Land of the Pure

Happy Independence Day! 

A Skillful Leader

"The skillful leader . . . does not rely on personal force; he controls his group not by dominating but by expressing it. He stimulates what is best in us."

~ Mary Parker Follett

Ana al-Haque & Seeing the world through Iqbal's Eyes

The question may be asked: If Mansur al-Hallaj was put to death for uttering "Ana-al-Haque," why was Iqbal not misunderstood by his contemporaries for backing Mansur's stance?

I think Iqbal *was* (*is*) misunderstood, certainly not by all, but by many.  And the misunderstanding can be so subtle.

During our Iqbal studies, made possible by the many high quality learning opportunities provided by the Marghdeen Learning Centre for Iqbal Studies, we have examined how a great deal of so-called "Iqbal Studies" are programs of study wherein Iqbal and his philosophy are approached with a specific academic model already firmly in mind. Academics, then, approach him from a historical model, or a political model, or a psychological model, or a literature model, etc. He then is appropriated by those disciplines, and given a place in those studies.

How, though, may we come to better understand Iqbal and his philosophy if our academics simply absorb him into their studies, interpreting his works according to their firmly defined boundaries and prescribed lens of perception?  How, then, may we (individually) come to understand Iqbal and his philosophy if we simply invite him into our minds which are already full of so many other worldly ideas many of which stand in stark contrast to the transformative shifts that Iqbal (I would argue) is seeking to introduce to us?

The alternative path toward getting closer to Iqbal, and particularly to how we may make practical use of his philosophy (rather than simply relegating him to college lectures and bookshelves), is to approach the study of history, the study of politics, the study of psychology, the study of literature, etc. from an Iqbalian perspective. Here, compared to the former method, the Iqbalian understanding absorbs these disciplines. Here, Iqbal (and we who strive to live the Iqbal philosophy) decides where and how those disciplines fit.  Here, these disciplines stand to be transformed.  Here, we stand to be transformed.

Sticking with the former (and very common) method contributes to a societal spinning of wheels. Things churn, but nothing changes.  The former and very common method of so-called Iqbal Studies is little more than the continuing millstone of society which turns and grinds all that is introduced to it.  We all realize, however, that what is produced from this millstone is little more than world-approved food.  We need food now, however, which will nourish the essence of humanity.  We need sustenance which will not lull the soul to sleep, but awakens and enlivens it!

Many thanks to Khurram Ali Shafique for all his efforts toward introducing Iqbal to the world so that we can see the world anew, and thus transform her.

Iqbal: His Life and Our Times

Iqbal never took it upon himself to tell the community what it should do.  Instead, he placed his intellectual energies at the disposal of his people.

Born to serve rather than dictate, he became the conduit through which the collective dreams of the masses were articulated into the language of the elite, rather than the other way around.  This was a journey in which he and his people underwent three distinct stages of evolution, and the chapters of the present volume have been arranged accordingly.

The above is a quote from the brand new book, Iqbal: His Life and Our Times.  In the Introduction, it is written that this book fulfills the need for a simple and reliable introduction to the life and work of this unmatched genius, highlighting the practical relevance of his ideas for those who wish to consider them for implementation.

This book definitely does fulfill this.  Indeed, turning to Iqbal's philosophy for practical implementation in one's world is precisely why I like this book so much.  It has ignited for me new understandings of, and passion for, Iqbal's philosophy.

There is so much to this new book.  It is indeed, as it states at the beginning of the book, a fine introduction to Iqbal.  It is, however, so much more.  The connections, for instance, between Iqbal's political philosophy and that of the American thinker, Mary Parker Follett, and the Bengali visionary C.R. Das are explored. The author also describes in detail how Iqbal's poetry and prose are actually a coherent system of thought.

The author, Khurram Ali Shafique, is an historian and educationist, and the author of biographies, screenplays, and numerous articles in English and Urdu.  Well known in the field of Iqbal studies, he is the founding director of the Marghdeen Learning Centre which provides unique online courses in Iqbal's philosophy.  He is also a research consultant at the Iqbal Academy, Pakistan.

It can be ordered now directly from Createspace Website.

