Allama Iqbal As A Multi-Dimensional Pers

Iqbal as a multi-dimensional personalityChapter III
Iqbal as a social reformer:

The long series of political revolution ushered in by the French
revolution in 1789 and carrying over through the nineteenth century
was the most immediate factor in the rise of eminent social thinkers
around the world. The impact of these revolutions on many societies
was enormous and many positive changes resulted. However, what
attracted the attention of many early theorists were not the positive
consequences, but the negative effects of such changes. 1 These writers
were particularly disturbed by the resulting chaos and disorder,
especially in Europe. They were united in a desire to restore order to
society. Some of the more extreme thinkers of this period literally
wanted a return to the peaceful and relatively orderly days of the
middle ages. The more sophisticated thinkers recognized that social
change had made such a return impossible. Thus they sought instead
to find new bases of order in societies that had overturned by the
political revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This
interest in the issue of social order was one of the major concerns of
classical social theorists, especially Comte, Durkheim, Weber, and
Marx.2
1 Calhoun, Craig, Classical Sociological Theory (2007, Blackwell, Publishing house,

Australia) p-90.
2 Ibid, p-98.
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The industrial revolution, capitalism, Renaissance, Enlightenment period,

nationalism, etc, and the reaction against them all involved an enormous upheaval
in western society, an upheaval that affected social reformers greatly. Some major
figures in this contentious period of history were, Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Max
Weber, Emile Durkheim, Georg Simmel, and Thorsten Veblen__were preoccupied,
as were many lesser thinkers, with these changes and the problems they created for
society as a whole. They spent their lives studying these problems, and many cases
they endeavored to develop programmes that would help to solve them.3
The contemporary Society in which we are living is in a rigorous

condition. There is a chaos and confusion, distress and misery everywhere. Every
primary institution of our society is in crises, wither it is, family, marriage, kinship,
religion, education, economy or a social system as a whole. We have everything at
our disposal from mega aircraft to the small pin but somehow we have lost our
mental solace, there is an utter need of immediate resurgence of these primary
institutions. Allama Iqbal touched all these institutions in his revolutionary thought
and poetry. He really was multi-dimensional personality. He was a great
sociologist, educationalist, political scientist, economist and what not.
Nature gives birth to great philosophers and poets when the need arises.
Natural calamities, wars, epidemics, storms and earthquakes etc, causing human
sufferings have always given birth to creative minds. Iqbal was born in 1877 A.D.
when the inhabitants of India were suffering from miseries and deaths while
struggling for the independence of their country from British rule. The people of
Muslim community of India were the worst hit. They were being crushed
ruthlessly. At that time Iqbals poetry played miraculous role. It awakened the
3 Blau, M. Peter, Social structure, (1976, open books), London, p-97.
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people from slumbering hopelessness, made them stood on their own feet. They
were united and then fought courageously for independence with the result that
they achieved a free homeland for them within a few years. He really was the
awakener of modern Muslims.4 27
For thousands of years the narcissus cries on her sightlessness.
Hrdly a seer (a perfect man) is produced in the garden (world).
Whatever Iqbal thought and expressed, he expressed in a forceful

poetic language which found a ready response in the hearts of the readers. He had
combined in himself both poetic imagination and philosophic genius. He was one
of the worthiest sons of the soil that eastern world had ever produced. Iqbal is one
of the few poets who have championed the cause of freedom, social justice, world
peace, unity of mankind and human brotherhood with great vigour and eloquence.
Through his writings and speeches, he has out-rightly challenged the existent
socio-political order of the age. He was deeply and intimately concerned with the
contemporary social problems. The poet urged and advised his youngsters to
launch a crusade against the worn-out social political system of his own time. As
keen observer, he closely studied the varied problems that confronted the present
society. He was shocked to see the existing perilous condition of the world full of
doubts, fear, hatred, suspicion, and the evils of war. He earnestly tried to make man
conscious of the evils that had crept into the society. He was not satisfied with the
modern way of life and felt that there was something radically wrong with our way
of thinking. Poverty, economic exploitation, corruption, social injustice, narrow
4 Masud, Muhammad, Khalid Iqbals Reconstruction of Ijtihad, (1995, Islamic Research Institute), Pakistan, p-
132.
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casteism, sectarianism, nationalism, and the evils of war had cut deep into the core
of mans life. They had created an unhealthy condition throughout the world. It
was primarily with such a state of social affairs that Iqbal was deeply concerned.
Having minutely observed and examined the various socio-political, economic and
religious conditions of the world, Iqbal had formed a firm view that the salvation
of mankind lay in the synthesis of the eastern and western cultures.5
In our mechanical society of to-day man is fast losing his significance,

because his religion has become more an instrument of political advantage than of
enlightenment. It is now confronted with such powerful ideological, intellectual
and technological forces that play havoc with mans life and mind. It is for such a
crucial stage of society that the remarkable attempt made by the poet-philosopher
for reconciliation and synthesis between the ancient religious thought and the
modern ideologies attains importance. In his firm conviction, mans existence is
ultimately grounded in a deeper reality called spirit, God. It is on this basis, this
spiritual foundation and the deep experience of life that the philosophers and
scholars of contemporary times have to look at the world and meet the challenges
of the new ideological forces.6
Mans attempt in understanding his collective behavior and then looking

for an ideal framework to regulate his activities has been as old as itself. The main
aim of the every social reformer is to maintain the social order of the society. The
society predated even to earlier than the Greek times. Although the Greeks did not
have a precise word for it, philosophers of antiquity did reflect on society.
5 Saddiqui, Mazharuddin, Concept of Muslim culture in Iqbal (1983Islamic Research Institute), Islamabad, p-
234.
6 Ibid, p-142.
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However, the questions what exactly is society? What is its origin, need, purpose
and foundation etc. is as basic today, as they were a couple of thousand years ago.
In fact with more searching inquiries by philosophers, many new aspects of society
have come to the surface, rendering the above questions even more perplexing.
The search for an ideal society has been attempted in a variety of ways.
More often than not, every philosopher has commenced this search from his own
environment and tried to form a theoretical framework by incorporating changes
that have taken place in contemporary societies. These vicissitudes in search for
viable framework to understand human behavior reflect the socio-economic
changes as well as the ideological and political systems prevailing in these
societies at given times. Like other societies, the Muslim society has also seen such
transformation both in its perceived as well as actual status. Muslim theologians,
scholars and political philosophers have used the term Ummah to explain their
society.7
Dr. Mohammad Iqbal reverently known as Allama, is un-questionably

as one of the most influential social thinkers of 20 th century. Apart from Iqbals
philosophy he has also given a broad based sociological thought based on the well-
being and development of Muslim community. A sociologist is interested in
general study of social behavior as it occurs in groups, large or small and lays
special emphasis on social and the contemporary world. August Comte, Herbert
Spencer, Emile Durkheim, besides several other social thinkers sought and
establish the idea of society as a matter of study unique in itself. Though it is worth
mentioning that Iqbals social thought is not the mouth piece of any of the
7 Chaudhri,Muhammad, Ashraf, The Mulsim Ummah and Iqbal, (1994National institute of cultural Research),
Pakistan. P-273.
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sociologist be it an Indian or western. but one looks at an agreement to a

considerable extent in the sociological perspective of Allama Iqbal and many other
sociologists classical as well as contemporary, be it social problems or cultural,
gender, collective consciousness, youth, contemporary society as a meaningful
interaction and an association of individuals for social order for progressive change
and not nearly the assemblage of individuals. Iqbal emphasis on the growth and
development of human ego, but simultaneously he has recognized the relative
importance of individuals and society in his book, (Asrar-I- Khudi) 1915 (The
secrets of self) and the (Ramuz-I-Bekhudi) 1918 (The mysterious of selflessness).
Iqbal was the revolutionary; he was not satisfied with existing social order of his
era. He especially develops his social concerns. He argues that alone man is weak
and powerless, his energies are scattered and his aims are narrow. He says it is the
membership in the societies which confirms on him a sense of power and makes
him conscious of great collective purposes, which deepen his scope for the growth
of his self, while the renewed French sociologist Emile Durkheim had also talked
about. Iqbal like other sociologists believed that individuals are the units of the
society, like, Karl Marx he was not in favour of the society where rights and
freedom of the individuals are crushed and his worth is under estimated and he has
paid great tribute to Karl Marx, he differs from him to a great extent. But unlike
Hegel, he did not consider society as the super personal entity whose strength and
integration are far more important than anything. But he maintained the balance
between society and individuals as well. He argues that every effort should be done
to make safeguard the self as well as with the progress of society.8
8 Dr. Abdul Aleem Hilal, Social Philosophy of Sir Muhammad Iqbal- A critical study, (1994, Adam Publishers),
New Delhi, India. P-234.
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There are various factors which prompt Iqbal to give his social thought for
the betterment of Muslim community. The Muslim community was dearer to him.
The various incidences of 19th century like the world war first and the poverty,
illiteracy and moral degradation among Muslim youths by adopting western
cultural traits. Besides these factors the other factors are Mullaism, mysticism and
kinship. Mullaism is the name Iqbal gives to the hidebound attitude of the Mullas,
conventional Ulema, or religious scholars. Always a source of great strength to
Islam and the Ulema, during the course of centuries, especially since the
destruction of Baghdad they became extremely conservative and would not allow
any freedom of Ijtihad, i.e., the forming of independent judgment in matters of
law.9 The second factor mysticism used to be, in the words of Iqbal mean, force of
spiritual education. In later centuries it degenerated, cutting off Muslims from the
actualities of life. Mystical practices increasingly became a mere means of
exploiting the ignorance and the credulity of the people. Kingship the third factor
was also important like, the protection and preservation of the dynasties was the
first priority of Muslim communities. But Muslim kings did not hesitate to sell
their countries to the highest bidder.10
Iqbal took a typically modern look which is to say, a historio-sociological-

