.

Iqbal’s Concept of Mard.e.Momin

Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) is a great thinker of the Muslim world. He hoslds a prominent

place among the whole line of Muslim Philosophers, though his place is unique in so far as the

current century is concerned, for there is hardly any contemporary Muslim thinker who can

match with him. He had a deep knowledge of the holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet

Muhammad and had studied the Western thought deeply. Humankind is the pivot around which

Iqbal's philosophy revolves, though for him the Self is the fundamental reality of the world, yet

“his revaluation of Man is not that of man qua man but of man in relation to God.” The vision of

the Perfect man that Iqbal presents is unique and fascinating. But he is not the first to propound

this conception. Many thinkers before him had endeavoured to develop the idea of the ideal man.

Abdul karim al- Jili and Moh-y-ud-Din ibn Arabi are prominent among them.

Jili has presented his stimulating views in a book entitled “Al-Insan al Kamil Fi Maarfa-til-

Awakhir Wal-awail”. He views that man is an entity by himself and is a manifestation of both

God and universe. He also says that man is the image of God and in reality; he is a link to unite

God with the universe. He further says that man is the main objective behind the creation of the

entire universe, because no other creation has the requisite qualities to mirror the truly divine

characteristics. The Holy Prophet is the supreme example of the perfect man, and anybody
following his path of life is sure to achieve the highest ideal which life is capable of bestowing

upon man

The concept of “momin” in Islam is eloquently captured by the twentieth century poet-

philosopher of Muslims from the Indian sub-continent, “Sir” Muhammad Iqbal. His chivalrous

depiction of Islam's ideal person, both man and woman, by the chauvinist term “marde-momin”

(“marde-Mussalman”) is based on his abstraction of “khudi”, or the philosophical “self” the

suppression of what Sigmund Freud had called the “ego” by the elevation of what he had

famously introduced as the “superego” to become the obedient slave of God . According to

Iqbal, the development of the Self has three stages.

Obedience: In the first stage "religious life appears as a form of discipline which the individual

or a whole people must accept as an unconditional command without any rational understanding

of the ultimate meaning and purpose of that command." Marde-Momin becomes the obedient

“slave” of God. In a sentence, it is the submersion of one's own will into God's will. He will

implement the teachings of the Holy Qur'an in one's life as a constitution. He attains such power

that his wishes and hands become wishes and hands of God.

Self-Control: The second stage in the education of the Self is when it is able to command itself.

"Perfect submission to discipline," says Iqbal "is followed by a rational understanding of the

discipline and the ultimate source of its authority. In this period religious life seeks its foundation

in a kind of metaphysics - a logically consistent view of the world with God as part of that view."

Vicegerency of God: The third stage in the development of the Self is “Niyabat-eIlahi” (the

Vicegerency of God). Although a human being already possesses the germ of Vicegerency

(Surah 2:28), yet "not man as he is now, but man purified through obedience, self-dominion, and
detachment can reach the high station of Divine Vicegerency. Iqbal describes the Perfect Person

in superlatives. "He is the completest Ego, the goal of humanity, the acme of life both in mind

and body; in him the discord of our mental life becomes a harmony. This highest power is united

in him with the highest knowledge. In his life, thought and action, instinct and reason, become

one. He is the last fruit of the tree of humanity and all the trials of a painful evolution are

justified because he is to come at the end. He is the real ruler of mankind; his kingdom is the

kingdom of God on earth.

Iqbal's Perfect Person or "Mard-e-Mo’min", like Rumi's "Mard-e-Haqq," the ruler of the world is

first and last servant of God. The Idea of Perfect Man, Mard-e-Momin, Mard-e-Khuda, Sheikh,

Kamil, Faqir and Banda-e-Haq are not unfamiliar. Rumi is probably the first Muslim thinker who

has presented a complete picture of Perfect Man. Iqbal looks upon personality as a state of

tension which can “continue only if that state is maintained, if the state of tension is not

maintained, relaxation will ensue. That which tends to maintain the state of tension tends to

make us immortal.

Iqbal mard.e.momin has keen desires for knowing the secrets that are hidden in universe.

Throughout Iqbal's writings, great stress is placed on desire (designated by names such as “soz”,

“hasra,”, “justuju”, “arzu”, “ishtiyaq” and “tarnmana”) as the spring from which the Self draws

sustenance. A human being is a human being, according to Iqbal, because he has the capacity for

endless yearning. In his eyes, this capacity lifts him to a station where he would not change his

place even with God. Iqbal’s mard.e.momin has love for every creatures of God. Love is the

active sense of positive desire. Iqbal “lays great emphasis on the value of love for strengthening

the Self. Love is the fundamental urge of being. For Iqbal as for Rumi only love is an intrinsic

value. Love is the only categorical imperative and strikes no bargain with God or humankind.
Iqbal does not forget to say, not once but repeatedly that a leader must be kind and courteous in

speech and manner. The full-grown ego must possess “husn-e-akhlaq” (beauty of disposition).

This makes Iqbal's Pesrfect Person as worthy of affection as he is of obedience, his heart-

winning ways supplementing his world-winning ways.

His Perfect Man is the crystallization of his ideas presenting the solution of human misery. In his

philosophy he aims to give us not a mere abstract ideal, whose colourful vistas may vanish in the

glare of reality but practical guidance as well. Iqbal revolted against all such mystical concepts

which killed human individuality. He accepted the Holy Prophet as the Perfect Man without the

mystical ramifications mentioned by the mystics like Abdul Karim al-Jili and Mohy-ud-Din ibn

Arabi. Iqbal’s Perfect Man is not different from a true and honest Muslim who does not treat his

religion as a wooden dogma but makes his life conform to the genuine pattern of the Holy Quran

and attains the highest degree of perfection by living up to it sincerely and honestly and in every

way.