This book is presents fresh insights about Iqbal.  For scholars, and particularly for those who desire to be change-agents in this world, helping themselves, their societies, and all of humanity, we highly recommend this book!  

Allama Iqbal - Shikwa (Complaint to Allah) - Munshi Raziuddin, Ustad Baha Uddin, Manzoor Niazi

Why must I forever lose, forever forgo profit that is my due,

Sunk in the gloom of evenings past, no plans for the morrow pursue.

Why must I all attentive be to the nightingales lament,

Friend, am I as dumb as a flower? Must I remain silent?

My theme makes me bold, makes my tongue more eloquent,

Dust fills my mouth, against Allah I make complaint.

We won renown for submitting to Your willand it is so;

We speak out now, we are compelled to repeat our tale of woe.

We are like the silent lute whose chords are full of voice;

When grief wells up to our lips, we speak; we have no choice.

Lord God! We are Your faithful servants, for a while with us bear,

It is in our nature to always praise You, a small plaint also hear.

That Your Presence was primal from the beginning of time is true;

The rose also adorned the garden but of its fragrance no one knew.

Justice is all we ask for. You are perfect, You are benevolent.

If there were no breeze, how could the rose have spread its scent?

We Your people were dispersed, no solace could we find,

Or, would Your Beloveds following have gone out of its mind?

Before our time, a strange sight was the world You had made:

Some worshipped stone idols, others bowed to trees and prayed.

Accustomed to believing what they saw, the peoples vision wasnt free,

How then could anyone believe in a God he couldnt see?

Do you know of anyone, Lord, who then took Your Name? I ask.

It was the muscle in the Muslims arms that did Your task. 

~ Translation by Khushwant Singh

The Question

For centuries Eastern heart and intellect have been 

absorbed in the question – Does God exist? I propose to 

raise a new question – new, that is to say, for the East – 

Does man exist? 

~ Allama Iqbal (Stray Reflections, 1925 Section)

Live Now

Failures are often the results of timidity and fears; disappointments are the results of bashfulness; hours of leisure pass away like summer-clouds.  Therefore, do not waste the opportunity of doing good.

~ Hazrat Ali

The Weak and the Strong

The weak lose themselves in God; the strong discover 

Him in themselves. 

~ Allama Iqbal (from Stray Reflections, 1925 Section)

There are only ego-sustaining and ego-dissolving acts

"Life offers a scope for ego-activity, and death is the first test of the synthetic activity of the ego.  There are no pleasure-giving and pain-giving acts; there are only ego-sustaining and ego-dissolving acts.  It is the deed that prepares the ego for dissolution, or disciplines him for a future career.  The principle of the ego-sustaining deed is respect for the ego in myself as well as in others.  Personal immortality, then, is not ours as of right; it is to be achieved by personal effort.  Man is only a candidate for it.  The most depressing error of Materialism is the supposition that finite consciousness exhausts its object.  Philosophy and science are only one way of approaching that object.  There are other ways of approach open to us; and death, if present action has sufficiently fortified the ego against the shock that physical dissolution brings, is only a kind of passage to what the Quran describes as 'Barzakh.'"

~ Allama Iqbal (from The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam)

If thou wouldst live, become full of Self!

The saint of Hajwir was venerated by the peoples,         

And Pir-i-Sanjar visited his tomb as a pilgrim,      

With ease he broke down the mountain barriers             

And sowed the seed of Islam in India.   

The age of Omar was restored by his godliness.

The fame of the Truth was exalted by his words.             

He was a guardian of the honour of the Koran. 

The house of Falsehood fell in ruins at his gaze.

The dust of the Punjab was brought to life by his breath,             

Our dawn was made splendid by his sun              

He was a lover, and withal, a courier of Love:     

The secrets of Love shone forth from his brow.

I will tell a story of his perfection              

And enclose a whole rose-bed in a single bud.  

A young man, cypress-tall,

Came from the town of Merv to Lahore.              

He went to see the venerable saint,      

That the sun might dispel his darkness. 

"I am hammed in," he said, "by foes;     

I am as a glass in the midst of stones.     

Do thou teach me, O sire of heavenly rank,        

How to lead my life amongst enemies!"               