approach to the problems of Muslims in the world. In his article The Muslim
community- A sociological study Iqbal, after pointing out the wretched economic
condition of the average Indian Muslim, pointedly asks: have we ever given a
thought to these aspects of the social problems? Instead of romanticizing about the
9 Khawaja, Abdur, Rahim, Iqbal- The poet of Tomorrow, (2004, Iqbal Academy Lahore),
Pakistan, p-78.
10 Ibid, p-56.
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glory of Islam or blaming foreign colonial powers for all the ills the Muslim world
is heir to, Iqbal tries to examine the Muslim polity itself for the causes of Muslim
backwardness and stagnation, his analysis leading him to identify institutional
breakdown as the principal cause of Muslim political and social troubles. His
unsparing critique of Muslim religious practices and political and social conduct
proceeds from his conviction-stated in the preface to Ramuz-i-Bekhudi and
elsewhere-that nations no less than individuals ego, so a nations survival and
development depend on the preservation of national ego and of its national
historical memory.11 Iqbal emphasized on the unity of individual and society, as
he speaks: 28
The connection of an individual with society is a boon.
Its reality attains perfection through society.
Iqbal in his sociological thought gives equal importance to individual

and society. According to Iqbal society is an association of individuals. But it is not
a mere assemblage of individuals. It is like an organic whole. As the prominent
sociologist Herbert Spencer had also said, like in an organic body, the part and the
whole cannot exist apart from one another. Similarly, the individual and society
cannot remain separate from one another. In other words, man as a social being,
cannot exist apart from society. Society is must for the proper growth and
development of human personality. It is only in society that man can achieve self-
realization. It is not an exaggeration to say that by subordinating man to its social
11 Beg, A. Anwar, The Poet of the East (2003, Iqbal Academy Pakistan), Lahore, Pakistan. P-
134.
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structure, society makes him free. When man associates himself with society he
finds individuality widen in its past history, past traditions, and future
achievement.12 The individual reflects in himself the diversity of society and the
diversity of society embodies its unity in the individual. Iqbal has no doubts on the
greatness of perfect man, he considers him as the co-worker of god in his creation.
Thus to all intents and purposes, the real Khudi, or personality of man, according to
Iqbal, is characterized primarily by its activity and its active relationship to the
universe. Iqbal placed his ideal of man so high that he proclaimed him, in the
highest and ultimate form of his development, a vice regent, or the deputy of god
on earth,13 as he speaks on the greatness of man: 29
You created the clay, and I made the cup.
You created the deserts, mountains and forests.
I made the parks, flowers-beds and gardens.
It is I who turn stone into a mirror.
And it is I who turn poison into an antidote.
Among the contemporary thinkers of the world Iqbal occupies an

important position both as a poet and a social reformer. One of the main
characteristics of his poetry is the resonant note of optimism which imparts to his
works a distinctive value in eastern literature. Post-war literature in the east has
rapidly passed through a period of transition and it is not difficult to see that
12 Ibid, p-123.
13 Dr. Abdul Aleem Hilal, Social Philosophy of Sir Muhammad Iqbal- A critical study, (1994, Adam
Publishers, New Delhi, India. P-98.
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change in the outlook of the eastern people is slowly exhibiting a general desire for
reconstruction embracing practically all the domain of life. In the progress of
Iqbals thought, one sees a big stride towards the goal, even though philosophy
does not believe in the finality of thought. Iqbal was, however, on safer ground as
he undertook to interpret the Holy Quran as the reliable basis for the exposition of
universal thought like the great Rumi, whos Mathnawi proved such a fiery source
of inspiration to the former.14 The meter of Asrar-o-Rumuz is that of Rumis
Mathnawi and the manner of drawing moral lessons from the tales of saints, a
characteristics of Rumi, finds favour with Iqbal whose language and idiom are
classical. His use of Arabic phrases, allusions to historical events and sufistic
references in the Asrar-o-Ramuz remind the reader of the great Mathnawi. Rumi is
to Iqbal what Vergil was to Dante. The poet pays tribute to Rumi in the
introductory verses of Asrar-o-Ramuz: 30
The old man of Rumi turned my dust into elixir.
From my dust he raised the lights.
The particles packed its wardrobe from the desert.
So that it might catch the ray of the sun
The philosophy of Iqbal, apart from its emphasis on the

development of the self, does not ignore the social aspect of human life, which
gives birth to and controls the world forces. As Iqbal was an Indian Muslim, the
questions pertaining to the destiny of the Indian Muslims primarily occupied his
attention and as the conditions prevailing in other Islamic lands were equally
grave, the necessity of unity among the Muslim nations was keenly felt by him. To
14 Ibid, -p- 45.
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attain this object, he aimed at the awakening of the individual and, consequently,
the revival of society. Islam presented to him an ideal society and a religion based
on the ultimate realities of life. His zeal for Islamic revival does not make his
humanistic thought any the less valuable. Through Islamic society, he speaks to the
world at large beyond the narrow confines of nationalism.15
In modern times, when a wave of renaissance is passing all over the Muslim
world and western materialism is influencing the eastern mind, it is very essential
to keep pace with modern inventions and discoveries, and in order to guard Islam
as a living force it is far more essential to bring our religious thought up-to-date, as
the basis of our civilization and culture is religious, and history commands us to
meet new situations and fresh problems.
Iqbal was the keen observer of the world affairs and its social orders.
During his stay in Europe from 1905 to 1908. He had fully realized how his
countrymen and his own community were leading a miserable life in comparison
with the people of the west. So, soon after his return from Europe in 1908, he
seriously thought over the problems of the downtrodden humanity, in general, and
the Muslim community in particular. But it caused him pain to find out that the
Muslim community all over the world lagged too much behind in the march of
nations of the west not only economically or politically, or scientifically, but almost
in all spheres of life. Scientifically, Muslim nations were mostly under-developed,
intellectually unproductive. Iqbal was not satisfied with the material advancement
of the modern man only, rather along with it, he wanted a moral and spiritual
progress of mankind in the interest of a society at large. For Iqbal, a philosophy of
life which creates an atmosphere of hatred and suspicion between male and female
15 Bausani, Alessandria The concept of time in the religious philosophy of Muhammad Iqbal (1954, Die Welt
Desn Islam, Leiden new series II), p-56.
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was not only pernicious for the progress of society but was disastrous for the very
substance of mankind on the earth.16
Iqbal is on the view that the social order can be maintained only by the
means of spiritual values. He views it as cosmopolitan in outlook and frees it from
narrow nationalism based on the accident of geographical boundary, race, colour,
and language and materialistic outlook. In an ideal society of his conception. Every
member would enjoy equal status and equal right in the body politic. Iqbal
dreamed of a world ruled by religion, not by politics. His conception of religion is
very wide. To him, religion is neither mere thought, nor mere feeling nor mere
action; rather it is an expression of the whole man. It aims at close association with
the ultimate source of all life and being. Iqbal disagreed basically with all those
religions which generate in people a false of sense of contentment, fatalism and a
desire for withdrawal from the struggle of life. His religion is not the opium of the
people as Karl Marx had called all religion to be. It is essentially a religion of
power, challenging men and women for the conquest of the universe, not advising
them to adopt an attitude of renunciation. Iqbal condemned all static and other
worldly religions as baneful.17
The crux of whole Iqbalian thought is Islamic teachings. It is evident from

the above discussion that Iqbal was not only great poet-philosopher, but was a
great social reformer too. He said that Islam is our guide and a complete code of
life for us. It is the source not only of our spiritual and moral values but also of our
temporal values and as long as Islam remains the basis of our thought and
16 Ibid, p-123.
17 Qaiser, Nazir, Iqbal and western philosophers (1987, Iqbal Academy Pakistan) Lahore, Pakistan, p-98..
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activities, there is a chance of survival for us. It is the most comprehensive,

dynamic and progressive way of life in the world providing guidance and
instructions for every aspect of life. He speaks in of his verses: 31
It is good that the guard of wisdom should stay near thy heart.
But, it shuld be allowed to move about alone sometimes.
Iqbal as a political scientist:

Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) is one of the preeminent writers of the Indo-
Pakistan subcontinent. Indeed, the attention he has received from numerous
writers, translators, and critics from Western as well as Islamic countries testifies to
his stature as a world literary figure. While his primary reputation is that of a poet,
Iqbal has not lacked admirers for his political thought. He has in fact been called
the most serious Muslim socio-political thinker of modern times.
Iqbal was a poet- philosopher, but the influential position that he

occupied in society as a leader in thought and literature made him a politician.
Iqbal preferred a quite life and had no liking for the noisy life of a politician, but as
he played the role of a reformer of Muslim society, he could not refrain from
taking part in the various movements of his country. In 1926, the poet was elected
member of the Punjab legislative council, and this was the beginning of his period
of active politics. Although, up to this time he had always associated himself with
Muslim politics as a guiding force, his advice was sought even by the foremost
congress leaders in the critical years after the Great War. In his own words, as a
politician, he led no party and followed no leader. It would be difficult to say
whether he was a successful politician in the general sense, but his influence on
Indian politics was certainly tremendous and it would not be an exaggeration to say
that as a politician oracle, he was listened to by all and his advice was very much
valued in Muslim countries. Lying in his bed, he scanned the horizon of Indian
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politics and cast glances over Samarkand, Bukhara, Tehran, Istanbul, and Cairo.18
As a true son of Islam and its interpreter, the political creed of Iqbal was
dictated by the spirit of Islam. He was born at a time when Islam had fallen a prey
to the stormy forces of the world. The Muslim political power was declining and
the conflict between the western and eastern civilizations had created unforeseen
and serious problems for the Muslim world. In his youth, Iqbal was inspired by his
love for his country and, as such, some of his early poems breathe the national
spirit. But after his return from Europe, his political vision was that of a pan-
Islamist and his views on Indian politics were largely determined by his anxiety to
protect Indian Muslim-their religion, culture and civilization. The attitude of Indian
Muslims towards nationalism and the democracy were largely the result of Iqbals
optimistic teachings. He laid great emphasis on the development of human society
as a functioning whole.
Iqbal was not a blind follower of such political thought of the west as was
based on desperate nationalism imported as something sacred into many lands of
the East. He, however, attached special significance and value to experience and
nature. The territorial basis of nationalism as conceived by European thinkers
found no favour with Iqbal who, as a philosopher viewed mankind as a single
nation. In his eyes, the dissolution of mankind into so many groups was the
greatest threat to world peace and, therefore, he never sympathized with national
movements. The attitude of Indian Muslims towards nationalism and democracy
were largely the result of Iqbals optimistic teachings. H laid great emphasis on the
development of human society as a functioning whole. According to Iqbal human
experience in society has given various systems of government to the nations of the
world, according to their time and circumstances; and it is not to say as to which
18 Dekmejian, R.Hriar, The Anatomy of Islamic Revival Middle East Journal, No. 34:1935.
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form of government is the best of all. A pattern of government is the creation of

society and largely depends on the devolvement of the social mind. The Greeks are
known to have practiced democracy gave Muslim society, in its primary stages, an
ideal state under the patronage of Khulaf-I-Rashidin.19
Iqbal was not attracted by the outward democratic form of government in

Europe. In his eyes, it was a colossal hoax and it held no prospects of human
deliverance. As a political philosopher, Iqbal was a staunch supporter of
internationalism as conceived by Islam. He was not so optimistic about European
internationalism which appeared after the Great War, almost under compulsion. For
many years the authority of the west and unfortunately the league had been looked
upon as an institution just to feed the vanity of some of the dominating nations of
the world. Iqbal did indeed write against democracy, but his criticism is not an
outright rejection of the idea, and it should be remembered that he also wrote much
in favour of democracy. The truth is that he was not against democracy itself, but
against the demerits of modern democracy of the west. He was critical of it in the
prevalent form and bold enough to denounce it publicly. The modern western
democracy, in his view, was a cover for far too many injustices. It was for instance,
a weapon in the hands of imperialism and capitalism. As he wrote: 32
Have you not seen the democratic organization of the west?
It has a shining face but its within is blacker than Changiz
The political philosophy of Iqbal was inclined towards Islamic socialism,

as political conceptions in the Islamic sense. The poems of Iqbal abound in verses
showing the poets intense sympathy with the laboring classes and disgust for the
capitalists. The type of socialism that leads to conflict had no attraction for the
philosopher-poet.
19 Ibid, p-23.
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Iqbal was very sympathetic towards the Muslim community of the sub-
continent that is evident from his presidential address which Iqbal read at the
Allahabad session (Dec. 1930) of the All-India Muslim league discusses the
political problems of Muslim India and suggests their solution. Some of the poets
statements are, in a sense, historic and the address as a whole is remarkable for its
pan-Islamic breath. IqbaI was not despaired of Islam as a living force for freeing
the outlook of man from its geographical limitations. He believed that religion is a
power of abiding importance in the life of individuals as well as states, and was of
the conviction that Islam is itself destiny and will not suffer a destiny.20
Iqbal believes that Islam is a universal religion, and therefore, has a

universal appeal. In his view Islam is not a religion in the ancient sense on the
world. It is an attitude- an attitude, that is to say, on freedom and even of defiance
of universe. It is really a protest against the entire outlook of the ancient world.
Briefly, it is the discovery of man.
Thus in his perception, Islam as a religion and as a culture guides us in all

walks of life. So according to Iqbal, Islamic way of life is clear. In it, Church and
state are not separate but one.
Islam does not bifurcated unity of man into an irreconcilable duality or
spirit and matter. In Islam God and the universe, spirit and the matter, Church and
state, are organic to each other. 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.
According to Iqbal, the modern Islamic state is to be based on the Shariah
laws. The Shariah the Islamic way of life, it made two components, i.e., Religious
obligations (Ibadaat) and worldly Affairs (Muamalaat).
20 Afzal Iqbal, Contemporary Muslim world (1975, Adam publishers), p-124.
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Worldly Affairs under the Shariah are to be managed under a political order,
which is based on mutual consultation, and is part of any one of the current forms
of democracy. Like many modern political thinkers Allama Iqbal vehemently
criticizes the western form of democracies. According to him these western
political systems are flawed in many ways. Since there is no other acceptable
alternative, he could not resist advancing the viewpoint that the establishment of
popular legislative assemblies in some Muslim countries is a return to the original
purity of Islam. In his view the Quranic rule of obeying those who exercise
authority from amongst you. (Quran: Sura No: - 4 Verse No 59) in fact means
obeying only those leaders who are like you and not the kings of dynastic rulers. In
this connection, Iqbal advances the argument that the powers of the Caliphate
could be vested in a body of persons or an elected assembly.21
Allama Iqbal has a strong belief on the concept of Tawhid in Islam.
According to his interpretation of Tawhid, it is the unity of Allah. So Tawhid
(unity of Allaha) as a working idea is human equality, human solidarity and human
freedom. According to Allama Iqbal, the state, from the Islamic standpoint of view
is, an Endeavour to transform these ideal principles into space-time forces, an
aspiration to realize them in a definite human organization
According to Iqbal, in an Islamic state, Islamic rules and laws cannot be
imposed on the non-Muslim minorities. They have always been and shall be
governed under their own laws. In this regard he categorically proclaims: I
entertain the highest respect for the customs, laws, religious and social institutions
of other communities. May it is my duty according to the teachings of the Quran,
to defend their places of worship.22
21 Dr. Ehsan Ashraf, Critical exposition of Iqbals Philosophy (2003, Adam Publishers), New Delhi, p-124.
22 Ibid, p-90.
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In fact Allama Iqbal maintains that the real object of Islam is to establish a
spiritual democracy. He talks of spiritual slavery and also of spiritual
emancipation. According to Javid Iqbal, he was the first Muslim in the sub-
continent to define the state in Islam as a spiritual democracy. The contention of
Allama Iqbal regarding this matter as follows:-
In view of the basic idea of Islam that there can be no further revelation
binding on man, we ought to be spiritually one of the most emancipated people on
earth. Early Muslims emerging out of the spiritual slavery of Pre-Islamic Asia were
not in a position to realize the true significance of this idea. Let the Muslims of
today appreciate his position, reconstruct his social life in the light of ultimate
principles and evolve out of the hitherto partially revealed purpose of Islam that
spiritual democracy which is the ultimate aim of Islam.23
33
(The democratic system of the West is the same old instrument,
Whose chords contain no note other than the voice of the Kaiser,
The demon of despotism is dancing in his democratic robes.
Yet you consider it to be the Nilam-pari of liberty.)
Allama Iqbalss Active Role in Politics of United India:
Allama Iqbal played tremendous role in the political development of the

