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!