The wise Director, in whose nature 

Love had allied beauty with majesty,     

Answered: "Thou art unread in Life's lore,           

Careless of its end and its beginning.     

Be without fear of others!          

Thou art a sleeping force: awake!            

When the stone thought itself to be glass,          

It became glass and got into the way of breaking.            

If the traveller thinks himself weak,       

He delivers his soul unto the brigand.    

How long wilt thou regard thyself as water and clay?      

Create from thy clay a flaming Sinai!       

Why be angry with mighty men?             

Why complain of enemies?        

I will declare the truth: thine enemy is thy friend:            

His existence crowns thee with glory.    

Whosoever knows the states of the Self              

Considers a powerful enemy to be a blessing from God.              

To the seed of Man the enemy is -as a rain-cloud:           

He awakens its potentialities.    

If thy spirit be strong, the stones in thy way are as water:            

What wrecks the torrent of the ups and downs of the road?      

The sword of resolution is whetted by the stones in the way,    

And put to proof by traversing stage after stage.             

What is the use of eating and sleeping like a beast?        

What is the use of being, unless thou have strength in thyself? 

When thou mak'st thyself strong with Self,         

Thou wilt destroy the world at thy pleasure.      

If thou wouldst pass away, become free of Self

If thou wouldst live, become full of Self !             

Who is death? To become oblivious to Self.        

Why imagine that it is the parting of soul and body?       

Abide in Self, like Joseph?           

Advance from captivity to empire!          

Think of Self and be a man of action       

Be a man of God, bear mysteries within!"           

I will explain the matter by means of stories,

I will open the bud by the power of my breath.

Tis better that a lover's secret   

Should be told by the lips of others.

~ Allama Iqbal (from Asrar-I-Khudi)

The Highest Stage of Man's Ethical Progress

"The truth is that Islam looks upon the universe as a reality and consequently recognises as reality all that is in it. Sin, pain, sorrow, struggle are certainly real, but Islam teaches that evil is not essential to the universe; the universe can be reformed; the elements of sin and evil can be gradually eliminated. All that is in the universe is God’s, and the seemingly destructive forces of nature become sources of life, if properly controlled by man, who is endowed with the power to understand and to control them.  

These and other similar teachings of the Quran, combined with the Quranic recognition of the reality of sin and sorrow, indicate that the Islamic view of the universe is neither optimistic nor pessimistic. Modern psychometry has given the final answer to the psychological implications of Buddhism. Pain is not an essential factor in the constitution of the universe, and pessimism is only a product of a hostile social environment. Islam believes in the efficacy of well-directed action; hence the standpoint of Islam must be described as melioristic – the ultimate pre-supposition and justification of all human effort at scientific discovery and social progress. Although Islam recognises the fact of pain, sin and struggle in nature, yet the principal fact which stands in the way of man’s ethical progress is, according to Islam, neither pain, nor sin, nor struggle. It is fear, to which man is a victim owing to his ignorance of the nature of his environment and want of absolute faith in God. The highest stage of man’s ethical progress is reached when he becomes absolutely free from fear and grief.

The central proposition which regulates the structure of Islam, then, is that there is fear in nature, and the object of Islam is to free man from fear."

~ from "Islam as a Moral and Political Ideal" (Allama Iqbal)

The Deepest Truths of Life

To explain the deepest truths of life in the form of homely parables requires extraordinary genius. Shakespeare, Maulana Rum (Jalaluddin) and Jesus Christ are probably the only illustrations of this rare type of genius.

~ Allama Iqbal (from Stray Reflections)

Build in yourself a Kaaba sacrosanct

From being and non-being’s whirlpool free

Yourself; in this world of contingency

Build in yourself a Kaaba sacrosanct

Like Abraham’s home of eternity.

~ Allama Iqbal (from Payam-I-Mashriq)

The Ideal of Imagination

It is idle to seek logical truth in poetry.  The ideal of imagination is beauty, not truth.  Do not then try to show a poet's greatness by quoting passages from his works which, in your opinion, embody scientific truth.

~ Allama Iqbal (from Stray Reflections)

I am born...