Muslims of India. Firstly, we should fully understand that intellectually Allama
Iqbal had been deeply influenced by the political ideas of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
and the possibilities of their future development. Allama Iqbal joined the London
branch of the Muslim League in 1907 while he was a student in England. When
23 M. Ikram Chaghatai (2003) Iqbal New Dimensions, Sang-E-Meel Publications, Pakistan.
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separate electorates for Muslims were granted by the British under the
constitutional reform of 1909, he renounced Indian nationalism for good, and
arrived at the conclusion that the preservation of a separate national identity for the
Muslims was necessary. In this regard he was always in favour of the Muslim
united force. He was always against the sectarianism in Muslim Ummah. That is
why he vehemently expressed his views in 1904, in a lecture as:
There is no privileged class, no priesthood, and no caste system. Islam is a
unity in which there is no distinction, and this unity is secured by making man
believe in the two simple proportions- the unity of God and the mission of the
prophet proportions which are certainly of a supernatural character but which,
based as they are on the general religious experience of mankind, are intensely true
to the average human nature. Now this principle of the equality of all believers
made early Musalemans the greatest political power in the world. Islam worked as
a leveling force, it gave the individual a sense of his inward powers; it elevate
those who were socially low. The elevation of the down-trodden was the chief
secret of the Muslim political power in India, Islam is one and indivisible; it breaks
no distinction in it. There are no Wahabis, Shies, & Sunnis in Islam. Fight not for
the interpretation of the truth, when the truth itself is in danger. It is foolish to
complain of stumbling when you walk in the darkness to night. Let all come
forward and contribute their respective shares in the great toil of the nation. Let the
idols of class distinctions and Sectionalisms be smashed forever; let the
Musaleman of the country be once more united into a great vital whole24
In fact, it was the greatest desire of Allama Iqbal that Muslims should be
united for their preservation of political power. His magnum opus, book, Asrar-I
Khudi contains a concluding poem, Duo (Prayer) in which, addressing Allaha, he
24 Iqbal, Muhammad, Allahabad, Lecture, 1930.
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pleads that he may be granted a companion who could share his secret thoughts.
His secret thought is that he has a vision of consolidating Islamic political power in
North West India, where the Muslims constituted a majority. Therefore he started
taking active part in Muslim politics in 1926, when he was elected member of the
Punjab Legislative Council from Lahore. In this election Allama Iqbal gained
prominence in All India Muslim politics in 1927, when the Muslim league split on
the division issue of returning or surrendering separate electorates for Muslims. As
Secretary General of the All India Muslim League (Safi Group), Allama Iqbal
opposed surrendering of the separate electorates. On his reconciliation with
Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1929, Allama Iqbal emerged as a Muslim leader at All
India Level. At the meeting of the Muslim League council on 13th July, 1930,
Jinnah proposed his name as president of the All India Muslim League session
1930. This proposal was unanimously adopted. After that, when the Muslim
delegates proceeded to London to attend the Round Table Conference, Allama
Iqbal remained politically very active. Earlier he had hinted in his address to the
Muslim Conference (19th December, 1928) that were, some parts of India where
the Muslims constituted a majority and therefore they should have a separate
political programme. With this positive and progressive thinking towards Muslims,
he called an important meeting of some eminent Punjabi Muslims at Lahore on 23 rd
November, 1930 and persuaded them to hold a special conference of Muslims of
North India, in which, the representatives of the Frontier province, Baluchistan,
Punjab and Sindh should be invited. The objective was only to organize the
Muslims of these provinces and to work out an agenda for their demands. In that
meeting, a reception committee of the Upper India Muslim conference was
established and Allama Iqbal was elected president of that conference. On 19th of
December, 1930 and appeal was addressed in the name of the conference by
Allama Iqbal to the eminent Muslims of these provinces to the following effect.
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The object in summoning this conference is that the Muslims of these

provinces should be made to understand their position in the background of the
present political crises, the strategy of our neighbouring community as well as that
of the rulers of India, and to make them aware of the danger which the Muslim
community is facing. Furthermore, they are also to be told that God, who is wise
knowledgeable and well-informed, has not created Muslim majorities in these
provinces as a mere coincidence, but in keeping them together in a contiguous
area. He has such a purpose (Maslehat) which is gradually being revealed to those
who can perceive and comprehend.25 It is therefore necessary to give through this
conference a message of action for the protection of Islam and Muslims in India.
Muslim community was dearer to him; he was vehemently spoken about the
miseries of Muslims in Indian sub-continent. In his book complaint to God
(Shikwa) Iqbal complained to God about that plight of Indian Muslims in their own
country, as he speaks: 34
On this earth, once lived, The Saljuks and Turanians.
In china dwelt the Chinese, And in Iran the Sassanians.
And in Thy peopled world anywhere, the Greek of Greece held their sway.
While Jews were along with them, the Christians also held their day.
Which amongst these people raised, the cutting sword in holy cause.
And who strove to fight the wrong, and set the world with Thy laws
Allama Iqbal explained also that the idea of a separate Muslim state need
not alarm the Hindus of the British. He felt that the life of Islam as a cultural force
in this country very largely depended on its centralization in specified territory, and
he held out the assurance that, thus possessing full opportunity of development
within the body-politics of India. The claims of the Indian congress to stand for the
people of Indian as a whole have always been repudiated by Muslims. Some of the
25 Ibid.
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congress leaders of the left wing believe in the total suppression of the cultural
entities of the country through the interaction of which India can evolve a rich and
enduring culture. Such a creed of some of the responsible congress leaders, noted
for their socialistic trend of mind, and it is not strange that they should look for the
creation of a Muslim state in the north-west of India. The political atmosphere of
India has been tense with suspicion all these years, and Iqbal was far-sighted
enough to look through the political mist. He reminded Muslims in India that the
unity of religion and politics was one of the vital dictates of Islam. He did not only
desire the revival of Islamic society, but had also in mind the creation of a true
Islamic state with its typical politico-economic system which was the greatest need
of the time, as the Islamic states were drifting towards western political ideology
for the mere lack of economic support. The fulfillment of such a dream primarily
depends on the unity of Islamic nations which is of the utmost importance in the
circumstances. It seems to me, says Iqbal, that god is slowly bringing home to us
the truth that Islam is neither nationalism nor imperialism but a league of nations
which recognizes artificial boundaries and radical distinction for facility of
reference only, for restricting the social horizon of its members.26
According to Iqbal Islamic state is a state of Almighty god. The

sovereignty and all organizations, from the unity of god, then spring, Bloods the
doctrine of the unity of the human race. All men are alike. Man is freed from the
slavery of man. The Muslim state being extraordinary god-conscious is permeated
by a religious control which extends to every sphere of human conduct. No
individual, no Amir, and not the whole millet can lay claim to the sovereignty of
the state. The legislative power, thus according to Islam is not absolute. The
26 Nadvi, Sayyid, Abul Hasan, Glory of Iqbal (1977, Progressive Books), Pakistan. P-98.
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supremacy of the divine law is one of the fundamental tenets of Islamic polity. Not
man, but god is the real ruler of mankind. There are passages in Quran which
supports this view. Islam rejects blood-relationship as a basis of humanity. Blood
relationship is earth rootedness. The search for a purely psychological foundation
of human unity becomes possible only with the perception that all human life is
spiritual in its origin. According to Iqbal Islam treats humanity as a whole and
condemns the cult of nationalism aiming at the breaking up of human society into
separate units. As nationalism means disintegration for the Muslim world, the unity
of the Muslim countries would be as difficult as is the case in Europe today. The
poet warned Muslims against the consequences of nationalism and his teachings
diverted the peoples attention towards a wider conception of world citizenship,
i.e., internationalism.27 The poet, therefore, sang: 35
China and Arabia are ours; India is ours as well;
We are Muslims; our native land is the entire globe.
Iqbal was thus inspired by a vision of a world-wide Islamic state of

unified Muslim millet, no longer divided by racial or territorial considerations. He
thinks that racial or territorial considerations are the root cause of disruption in
humanity, dissensions between nations and nations, and hostilities between one
state and another. Iqbal, points out Islam, as the foundations of world-unity in the
principle of Tawhid.28 Islam as a polity is only a practical means of making this
principle of a living factor in intellectual and emotional life of mankind. It
demands loyalty to the god not to thrones, and since god is the ultimate spiritual
basis of all life, loyalty to god virtually amounts to mans loyalty to his own ideal
27 Khawaja, Abdur, Rahim, Iqbal- The poet of Tomorrow,(Iqbal Academy Pakistan), Lahore, Pakistan. P-78.
28 Ibid, p-123.
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nature.
Iqbal was aware about the rising tide of democracy. He is not in favour
of suppressing of the democratic feeling of the people who are oppressed and
tyrannized. He is against all forms of exploitation and imperialistic tendencies. As
a democrat, Iqbal refers to the sovereignty of the masses. In his lectures also he
writes, The appointments of an Imam or Khalifa is absolutely indispensable.
Should the caliphate be vested in a body of person? Turkey Ijtihad is that according
to the spirit of Islam the caliphate or Imam can be vested in a body of persons, or
an elected assembly. The religious doctors of Islam in Egypt and India have not yet
expressed themselves on this point. Personally I believe the Turkish view is
perfectly sound. Its hardly necessary to argue this point. The Republican form of
government is not thoroughly consistent with spirit of Islam, but it also becomes a
necessity in view of the new forces that are set free in world of Islam. As against
western democracy, what Iqbal is anxious to point out is this that, the democratic
ideals should be based on spiritual foundations of life. In his lecturers, he says,
The idealism of Europe never became a living factor in her life, and the result is a
perverted Ego seeking itself through mutually intolerant democracies whose sole
function is to exploit the poor in the interest of the rich. 29 As he speaks in his
poetry: 36
Warm the blood of the slaves with the fire of confidence;
Set the humble sparrow at the daring falcon.
The field which does not provide the peasant with food.
Burn every ear of corn in such a field to go up in flames.
29 Bausani, Alessandria, Classical Muslim philosophy in the world of Muslim modernist, (1964, Arch
philosophic Publications), Berlin, Vol, XllII, p-145.
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Iqbal, suggested that western type of democracy will not fit the Muslim
world particular and Asia in general. As per the principles of spiritual democracies
he wants the government, to be laid by thoughtful and God-fearing people and not
to leave it in the hands of puppets. He like Plato favours controlled democracy. He
does not believe in Arithmetical democracy but the democracy of talents. It was
his convection that the true democracy is yet an expectation to be materialized by
the higher stages of the development of democracy. Iqbal writes in secrets of the
self that the world is tending towards the reproduction of more or less unique
individuals who will be befitting parents of mankind. The kingdom of god on
earth one of means the democracy of more or less unique individuals, presided
over by the most unique individuals possible on this earth. 30 As he speaks in favour
of the capable persons (perfect man): 37
For thousands of years the Narcissus cries on her sightlessness.
Hardly a seer (A perfect Man) is produced in the garden (world).
Allama Iqbal as an economist:
Along with education, religion, polity, economy is also the primary institution of
contemporary society. As we are witnessing severe economic crisis in the
contemporary world so, the importance of economics cannot be denied. The basis
of its importance is not on a common feeling that ones political and social
freedom is of no value without economic freedom and similarly the achievement of
solidarity, integrity and contentment is impossible with there being economic
justice. But it is important due to certain questions in the human mind regarding
30 Chaudari, Muhammad, Ashraf, The Muslim ummah and Iqbal, (1994, National institute of historical and
cultural research Islamabad), Pakistan. P-121.
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poverty, unemployment and indigence causing socio-economic injustice in-spite of

