson A few words from the translator about Iqbals idea are as: Everyone, I suppose, will acknowledge that the substance of the Asrar-i-Khudi` is striking enough to command attention. In the poem, naturally, this philosophy (i.e.Self) presents itself under a different aspect. .............., its logical brilliancy dissolves in the glow of feeling and imagination, and it wins the heart before taking possession of the mind.

Continued
Asrar-e-khudi is composed in the metre & modeled on the style of the famous Masnavi. Paid homage to the pure & profound genius of Rumi. After Persian fashion, he invokes Saki That I may lead home the wanderer. And imbue the idle looker-on with restless impatience. And advance hotly on a new quest. And become known as the champion of a new spirit." What is the far-off goal on which Iqbals eyes are fixed?

Asrar I Khudi
It emphasizes the spirit and self from a religious, spiritual perspective and can be divided into three different phases for the better understanding. The philosophical basis of the Asrar I Khudi. The Ego and continuation of Personality. The Education of the EGO.

The philosophical Basis of The Asrar i Khudi

Iqbal believes that, Experience should take in finite centers and should wear the form of finite thisness is in the explicable (prof.Bradley) The Ego (Khudi) attains to freedom by the removal of all observations in its way.

The finite center is only an appearance. All life is individual; there is no such thing as universal fundamental fact.

God himself is an Individual. He is the most unique individual. In Iqbals view orderliness and adjustment is not eternally achieved but it is a gradual travelling from chaos to cosmos. There can be no complete truth about the universe, because the universe has not yet become complete. The process of creation still going on.

In Iqbals view, the moral and religious ideal of man is not self-negation but self-affirmation and he attains to this ideal by becoming more and more unique. The Prophet said, Create in yourself the attribute of GOD. Thus man becomes unique by becoming more and more like the Most Unique Individual.

Life is individuality and its highest form is EGO in which the individual becomes a self contained exclusive center. The greater his distance from God the less his individuality. He who comes near God is the completest man. The true person not absorbs the matter but he absorbs God in Himself and into his EGO(Khudi).

The Ego and continuation of Personality.

In man the center of life becomes an Ego or Person. Personality is the state of tension. If that state of tension is not maintained , relaxation will ensue which turns a man into common being. Here Iqbal gives us the concept that the idea of personality gives us a standard of value: it settles the problem of good and evil. Art, religion and ethics must be judged from the stand-point of personality.

For Freedom of ego, we o have to face the problem of matter and in connexion with its immortality, we have to face the problem of time. Pure time has no length and personal immortality is an inspiration. The true nature of time is reached when we look into our deeper Self.

The true essence of lofe is SelfRealisation according to Iqbal. In reality human beings are timeless and its possible to realize about this timelessness even in this life through revelation and that can be momentary.

The Education of the EGO

The Ego is fortified by Love(ISHQ). Love individualizes the lover as well as the beloved. And this individuality makes you unique. As love fortifies the Ego, asking(Sual) weakens it. All that is achieved without personal effort comes under Sual.

1. Obedience to law. 2. Self-control, which is the highest form of self-consciousness or Ego-hood. 3. Divine Vicegerency (Nayabt e Alahi) Human is vicegerent(Naib) on earth of God.

The Ego in its movement towards uniqueness has to pass three stages

Iqbal regards ego as a unity of subject and object. Khudi az kaa-i-naat-i rangu bu neest, Hawaas-i maa mian-i maa-o ou neest. Nigah ra dar hareemash nest rah-i, Kunee khud ra tamaasha bey nigahey. (Self does not belong to this phenomena, Our senses do not come between us and it. Our eyes have no access to its secret chamber, You see the self without the help of the physical eye).

Conclusion
In Asrar, Iqbal has explained his philosophy of " Self". He proves by various means that the whole universe obeys the will of the "Self". Iqbal condemns self-destruction. For him the aim of life is self-realization and self-knowledge. He charts the stages through which the "Self" has to pass before finally arriving at its point of perfection, enabling the knower of the "Self" to become the vicegerent of Allah on earth. Iqbal believes the answers to essential questions regarding the ego are important in determining morality for both the society and the individual .

The form of existence is an effect of the Self, Whatsoever thou seest is a secret of the Self. When the Self awoke to consciousness, It revealed the universe of Thought. A hundred worlds are hidden in its essence; Self-affirmation brings Not-self to light. By the Self the seed of opposition is sown in the world: It imagines itself to be other than itself.