I am born in the world as a new sun,

I have not learned the ways and fashions of the sky:

Not yet have the stars  fled before my splendor,

Not yet is my quicksilver astir;

Untouched is the sea by my dancing rays,

Untouched are the mountains by my crimson hue.

The eye of existence is not familiar with me;

I rise trembling, afraid to show myself.

~ Allama Iqbal (from Secrets of the Self)

A diseased social organism...

A diseased social organism sometimes sets up within itself forces which have a tendency to preserve the health of the organism - e.g., the birth of a great personality which may revitalise the dying organism by the revelation of a new ideal.

~ Allama Iqbal (from Stray Reflections)

Man is a Creative Activity

"When attracted by the forces around him, man has the power to shape and direct them; when thwarted by them, he has the capacity to build a much vaster world in the depths of his own inner being, wherein he discovers sources of infinite joy and inspiration.  Hard his lot and frail his being, like a rose-leaf, yet no form of reality is so powerful, so inspiring, and so beautiful as the spirit of man!  Thus in his inmost being man, as conceived by the Quran, is a creative activity, an ascending spirit who, in his onward march, rises from one state of being to another."

Allama Iqbal (from The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam)

Making Wholes

The secrets of the sun are yours, but you

Content yourself with motes trapped in its beams.

Turn to what truly lives, reject what seems -

Which matters more, the body or the soul?

Be whole: desire and journey to the Whole.

~ Farid ud-Din Attar (Manteq at-Tair)

How may we come to create healthy societies in this world?  In what way may different nations cultivate a genuine unity with one another, despite being identified by different religions?  In what ways may a method of education facilitate societies and nations of achieving a genuine integrity, a vital wholeness, and a real collective self?  What do we, the people of a society, need to learn?

In Political Thought in Islam, Allama Iqbal describes how a genuine unity of a nation is not based on geographic boundaries, language or social tradition, but "in the unity of the religious and political ideal; or, in the psychological fact of like-mindedness..."  It is, as Iqbal describes, a unity based upon "the spiritual force of a common ideal" that can bind a people together.  Iqbal emphasizes that Islam itself teaches that nationality is not the pinnacle of political development.  He emphasizes that "the general principles of the law of Islam rest on human nature, not on the peculiarities of a particular people."

Given these teachings from Iqbal, there is every reason to believe that the people of a single nation can come together around shared, common essentials of their one faith, instead of bickering about whose sect or denomination is the only true way.  Given all this, there is every reason to believe that different nations, identified with different religions, can also come together around shared essentials, common to other (perhaps all) religions.  I personally believe that Iqbal was not only showing a nation, but also the totality of humanity itself, how to evolve into a genuine pluralism wherein all people are part of a new social process.

Very significant is the intriguing book by Mary Parker Follett, The New State, published in 1918.  In this early classic of American political theory, Follett outlines several concepts and theories which Iqbal so articulately expressed in his own writings.  On the topic, for instance, of what Iqbal refers to as "the psychological fact of like-mindedness," Follett writes of a "genuine, integrated togetherness," implying a similar like-mindedness.

In The New State is a consistent distinction between the group and the crowd ("group" and "crowd" are her terms).  Follett refers to the latter in various ways, including "the helter-skelter strivings of an endless number of social atoms" which, she states, "can never give us a fair and ordered world."  It is, instead, the group which she argues is based upon a genuine consensus of all persons and an "integrated togetherness" not unlike Iqbal's "psychological fact of like-mindedness" being the key to a nation's self-identity.

This passage from Follett's book, referring to the "helter-skelter strivings" immediately brings to mind Iqbal's admonition (near the end of Islam as a Moral and Political Ideal) where he argues against the chaos of the crowd, and for the order of the coherent group.  He writes:

"Islam is one and indivisible; it brooks no distinctions in it.  There are no Wahabies, Sh'ias, Mirzais or Sunnies in Islam.  Fight not for the interpretations of the truth, when the truth itself is in danger.  It is foolish to complain of stumbling when you walk in the darkness of night.  Let all come forward and contribute their respective shares in the great toll of the nation.  Let the idols of class distinctions and sectarianism be smashed for ever; let the Mussalmans of the country be once more united into a great vital whole."