unlimited wealth and surprising progress in the productive resources of the world.
Why is it that 60% of the people even today are without food, clothing and shelter?
Why we are not having collective welfare? These are some contentious questions
which have to be answered.31
Allama Iqbals poetry and philosophy have fascinated many of our

generations. In the contemporary era our turbulent political and social
conditions then made us to look for particular insights and answers in his poetry
and thoughts that seemed relevant to those times.
Our social and economic conditions must make us revisit Iqbal- The economist,
the long ignored dimension of his persona.
It is not too well known that Iqbals first published book in 1904 was neither his
poetry nor philosophy, but economics. Apart from philosophy, Iqbal taught
economics at the Government College, Lahore in his early profession. And what
is remarkable is that Iqbal never studied economics formally.
For understanding the relevance of Iqbals economic thought to these times it is
important for us to recognize the social and economic context that influenced
Iqbals evolution. What is also critical is to revisit Ilmul-Iqtisad (the Science of
Economics).32
Ilmul Iqtisad is not about economic philosophy; rather, it is a book
written in text book style. Ilmul-Iqtisad makes a case about why it was written
31 Farganis, James, Readings in social theory, (2004, Tata Mc Graw Hill), p-45.
32 Talib, Hussain, Arjumand, economic thought of Iqbal, 2012, greater Kashmir,

Srinagar, India.
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in the first place in its preface. It sought to link its content with the oppressive
social and economic systems of those days, rooted in village Zamindari system
or landlordism. While emphasizing to its Urdu readers the significance of
economics in our lives, Iqbal categorically states that a positive change in this
world, especially in South Asia, was not possible without understanding and
masteringeconomics.33
There is a debate among scholars whether Ilmul-Iqtisad could be
attributed to Iqbal as his original work or a translation of material from English
sources. Pervez Tahir, former Chief Economist of Pakistans Planning
Commission, in his review of Ilmul-Iqtisad in the Pakistan Development
Review, 2001, notes: what Iqbal has rendered in Ilmul-Iqtisad is basically a
synthesized body of available knowledge on the subject.
In the books preface, Iqbal makes a case in his own way, the study of this
science and reflecting on its results is particularly important for the Indians, as
poverty is becoming a common complaint here. History of man is witness to the
fate befalling nations who neglected their socio-cultural and economic
conditions.34
Today as modern economic thought is caught on the horns of many
dilemmas, Iqbals economic philosophy is as clear as before. And what is
interesting is that the cynicism he nurtured for capitalism and an economic
system based on high interest and credit addiction by his time is shared by a far
larger number of economic philosophers today.
Nowadays, the argument in the west about austerity and unbridled expenditure
remains as contentious as ever. Even as there are people who believe that
33 Ibid
34 Qaiser, Nazir Iqbal and western philosophers (1987, Iqbal Academy Lahore), Pakistan, p-127.
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government debt cannot be paid off unless there is some degree of austerity and
thus reduction of that debt, the mainstream economic thought remains wedded
to the idea of unbridled government borrowing and expenditure as a recipe for
growth and job creation.35
Allama Iqbals critique of market capitalism has always been known.
But when we analyze todays role of market forces in aggravating inequality
and poverty Iqbals this verse would always inspire awe:
Dayar-e-maghrib ke rahne walo khuda ki basti dukaan nehi hai

Khara jise tum samajh rahe ho who ab zar kam ayyar hoga 38
(O, Residents of the West! God's earth is not a shop; the gold you think to be
genuine will now prove to be debased)
It is clear that Iqbals thought never wavered on his cynicism about a

soulless. The best tribute to him will be making our younger
generations to approach and understand Iqbal, for he remains one of those rare
social, religious and political thinkers whose thoughts havent been rendered
redundant by times.
Iqbals whole economic thought is based on the values and norms
of religion, though he was a great admirer of Socialism. Many of his works
testify to his sincere interest in the movement and principles of socialism. He
was attracted to socialism by the thought of unity and equality of mankind. But,
35 George Ritzier, Classical educational theory (2005, Tata Mc Graw Hil)), p-90 .
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as he was opposed to a materialistic view of the world, he did not believe in the
materialistic interpretation of the modern socialism of the west, rather he was
sympathetic to the spiritual socialism akin to Islam. However, his interests in
the socialist movement of Bolshevik Russia were immense, because he
regarded it as a storm that swept away all the foul airs in the atmosphere. He
was perhaps, the first Urdu poet of Asia to greet the victory of the great October
socialist Revolution in Russia. His sympathy towards laboring classes was not
the result of feeling akin to Marxism, wholly devoid of spiritualism as the
Marxian philosophy of bread seeks and aims at equality through the stomach
alone,36 as he speaks: 39
The religion of that prophet, ignorant of truth
Has its basis in the equality of the stomach, alone.
Iqbal gave a clarion call to the workers of the world to get a lesson
from the great October Revolution of 1917 of the soviet Russia. Iqbals
sympathy for the socialist revolution might have been due to his utter dislike for
social injustice and economic exploitation of mankind. The Laissez-faire
capitalism of the industrial west had pulverized humanity into hostile national
groups, and within every nation, too, there was class war because the classes of
haves and have-nots were at loggerheads. Our country is agricultural in nature
where no industrial proletariat had developed but the conflict of the landlord
and the tenant was becoming an acute socio-economic problem. The usurious
money-lender was even more callous than the landlord. The ownership of land
was rapidly passing into the hands of money-lending owners who did nothing to
improve the soil or the condition of the tiller. Iqbal would welcome a revolution
36 Nilanjana, Majumdar, Marxist theory and socialist states, (2005, Kalpaz publications), London. P-126.
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in which they do nothing absentee landlord, or the usurious money-lender, is

swept away. However, the revolution of Iqbals choice was not along the lines
of communistic socialism with its ideal of absolute equality, expressed in the
maxim, from each according to his capacity, to each according to his needs. His
socialism was more along the lines of a socialism which has its ideal not
mechanical equality of all members of society, but rather potential equality in
the sense of the maxim of Saint Simons followers whos ideal was from each
according to his capacity, to each according to his merit. Over and above, Iqbal
believed in a spiritual socialism identical with Islam37: 40
The Khawaja makes a shining ruby out of the blood in the labourers vein;
The peasants farms are laid waste, because of the landlords high handedness.
To Iqbal, the economic basis of socialism was identical with the teaching
of the Quran. He believed that Islam and socialism had the same aim: to
safeguard the sustenance of all people. He called for a society which would rest
on a foundation of social justice. He also contended that the social system of
Islam, with all its potentialities, has sufficient provision for ensuring social
justice. So once he desired: if I were made the ruler of a Muslim state, I would
first make it a socialist state.
Iqbal believed that the best solution for economic ills of all human
communities has been put forward by Islam in the Quran. There is no doubt that
when the power of capitalism exceeds the limits of the golden mean, it becomes
a curse for mankind. But to save mankind from its harmful effects, the remedy
is not the elimination of this factor from the economic system, as communism
37 Dr. Abdul, Aleem, Hilal, Social Philosophy of Sir Muhammad Iqbal- A critical study, (Adam Publishers, New
Delhi), India. P-232.
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has suggested. On the contrary, the Quran has devised a system, comprising the
laws of inheritance, Zakat, Haj, etc, to keep its power within proper limits.
Human nature being what it is, that is, the most pragmatic solution. Russian
Bolshevism is a strong reaction against the short-sighted and self-centered
capitalism. The fact is that the capitalism of the west and Russian Bolshevism
both represent two extremes. Islam does not altogether abolish the element of
capitalism from the economic system, but having a deeper insight into human
nature, preserves it and gives us an economic dispensation in implementing
which this element cannot transgress its proper confines. The objective aimed at
by the Islamic Shariah is that no one class should be able to dominate another
on the strength of wealth. Iqbal vehemently speaks about the interest based
banks as it is forbidden in Islam:38 41
In the elegance of construction, luster and cleanliness,
The buildings of banks are superior to those of the churches.
Ostensibly, it is trade, in reality, it is gambling.
Interest of one is sudden death for millions of people.
Iqbal had the great respect for the founder of modern socialism Karl
Marx. He addressed Marx as the prophet and founder of a new social order
founded on the equality of all the people, and in his Das Capital Iqbal saw a kind
of religious book in which are contained the principles of a new and just social
order. To him in Marxs teachings, there is an unconscious, hidden truth, i.e., the
Islamic principles of equality of all people before God-a truth hidden there despite
the fact that Marxs social system is materialistic and Marx did not acknowledge
38 Ibid-p-243.
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God. Apart from Marxs Godlessness and irreligiousness, Iqbal referred to Marx as
a prophet with an angel.39 As in his book Javid Nama,Iqbal spoke of him:
The author of capital comes of the tribe of Abraham,
He is a prophet, without Gabriel.
For, in his error there is a hidden truth,
With the heart he is a Fidel, with the brain a heretic.
The people of the west have lost the heaven,
They seek the pure spirit (soul) in the stomach.
The pure spirit does not receive colour and fragrance from the body,
But socialism has no concern other than with the body.
The religion of this prophet who does not know the truth,
Is founded on the equality of stomach.
Marxian socialism begins with the simple observation that in order to

