BOOK TITLE: Iqbal- the Connoisseur of spirit of Islam. Review By : Z. G . Muhammad Name of Book: Iqbal- Ruhi Din Ka Shanasa Language: Urdu Author : Syed Ali Geelani Published by: Maktaba Tameer Milat Price: Rs. 175 Hardbound Pages: 302

 

 

I have been often writing to the annoyance of some political leaders that Allama Muhammad Iqbal was, is and will remain as an icon for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He will continue to be a lodestar- a guiding star for us in future also. It is not a surmise- but perhaps realization about Iqbal's influence both on intellect and politics of Kashmir. The book under review is one more addition to thousands of books written about Dr. Iqbal. This book is different than many others is the author has profusely quoted from his Persian poetry. It provides yet another slit to look at his life and mission. Allama Muhammad Iqbal is generally known as a poet and philosopher, but he was also a jurist, a politician, a social reformer, and a great Islamic scholar. He was not a hermit- he was an energetic political leader and political thinker. In 1927 he was elected to the Punjab provincial legislature and in 1930 became president of the Muslim League. Initially a supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity in a, Iqbal later became an advocate of Pakistani independence. True, he is more known as a poet- here also most of the scholars will be looking at him as a poet. It may sound strange that Iqbal never considered himself a poet as is evidenced by his correspondence with Syed Sulaiman Nadvi [1885-1953]. "I have never considered myself a poet. Therefore, I am not a rival of anyone, and I do not consider anybody my rival. I have no interest in poetic artistry. But, yes, I have a special goal in mind for whose expression I use the medium of poetry considering the condition and the customs of this country." (translated from the original in Urdu; Maktoobat, Volume I, page195) He like Sheikh-ul-Alam, Sheikh Noor-u-Din Wali used poetry to revolutionize thinking and out look of Muslim Ummah, bringing about social and political transformation. Iqbal's contribution to the Muslim world as one of the greatest thinkers of Islam remains unparalleled. In his writings, he addressed and exhorted people, particularly the youth, to stand up and boldly face life's challenges. The central theme and main source of his message was the Qur'an. Iqbal considered the Qur'an not only as a book of religion (in the traditional sense) but also a source of foundational principles upon which the infrastructure of an organization must be built as a coherent system of life. According to Iqbal, this system of life when implemented as a living force is ISLAM. Because it is based on permanent (absolute) values given in the Qur'an, this system provides perfect harmony, balance, and stability in the society from within and the source of security and a shield from without. It also provides freedom of choice and equal opportunity for the development of personality for everyone within the guidelines of Qur'an. Thus, in Iqbal's opinion, Islam is not a religion in which individuals strive for a private subjective relationship with God in the hope of personal salvation as it is done in secular systems. Iqbal firmly opposed theocracy and dictatorship and considered them against the free spirit of Islam. Humanity and respect for human values is the cardinal creed of his poetry. And humanity as a whole has never faced the challenge as it is facing today. The problems have taken on a global dimension now and transcend the barriers of race, color, language, geography, and social, political and religious ideologies. Most of the problems of mankind are universal in nature and, therefore, require a universal approach to the solution. Iqbal's universal message is an attempt to address this challenge faced by humanity. He was a matured political philosopher. It was not at the spur of moment that he talked about a separate state for the Muslims of South-Asia. He had a thorough study of the post 1857 status of the Muslims. He understood ramifications of consolidation of the British Raj in India and its impact on the Muslims of the sub-continent. The post 1857 situation had generated t, many ideas, plans, proposals and schemes for saving identity of Muslims in the region and given birth to ideas like formation of a separate Muslim state. Apart from indigenous proposals, British parliamentarians, writers and others were also thinking in terms of the bifurcation of India. The first such scheme for the partition or division of India was voiced by a British Parliamentarian John Bright in June 1858. Addressing the House of Commons he suggested "five or six large presidencies with complete autonomy, ultimately becoming independent States." Iqbal had studied all these proposals. Allama Iqbal suggested that a separate state should be given to the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent so that they can express the vitality of Islam to its fullest. In his 1930 Presidential speech delivered to the annual session of Muslim League at Allahabad, Allama Iqbal stated: "I, therefore, demand the formation of a consolidated Muslim state in the best interests of India and Islam. For India, it means security and 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, and to bring them into closer contact with its own original spirit and with the spirit of modern times." Iqbal's "Deeda-war" (visionary), is like Iqbal himself. He could foresee what others could not. Whereas others only have a short term view of things, a visionary sees the problems in a long term perspective and develops some sort of cosmic sense. I would suggest my scholars here there was need for working in greater detail on the prose works of Iqbal- we no to shun attitude mystifying Iqbal and making his simple ideas on religion and politics complex. There can be no denying that after Shakespeare, largest number of books has been written on Allama and his works. I do not have claim on having read entire works on Iqbal- his life is so multifaceted – an to understand one facet of his life you need to have one full life and for understanding Iqbal in his totality you need to live many lives. Iqbal's greatest contribution is in Persian language The book by Syed Ali Geelani Sahib author very candidly portrays Iqbal in right perspective. He has understood essence of Iqbal's message- he in fact has assimilated profundity of the poet of the East (Shari-e-Mushraq) thoughts and ideas. The book gives us a kaleidoscopic view of Iqbal's thought and ideas. The book is moving narrative that tells that how Iqbal's message was more relevant to Ummah- how it can serve as beacon light for the new generation to take them out of dark jungles of moral degradation and show the linear path.