Very much resonant of this "great vital whole" is the lack of separation between church and state about which Iqbal writes (in Political Thought in Islam).  There is, he says, no "high-priest of Islam."  Continuing, he writes:

"The Prophet himself is not regarded as absolutely infallible by many Muhamaddan theologians (e.g., Abu Ishaq, Tabari).  In fact, the idea of personal authority is quite contrary to the spirit of Islam.  The Prophet of Arabia succeeded in commanding the absolute submission of an entire people; yet no man has depreciated his own authority more than he."

Iqbal's emphasis is apparent that it is the "will of the whole Muslim community," oriented along the lines of a genuine consensus, that is central to a social organism developing as a collective self.  In the last paragraph, he points to the example, par excellence, of how consensus is modeled.  Throughout The New State, about consensus including all and excluding none, Follett is in agreement with Iqbal. 

Iqbal makes it very clear in other writings (e.g., The Muslim Community - A Sociological Study) that the individuals in a society make up something larger that is a distinct social organism which possesses its own totality and evolving consciousness (far beyond zeitgeist).  He shares that the main object of religion is "to build up a coherent social whole for the gradual elevation of life."  The italicization is my emphasis, as I find this definition of religion to be inspired and achievable, if only people could sit still with Iqbal for some time.

The principle of consensus is a key to this process whereby a social whole evolves into being.  Follett makes a point of stating that it is indeed a "process" (her specific term) whereby a genuine pluralistic society is evolved into being, not unlike how a chemical process transforms substances through their combination into something new.  Consensus, then, is not to be understood as a passive, simplistic, and mechanical adding-together of disparate parts, but rather as an active process whereby something new is born and grown.  Social pluralism may then be, with consensus bringing all opinions together around shared principles, gradually birthed (one might say realized) into existence.

Follett and Iqbal share another line of understanding.  Very evident is Iqbal's emphasis on the reality of a social wholism toward which religion can be growing people.  This connects with Iqbal's belief that democracy is "the most important aspect of Islam regarded as a political ideal."  It's clear that Iqbal believed that democracy could be born out of mankind's coming-together, in consensus, with the spirit of religous unity at its core.  In the same manner, Follett writes:

"Democracy is an infinitely including spirit.  We have an instinct for democracy because we have an instinct for wholeness; we get wholeness only through reciprocal relations, through infinitely expanding reciprocal relations.  Democracy is really neither extending nor including merely, but creating wholes."

With further allusions to the "process," and resonating with Iqbal's emphasis on consensus, Follett writes:

"To have democracy we must live it day by day.  Democracy is the actual commingling of men in order that each shall have continuous access to the needs and the wants of others.  Democracy is not a form of government; the democratic soul is born within the group and then it develops its own forms."

She writes that democracy is "done through group organization.  We are sometimes told that democracy is an attitude and must grow up in the hearts of men.  But this is not enough.  Democracy is a method, a scientific technique of evolving the will of the people."

Both Iqbal and Follett are pointing in the same direction, through different cultural lenses.  While Follett's emphasis is very much about political theory, Iqbal speaks to me as political theorist, social craftsman, and insightful cultural healer.

So where does all this lead us with regard to a method of eduation which could support and enhance a social consciousness described by Iqbal and Follett?  Iqbal shares some important points with which we may examine this question.  Turning to Iqbal as our guide, let us question our answers in light of how we now typically think of our systems of education.  It is often by asking the right questions that we can cut through the miasma of conditioned responses.

• What kind of people and society are we to create with our systems of education?  This is strikingly distinct from simply questioning what ought to be taught (i.e., for worldly success).  Central to this is: How is will, not intellect, grown and evolved (see below)?
• Are we creating education with the understanding that it contributes to an "orderly transmission" (as Iqbal puts it) of a collective, social mind, from generation to generation, with the emphasis upon the whole, collective social organism (instead of just the individual's elevation and success)?
• How is an educational method to facilitate society's members of reaching the "highest stage of man's ethical progress" which Iqbal describes as when man "becomes absolutely free from fear and grief" (Islam as a Moral and Political Ideal)?
• How is an educational method configured to build upon man's "essential nature" which Iqbal describes as consisting of "will, not intellect or understanding?"  This is a major piece of Iqbal's teachings.
• How might an educational method support the inherent nature of man which includes, according to Iqbal, the fact that man is, ethically, "naturally good and peaceful," and metaphysically, a "unit of force, an energy, a will, a germ on infinite power, the gradual unfoldment of which must be the object of all human activity (keeping in mind the inevitable outcomes of adopting an ethically and metaphysically ill-suited method)?