Iqbal’s Perfect Man is a Momin whose greatest qualities are power, vision, action and wisdom.

These qualities are perfectly noticeable in the character of the Holy Prophet, who was also the

complete embodiment of the finest attributes. It is by emulating the character of the founder of

the Faith, that a Momin becomes a master of his destiny and reaches a stage of perfection. Iqbal

has expressed this idea in Bal-i-Jibril by saying that “the Momin is powerful and is a conqueror

of difficulties. He is the goal of reason; the sole harvest of love and all activities in the universe

can be attributed to him”. Another place he says that an infidel can be recognized by the fact that

he is seeking absorption in the universe, while the Momin is one who is himself the depository of

the whole universe.

Marde e Momin is such a man who has a sea of morality, faithfulness, devoting urge for self

respect, captive for honesty and should be God drunk. A Mard e Momin should be mad for

humanity. His veins should be filled with such blood that flow the unity among Muslims. The

Perfect Man is developed personality and has earned complete and true freedom and immortality,

true freedom belongs to him. In Jabriel’s Wing the free man is synonymous with the Per.

Iqbal says in Gulshan-e-Raz-e-Jadid:

The eternity is superior,

which a borrowed soul,

Wins for herself by love

frenzy

The being of mountains

and deserts and cities is nothing,

The universe is mortal, the

ego immortal and nothing else matters

Dr. Nazir Qaiser Writes, ‘to Iqbal the Perfect Man has not ceased to exist, and is very much

needed in the present age. In Zarb-i-Kalim says:

Today the world needs that true Mahdi,

Whose vision produces a commotion in the world of thought

To find such a man is difficult, it is the submersion of one's own will into God's will.

Perfect Man is blend of Ishq and Intellect. He has not fear and no difficulty can upset him. Also

death cannot frighten him because of the developed state of ego (khudi). Physical death looks

pleasant to him. Iqbal says:

 What is the sign of the faithful man?

When death comes, he has a smile on his lips

To Iqbal the other name of the Perfect Man is Faqir. Both hold that all the qualities of Faqr are

found in him. He is not an idle mystic, he is full of action. He earns lawful livelihood. He may be

poor in appearance but he is owner of countless treasure, there is no greed in him. He has a great

social relevance. He is not segregated from community .He attains such power that his wishes

and hands become wishes and hands of God: Iqbal beautifully says in Bal-e-Jibril that

A Perfect Man’s arm is really God’s Arm

`Dominant, creative, resourceful, efficient

To Iqbal, a Perfect Man is not fettered by destiny. It is he who governs it. God is omnipotent and

the creator of the universe, but if the universe does not suit man’s desire and purposes, it can be

shattered and rebuilt in his own fashion. Man himself can demand from God his fate because

fates are innumerable and he is free to make choice. A man can elevate himself even to that lofty

height where God will consult his will before assigning him his destiny innumerable and he is

free to make choice. A man can elevate himself even to that lofty height where God will consult

his will before assigning him his destiny.

To Iqbal the Perfect Man (Mard-i-Momin) is a man of this world and belonged to all mankind,

and lived in all time and clime, as he is an immortal being. He is a world-reality above and

beyond the limitations of time and space. He cannot be imprisoned by the boundaries of race,

politics or geography. Iqbal’s Perfect Man is timeless. He belongs to no particular place or

country. The whole world is his home. He is commissioned with a mission, i.e., to establish the
Kingdom of God on earth. He possesses great power and strength, that he can change the destiny

of the people. That is why Iqbal exclaimed in a challenging mood:

Who can imagine the strength of his arm?

Destines are changed at the mere glance of a Perfect Man.

Conclusion

In conclusion Iqbal points out the following characteristics of his Perfect Man (Mardi-Momin):

The ‘Perfect Man’ is the divine vicegerent of God on earth. He represents the last stage of human

development upon our planet. The goal of humanity is to be realized in his personality. He is the

complete ego, both in mind and body. He will possess the highest power blended with highest

knowledge. All the painful trials of evolution are justified as he is bound to come. He is the real

ruler of mankind. Out of the richness of his nature, he lavishes the wealth of life on others and

brings them nearer to Himself. The more we are advanced in the scale of evolution the nearer we

are to him. For the present he is mere ideal to us, but the evolution of humanity, both in mind and

body, is tending towards his emergence. The perfect man (Mard-i-Momin) is the ultimate goal of

the evolutionary process, and he is developed out of the present man, just as the full moon from

the crescent .
 References

I. Iqbal quoted by Nicholson, R. A., in Introduction to The Secrets of the Self, p. XXV

II. Sayyid Abdul Hai, “Iqbal the Philosopher, Islamic Cultural Centre, Chittagong”. Islamic

Foundation Bangladesh, Dacca. 1980, p.42

III. Muhammad Iqbal, “The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam”, Lahore, 1958,

p.10

IV. Iqbal, “Javid Nama”, Lahore, 1932. pp.15-16, As cited in Abdul Aleem Helal’s Social

philosophy of Sir Muhammad Iqbal, Adam Publishers and distributors, Delhi, 1995, p143

V. Iqbal, Payam-i-Mashriq, Lahore 1923, p.132, As cited in Helal, op.cit., p.145