survive, man must produce food and material objects. In doing so he enters into
social relationship with other men. From the simple hunting to the complex
industrial state, production is a social enterprise. Production also involves a
technical component by known as the forces of production which includes the
technology, raw materials and scientific knowledge employed in the process of
production. Each major stage in the development of the forces of production will
correspond with a particular form of the social relationship of production. Marx
saw history as divided into a number of time periods or epochs. Each being
characterised by a particular mode of production, Major changes in history are the
result of new forces of production. The key to understanding society from a
Marxian socialism involves an analysis of the infrastructure. In all historical
societies there are basic contradictions between the forces and relations of
production and there are fundamental conflicts of interest between the social
groups involved in the production process. In particular, the relationship between
the major social groups is one of exploitation and oppression. The superstructure
derives largely from the infrastructure and therefore reproduces the social
39 Dr. Ehsan Ashraf, Critical exposition of Iqbals Philosophy (2003, Adam Publishers, New Delhi), p-121.
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relationships of production. It will thus reflect the interests of the dominant group
in the relations of production. Ruling class ideology distorts the true nature of
society and serves to legitimate and justify the status quo. However the
contradiction in the infrastructure will eventually lead to a disintegration of the
system and the creation of a new society.40
From the Marxian point of view, in all stratified societies there are two
major social groups; a rich class and a poor class, or the Haves and Have-nots; or a
ruling class and subject class. The key to understanding a given society is to
discover which the dominant mode of production within it. All the other relations
stem out of it. From a Marxian view, a class is a social group where members share
the same relationships to the forces of production. Thus during the feudal stage,
there are two main classes distinguished by their relationship to land, the major
force of production. They are the, (feudal nobility) who own the land and, (landless
serfs) who work in the land. Similarly, in the capitalist stage, there are two main
classes, the bourgeoisie or capitalist class which owns the forces of production and
the proletariat or working class whose members own only their labour which they
hire to the capitalists in return for wages.41
The key to understand society from a Marxian perspective involves an

analysis of the infrastructure. In all historical societies there are basic
contradictions between the forces and relations of production and there are
fundamental conflicts of interest between the social groups involved in the
production process. In particular, the relationship between the major social groups
is one of exploitation and oppression. The superstructure derives largely from the
40 Dekmejian, R.Hriar, The Anatomy of Islamic Revival Middle East Journal, No. 34:1935.
41 Ibid.p-23
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infrastructure and therefore reproduces the social relationships of production. It

will thus reflect the interests of the dominant group in the relations of production.
Ruling class ideology distorts the true nature of society serves to legitimate and
justify the status quo. However the contradiction in the infrastructure will
eventually lead to a disintegration of the system and the creation of a new society.42
The communist society which Marx predicted would arise from the ruins of
capitalism will begin with a transitional phase, the dictatorship of the proletariat.
Once the communist system has been fully established, the reason for being of the
dictatorship and therefore its existence will end. Bourgeois society represents the
closing chapter of the prehistoric stage of human society. The communist society
of the new era is without contradictions. The dialectical principle now ceases to
operate. The contradictions of human history have now been negated in a final
harmonious synthesis.43
Iqbal was opposed to a materialistic view of Karl Marx, he did not believe in
the materialistic interpretation of the modern socialism of the west; rather, he was
sympathetic to the spiritual socialism akin to Islam. However, his interest in the
socialist movement of Bolshevik Russia was immense, because he regarded it as a
storm that swept away all the foul airs in the atmosphere. He was, perhaps, the first
Urdu poet of Asia to greet the victory of the great October socialist Revolution in
Russia. When soviet power was installed in Russia, Iqbal wrote an Urdu poem
under the caption: Sarmaya wa Mehnat (capital and labour). In this poem he
42 Jonathan, H. Turner, The structural of educational theory, (2003, Thomson publications), p-213.
43 Ibid, p-128.
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exhorted the working people of the east and the west, with the dawn of a new
social order, to follow the soviet revolution and cut off the chains of capitalism.44
Thus Iqbal gave a clarion call to the workers of the world to get a lesson
from the Great October Revolution of 1917 of the soviet Russia. Iqbals sympathy
for the socialist revolution might have been due to his utter dislike for social
injustice and economic exploitation of mankind. Iqbal would welcome a revolution
in which the do-nothing absentee landlord, or the various money-lenders, is swept
away: 42
A arise and awaken the poor people of my world.
Shake the doors and walls of the palaces of the Amirs.
However, the revolution of Iqbals choice was not along the lines of
communistic socialism with its ideal of absolute equality, expressed in the maxim;
from each according to his capacity, to each according to his needs. His socialism
was more along the lines of a socialism which has as its ideal not mechanical
equality of all members of society, but rather potential equality in the sense of the
maxim of Karl Marx followers whose ideal was; from each according to his
capacity, to each according to his merit. Over and above, Iqbal believed in a
spiritual socialism identical with Islam. According to him economic basis of
socialism was identical with the teaching of the Quran. He believed that Islam and
socialism had the same aim: to safeguard the sustenance of all the people. He
called for the society which would rest on a foundation of social justice. He also
contended that the social system of Islam, with all its potentialities, has sufficient
provision for ensuring social justice. Iqbal believed that the best solution for the
44 Vahid, S.A. Introduction to Iqbal,(1954, Karachi), 1954.
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economic ills of all human communities has been put forward by Islam in the
Quran. This lacks in Karl Marxs theory of socialism, who regarded Religion as the
false consciousness. According to him Religion is the Opiate of the people
because it offers them pie in the sky to divert them from the class struggle and
prolong their exploitation.45
The chief flaw of the Karl Marx social order, according to Iqbal, is its
atheism, for Marxian socialism is a socio-political system which preaches the
abolition of religion in the supposed interest of humanity. It is thoroughly
materialistic in its outlook; and for it, no other world beyond this life exists.
According to Marxs theory of socialism, the process of history is determined
purely by economic forces and the only principle that governs is, Might is Right.
Karl Marx predicts that power will eventually fall into the hands of the proletariat
by the sheer force of historical causes. The proletariat, therefore, wrest by force the
power from the hands of the rich and impose upon the world a new social order.46
On the contrary, Iqbals thought is wholly permeated with the concept of the
spiritual nature of the universe and the positive social philosophy and ethical
ideology of Islam. Although the family is the basic unit of the Islamic social order,
the moral and social injections of Islam are such that they unite all believers into a
fraternity in which everyone is solicitous of the well-being of all, despite the
existence of economic disparities. Instead of class-war, Iqbal preaches the
principles of equality and solidarity in a social system in which the holder of
legitimately acquired wealth is the trustee of all that exceeds his own requirements,
for the benefit of his less favoured fellow-men. Islam, according to Iqbal,
45 S. Mahidihasan, Iqbal Review, Journal of the Iqbal Iqbal Academy Pakistan. 1978.
46 Ibid, p-34.
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visualizes a democratic fraternity of dignified individuals, conscious of divine

guidance and a centralized welfare organization, with sufficient scope for
individual initiative in thought and action, subject to the limits imposed by the
Islamic Shariah.47 The institutions of interest-free loans are an index of the
fraternal solicitude of members of the community for one another. There is to be
complete equality of opportunity and equality before the law; the head of the
Muslim state is as much subservient to the dictates of Gods law as the lowest
individual in the social scale. All human beings will be accountable for their
mundane action in the hereafter. The maintenance of the disabled, the sick and the
indigent, who in spite of effort are unable to earn their livelihood, and the
education for the young, become the collective responsibility of the community in
the social order of Islam. Thus Iqbals approach to the doctrine of socialism is
wholly moral and, in the highest sense, is spiritual and idealistic. For Iqbal the
Islamic social order, as envisaged in the Quran is comprehensive, perfect and
dynamic enough to be able to serve mankind for all times and in all climes. There
is little in common between Iqbals spiritual socialism and the material socialism
of the communistic stance. The only thing Iqbal shares with the communists
doctrine of socialism are its outright condemnation of lasses-faire capitalism. He,
however, advocates the golden mean of Islam which maintains the necessary
balance between capitalism and socialism. The dialectic that is contemplated in his
system of thought is the dialectic of love rather than of hate and strife. On the one
hand, this dialectical process enables man to assimilate the world of matter with a
view to conquer it, on the other, it provides the human individual with a scope for
47 Muhammad Suheyl Umar, Iqbal Review journal of the Iqbal Iqbal Academy Pakistan. 2004.
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progress to the exalted level of absorbing Divine attributes, by ever fresh creation
of desires and ideals in the spiritual sphere.48
Iqbals whole economic system is based on the Islamic teachings and the
teachings of Quran. Poverty has been one of the primary concerns of the Islamic
social system. Leaving aside the personal humanitarianism of some Muslim rulers,
which is legendary in cases, there are certain fundamental principles of the Shariah
which are basically concerned with this problem. The tenants of Islamic economic
system are as follows:
1. It is the duty of the state to provide every individual with the necessities
of life, which include food, clothing, housing, education and medical
assistances. In providing these necessities individual taste and aptitude
should be given due consideration instead of uniformity.
2. The state can fulfil this huge obligation only if the means of production
are it its custody.
3. Every individual should be given an assignment in life according to his
capacities and the capability and the opportunity available in society.
4. Strictly from the Islamic point of view reward for work belongs to the
labour and not to capital.49
The above characteristic of the socio-economic system of Islam are