Iqbal states that "Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is a maxim of fools."  He makes clear his stance on this by expressing that education is to create a Muslim character, avoiding "the false assumption that the idea of education is the training of human intellect rather than human will." 

It is clear that Iqbal (as well as Follett) is thinking of something quite different than what most of us think today when he outlines how education ought to be configured and toward what aims.  He was deeply concerned about the social organism of which he was a part.  He saw that, without education which supports the creation of a strong and evolvable social entity, things would ultimately fall apart.

In a manner which few others have so successfully done, Iqbal emphasized the core essentials and principles of Islam.  He pointed to how these should be inculcated into each member of the society, being explicit as to how this is what creates and transmits, from generation to generation, the growth of the human will, the development of unique personality, and the unfolding of a Muslim character. 

The growable and evolvable will, of each and every person, excluding none, is the power and binding glue which enable the evolution of a social consciousness in such a manner that man is gradually freed from the chains of fear.  Free from fear, there is no finality to humanity.  

There in the Simorgh's radiant face they saw themselves.

~ Farid ud-Din Attar (Manteq at-Tair)

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 Many thanks are due to the generous and expert tutelage of Mr. Khurram Ali Shafique in the many high quality study opportunities he offers through the Marghdeen Learning Centre, his The Republic of Rumi blog, in association with Iqbal Academy Pakistan, the International Iqbal Society, and others.  With his guidance, the very important vision and philosophy of Allama Iqbal are reaching many people.  Any misunderstandings of Iqbal's vision and philosophy that I may convey are entirely my own. 

Inferiority Complex, Colonialism & Civilization

With interest, concern, and love for Pakistan, Iqbal, and humanity, the following series of articles come highly recommended.  They are expertly authored by M. Umer Toor and Hira Shamim.  Click on their names to be taken to their respective high quality blogs.

Inferiority Complex And The Disease Known as Civilization (I) 

Historical Roots of Inferiority Complex (II) 

Toxic Effects of Inferiority Complex (III)

Perfecting One's Inheritance

Today (January 21, 2013), in the United States, there is a federal holiday recognizing the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. (who was born on January 15, 1929).  Martin Luther King Jr. spoke incisively about the need for humankind to stand up straight, and the psychological consequences of failing to escape to yoke of power-over authority.  He stated:

"We must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.  A man can't ride you unless your back is bent."

Allama Iqbal wrote in Baal-i-Jibreel something that speaks to an awakening that would surely birth a straight path.  

"I fear not the darkness of the night;
My nature is bred in purity and light;
Wayfarer of the night! Be a lamp to thyself;
With thy passion’s flame, make thy darkness bright."

And then there is Tierno Bokar, a Muslim sufi who was born in Segou, Mali, and lived during the French colonial rule.  He speaks to a subject which both Iqbal and King would have appreciated.

"Some believe that to develop is to break completely with all of one's traditions, often through 'snobbism,' in order to adopt those of a race whose ways one admire.  For us, to develop is to perfect our inheritance, which is not made up merely of our homes and our fields: it is also to improve our thinking, our entire way of being.

That which fits in a country of temperate climate cannot entirely suit a tropical country.  We see our Soudanese children copying Arabs or Europeans more or less awkwardly according to their upbringing.  They are like those waterfalls that expend themselves in rushing uselessly over slabs of stone without ever flowing into a lake to ease their mad and fruitless course."

~ Tierno Bokar (from the highly recommended, A Spirit of Tolerance: The Inspiring Life of Tierno Bokar, by Amadou Hampate Ba)

Although these great persons were seemingly speaking to a specific people, about specific conditions, they were really speaking to all of humanity.  May the message of these messengers find a home in hearts, and grow there.

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Notable Link: http://www.tiernobokar.columbia.edu/pdfs/estienne_bokar.pdf