based on the interpretation of the Quran and traditions of the holy prophet.
According to Iqbal Islam has often been described as a doctrine of duties,
but more correctly described, the Shariah is law in terms of eternal
transcendental norms to which mankind is necessarily required always to
48 Afzal, Iqbal, Contemporary Muslim world (1975, Adam publishers) New Delhi, India, p-34.
49 Ibid, p-123.
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conform. Must of this law to be found in the holy Quran itself, e.g., those
relating to ritual, purity, prayer, fasting, alms-giving, pilgrimage, marriage,
divorce, paternity, guardianship, succession and even laws of contract, civil
wrongs, crimes, evidence and procedure. Islam being a Din projects life as a
whole and the economic system cannot be discussed separately. Iqbals
principles and features are same as that of Islamic economic system. 50 The
economic system in Islam is based on certain golden principles. Included
among these are:
1. Circulation of wealth: The principles of circulation of wealth has

not only been accepted, but such ways and means have been devised
through which continues circulating and does not accumulate. It has
adopted all such measures which are helpful in creating an equitable
society in which the principles of social justice is implemented and it has
closed the doors of all sorts of human and economic exploitation.
2. Selflessness and service to the community: one really
appreciable aspect of Islamic system and way of life is that it infuses
amongst its adherents the spirit of selflessness and service to humanity. It
very clearly lies before it that one cannot be a real Muslim unless one
loves for all Muslims what one loves for oneself. The holy Quran
appreciates the quality of the Muslims by saying that they are those who
give preference to others over their own needs. So, an Islamic society
prepares selfless human beings as against the selfless ones created by
western civilisation as declared by a philosopher no less than
50 Khurram, Ali, Shafique, Iqbal- An Illustrated Biography, (2006, Iqbal Academy Pakistan), Lahore, Pakistan.
p-98.
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Schopenhauer who says: A man is wolf to man, which is a true picture

of the man produced by western civilisation.
3. Ethical and human values: The economic system of Islam is based
on ethical and human values. This system emanates from God. The
Muslims are enjoined upon to implement this system and act in
accordance with it, wherein, when a Muslim spends for the welfare of the
society, he spends in the way of God, and seeking his pleasure.
4. Welfare of the entire humanity: This system has been organized
keeping in view the welfare of the humanity.
5. A just, Equitable, workable and progressive system: All
necessary steps have been suggested to establish this system as just,
equitable workable and progressive economic system. It has been
provided in Islam that adequate means of livelihood for all citizens be
provided and in this respect all opportunities should be equally open to
all citizens.
6. Freedom from Exploitation: The doors of all sorts of human
exploitation have been closed altogether, thereby freeing a man from the
exploitation of any other man.
7. Limited ownership: It permits limited ownership and places effective
checks on unlimited accumulation of wealth in anybodys hands.
8. Dignity of wok and labour: Dignity of work and labour is an
established fact in the economic system of Islam.51
According to Iqbal the economic system of Islam is a middle course

and a Golden mean amongst the two extremes economic systems of the
world, namely, Communism and Capitalism. The Islamic system is the only
system which guarantees the true welfare of humanity, as has been expressed
51 Ibid, p-97.
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by Allama Iqbal in his letter dated 28th may 1937 addressed to the Quaid-I-
Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Iqbals as an Educationist:
Education, which signifies the development of personality, is a purposive

process; it is a process which is consciously directed towards some end. Mill
defines it as, culture which each generation purposely gives to those who are to be
successors in order to qualify them for at least keeping up and if possible for
raising the level of improvement which has been maintained. Similarly, K. G.
Saiyadain remarks that Education in its full and correct signification must be
visualized as the sum total of cultural forces which play on the life of individual
and community. If this is clearly understood, it follows that an emergence of an
outstanding creative thinker, who has distinctive message to give or new values to
present before the world, is a phenomenon of the greatest interest for the
educationists, and the more his ideas catch the imagination, the understanding and
enthusiasm of his contemporaries, the greater must be his influence as the
educative force.52
Viewed in his perspective, one cannot escape the fact that Iqbal comes under
the category of the educationists, though he is not an educationist in the limited
sense. Every educational system is concerned with the critical evaluation and
transmission of the cultural heritage, knowledge and ideas of social groups, to its
young members, and is thus much wider in its outlook than the narrow system of
education that goes on within the precincts of schools and colleges. This limited
52Beg, A. Anwar, The Poet of the East (2003, Iqbal Academy Pakistan), Lahore Pakistan.p-
231.
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process of teaching and learning does not take into account the social and the
personal influences which shape and modify the destiny of the individual and of
the community. Iqbal lays special emphasis on these cultural factors and his
philosophy of life is of infinite value for education. Like other educationists, he
stresses the fundamental point that the educator must necessarily inquire into the
nature and function of the self in relation to the environment in which it is placed.53
Self, according to him, is not a mere illusion, as some of the pseudo-
mystics and pantheists would have us believe. It has, on the other hand, an abiding
significance of its own. The doctrine of self-negation, according to Iqbal, is
positively dangerous in its socio-political implications.
Thus, Education is concerned with the problems of individual and society. It is
the process of enabling the individual to take his rightful place in the society. It
must, therefore, be interested in those studies which concern the individual on the
one hand and the society on the other. 42
O God, may my life be like a candle,
I may love the candle of learning.
Let it be my duty to help those who are in need.
To love the companionate and those who are weak.
53 Anwar, Ayan, Educational philosophers of contemporary society (1993, Adam Publishers, New Delhi, India,
p-34.
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Iqbal believed that the basic aim of education is the self-realization,

which means consciousness of divine attributes which constitutes the very essence
of man. Such a self is also in union with the whole world and has realized the
ultimate value of such union, namely goodness, truth, beauty and unity of God
(Tawhid) Thus, education must be religious, moral, intellectual and aesthetic
development of and individual. In order to produce a balanced and harmonious
personality none of these aspects may be neglected. Hence a man, who is perfect
according to the idealist standpoint, is identical with the self of the whole society.54
Iqbal, thus, combines the best of materialism and of spiritualism in his

philosophy, and exhorts the Individual to make full use of the physical aspect of
education, which should aim at physical fitness of the body and acquisition of
necessary bodily skill. According to him physical and spiritual are not sharply
opposed to each other; they have a certain amount of common ground. Iqbal, also
considers mind and body as a single inseparable reality and emphasizes the need of
intellectual, aesthetic and social values, which must be pursued for the
development of self. As he speaks: 43
A comprehensive view of Iqbals ideas about education would reveal

that he has tried to reconnect the broken links of the educational tradition of Islam.
His measure emphasis is on the restatement of the doctrines propounded, on one
hand, by Rumi, and, on the other, by Ibn Khaldun and later on by Shah Walli-
Ullah of Delhi. His chief contribution to the educational ideology is the emphasis
on din, as the main subject of study. In one of his poems Pir-oMurid, in which
the poet discusses the various problems of the day concerning contemporary
education, soul and other things, the dialogue occurs between two persons, Murid-
54 Ahsan, Ahmad, Ahsan, Modernisation of Muslim Education (1986, NIPS publication, Pakistan), p-125.
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i-Hindi and Pir-i-Rumi. Murid-i-Hindi is very likely Irbil himself. 55 The dialogue is
of exceptional intretst as revealing the mind of Iqbil: 44
Murid-i-Hindi
A stream of blood flows from the seeing eye, alas!
Owing to modern knowledge, religion is in a miserable state.
Pir-i-Rumi
If you strike knowledge on the body, it becomes a snake.
If you strike knowledge on the heart, it becomes a friend.
On reviewing the Muslim system of education in India from this
standpoint, Iqbal feels disappointed. He observes how the modern Muslim young
man has absolutely no background of Muslim culture, for he has assimilated
western habits of thought to an alarming extent, his mental life having become
thoroughly de-musliminized. In our educational enterprise we have hardly realized
the truth, that an undivided devotion to an alien culture is a kind of imperceptible
conversion to that culture. Our educational enterprise is driven by considerations of
immediate economic gain, and so our educational products have little to commend
themselves. Iqbal delivers the harsh verdict, that the Muslim student, ignorant of
the social, ethical and political ideals that have dominated the mind of his
community, is spiritually dead. He need to change our priorities, economic
considerations alone ought not to determine our activity as a people; the
preservation of the unity of the community, the continuous national life is a far
higher ideal than the service of merely immediate ends. Iqbal stresses the need for
a teaching university of our own, urging at the same time, that the scattered
55 Siddque, Amir, Educational profile of eastern educationists Noorish Press, Pakistan, 1998.
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educational forces, some conservatively religious, others relatively westernized, be

organized into a central institution of a large purpose.56
As for the education of Muslim women, Iqbal frankly remarks, it appears
that nature has allotted different functions to them, and right performance of these
functions is equally indispensable for health and prosperity of human family. Iqbal
is unimpressed with the western movement to emancipate women, as he speaks:
45
Our girls are being taught English, nowadays.
The nation has found the way of salvation, at last!
The western mode of life is held in view.
Eastern etiquette is regarded as a mortal sin.
What scene shall this drama unfold?
The eye awaits the lifting of the curtains.
The consequences of the equal status of women with men have been looked
upon as serious in the west. Women have come forward as a worker to compete
with man in all spheres of life. She has lost interest in her own duties which nature
has primarily imposed upon her, the most important being to produce children and
to look after them, which involves a deep interest in domestic affairs. The
tendencies of modern women have been instrumental in present-day in some
measure institutions of west. E.g, family, marriage, kinship, religion, economy, etc.
as Iqbal beautifully puts it in his poetry: 45
Tell me: is this the perfection of society?
Man is without work and womens lap empty.
The poet was not in favour of a such a scheme of female education as was
popular in his day: 46
If European civilization is death to motherland.
56Khan, Abdul, Qayoom, Education and its perspectives (1980, penguin press), p-243.
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Its fruit for man is sure to be death.

But Iqbal, at the same time had a great respect for women and his criticism was
only leveled against her ultra-modern tendencies: 47
The colour in the picture of the universe is due to women.
The inner burning of life is due to her instrument.
In dignity, her handful of dust is superior to the Pleiades.
For all dignity is the secret pearl of this precious box.
To Iqbals, the fundamental purpose of education is not to turn out employable
graduates, but to produce the type of character that would ensure societys survival
and continuity. Judged by this yardstick, neither the traditional Islamic Madrassa or
seminary education nor the modern secular scheme of education would by itself
seem to have much merit. Iqbal stressed the need for technical education for the
masses and, more important, viewed education as an instrument not just of a
certain type of individual character but also of a certain type of national mind-set,
both informed by an Islamic ethical vision. Above all, Iqbal urged Muslims to
make both a deep critical study of their own cultural and intellectual traditions and
serious study of modern western thought with a view to finding creative ways of
reviving the Islamic legacy and making it relevant and viable in modern contexts.
In other words, Iqbal believed that education could be used to bring about a
veritable renaissance of thought in the Muslim world.57
57Khan, Imran, Pakistan- A personal History, Transworld Publishers, London, England.
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Iqbal believed that Islamic values and norms have a potential to guide the
wandering humanity towards its goal. The acute problem facing for him, however,
was the fact that the Muslim Ummah, in most parts of the world, was not only
under the subjugation of colonialism, but also suffered from overall moral decline
and disunity. According to Iqbal, the quest for knowledge was reflected in the
libraries that existed in the Islamic cities of Baghdad, Damascus and Cordoba. In
1171, when the legendary warrior Salahuddin entered Baghdad, the public library
had 150,000 volumes. In Cordoba, Al Hakims library has between 4000,000 and
600,000 volumes. At this period in history, the universities in Europe had hardly
any access to books. In his book The Rise of Humanism in Classical Islam and the
Christian West, the Arabist and Islamisist, the George Makdisi traces the origins of
humanism, the modern system of knowledge imparted in western universities, to
the early Islamic era. He writes about how from the eight century onwards there
was an environment of learning in Arab collages, Madrassas and the courts of Iraq,
Sicily, Egypt and Andalusia, where disputation, dissent and argument were the
order of the day. By the end of the eleventh century most Muslims cities had
universities. Iqbal vehemently speaks about the misery and despondency of
contemporary Muslims, because of their decay and decline in their intellectual
thought, as he speaks; 48
Those deprived of any skill, in this world, are you.
The only people who cares not for their dwellings are you.
The haystacks that conceals lightning fires, are you.
The creatures who sell the tombs of elders, are you.
Drawing profit out of graves has secured thou renown;
Thyself would not hesitate in trading Gods made of stone.
From above discussion it becomes crystal clear that the basic aim of
the Iqabalain Educational philosophy was the self-Realization or self introspection.
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But at the same time, Iqbal believed that Muslims should excel in every feild of
science or philosophy. For hundreds of years all top scientists were Muslims,
dominating the fields of logic, metaphysics, chemistry, algebra, astronomy and
medicine. Until the advent of Islam, scientific knowledge amongst the Arabs had
been stagnant for centuries. By the eighth century medical and philosophical texts
were translated into Arabic, allowing the Arabs to build on the wisdom of the past
and make vast leaps forward in science. Islamic scholars had a profound effect on
European thought centuries later. By the tenth century everything worth translating
from Ancient Greek works was available in Arabic. It was also during this period
of cultural flowering that Muslim merchants developed modern commercial
instruments such as cheques, letters of credit and joint stock companies.58
Ibn Sina (980-1027), Ibn Rashid (1126-98) and Al Ghazali (died 1111)
were amongst the Islamic philosophers who had a huge impact on European
thought. Roger Bacon, one of the greatest names in western science, considered
Ibn Sina the prince and leader of philosophy. Bacon learned from Arab thinkers
about experimental science and Aristotelian philosophy. He was also a great
transmitter of Arab knowledge into the mainstream of European thought. By the
end of the eleventh century, Latin translations of Arabic works on science began to
filter into Europe mainly from Muslim Spain, Iraq and Sicily. Among the centers of
European learning that helped diffuse Islamic knowledge throughout the European
world was the Arabist school at Montpellier in the south of France. From
Montpellier scholars spread in all directions across Europe. The philosopher Al
Ghazalis work had great influence on both Islamic and European scholars. His
development of Greek philosophers, especially Aristotles influenced European
58 Ibit, p-265.
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philosophies like, Thomas Aquinas that helped spark off the spirit of inquiry in
Europe that would later lead to the reformation.59
Iqbal was, therefore, constrained towards establishing an ideal society. He
has used new ideas to explain the classical institutions of Islam, which he thought
were instrumental in the revival of the Muslim societies. He feels if those very
institutions were revitalized in the light of his ideas, the Muslim societies could
regain their lost status. The important thing is that he is not setting aside those
classical institutions, but recommending measures through which all these
institutions attain new meanings. He is, therefore, for the rediscovery of the
dynamic spirit of Islam inherent in its original message and wants this process of
rediscovery to continue so that it can measure up to ever emerging challenges. His
optimism in his conviction that the solution to the problems of the Muslims be in
reverting back to the dynamics spirit of the classical Islam is simply unprecedented
when he states:
Although, the world has presented the age old idols with new attractions, a
thousand times, I have not abandoned Islam because it has been founded on
eternally solid foundations.
59 Dr. Ehsan Ashraf, Critical exposition of Iqbals Philosophy (2003, Adam Publishers), New Delhi, p-145.
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Iqbal as a multi-dimensional personalityChapter III

Iqbal as a social reformer:

1 Calhoun, Craig, Classical Sociological Theory (2007, Blackwell, Publishing house,

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The industrial revolution, capitalism, Renaissance, Enlightenment period,

The contemporary Society in which we are living is in a rigorous

3 Blau, M. Peter, Social structure, (1976, open books), London, p-97.

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For thousands of years the narcissus cries on her sightlessness.

Hrdly a seer (a perfect man) is produced in the garden (world).

Whatever Iqbal thought and expressed, he expressed in a forceful

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In our mechanical society of to-day man is fast losing his significance,

Mans attempt in understanding his collective behavior and then looking

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Dr. Mohammad Iqbal reverently known as Allama, is un-questionably

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sociologist be it an Indian or western. but one looks at an agreement to a

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Iqbal took a typically modern look which is to say, a historio-sociological-

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The connection of an individual with society is a boon.

Its reality attains perfection through society.

Iqbal in his sociological thought gives equal importance to individual

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You created the clay, and I made the cup.

You created the deserts, mountains and forests.

I made the parks, flowers-beds and gardens.

It is I who turn stone into a mirror.

And it is I who turn poison into an antidote.

Among the contemporary thinkers of the world Iqbal occupies an

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The old man of Rumi turned my dust into elixir.

From my dust he raised the lights.

The particles packed its wardrobe from the desert.

So that it might catch the ray of the sun

The philosophy of Iqbal, apart from its emphasis on the

14 Ibid, -p- 45.

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The crux of whole Iqbalian thought is Islamic teachings. It is evident from

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activities, there is a chance of survival for us. It is the most comprehensive,

Iqbal as a political scientist:

Iqbal was a poet- philosopher, but the influential position that he

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form of government is the best of all. A pattern of government is the creation of

Iqbal was not attracted by the outward democratic form of government in

It has a shining face but its within is blacker than Changiz

The political philosophy of Iqbal was inclined towards Islamic socialism,

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Iqbal believes that Islam is a universal religion, and therefore, has a

Thus in his perception, Islam as a religion and as a culture guides us in all

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Allama Iqbalss Active Role in Politics of United India:

Allama Iqbal played tremendous role in the political development of the

23 M. Ikram Chaghatai (2003) Iqbal New Dimensions, Sang-E-Meel Publications, Pakistan.

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24 Iqbal, Muhammad, Allahabad, Lecture, 1930.

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The object in summoning this conference is that the Muslims of these

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