Naveed Khan
Philosophers, unlike normal people, never die; they live forever. Centuries have passed since the Greek civilization has become history yet their philosophers are still relevant today in every walk of life, most of their teachings go unchallenged in the contemporary world. The same is the case with the revolutionary poet, ever-green philosopher, ardent reformer and prudent political thinker, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, who gave solutions to the then problems of his time which are still as relevant as they were in the past.
Born to a humble family in Sialkot on November 9, 1877, it was hard to imagine, at that time, that a person of his background would positively influence the course of history to such an extent as he did. He offered not only solutions to the issues of his era but also enlightened the thought processes of the coming generations by focusing on challenges, ranging from social, political, religious, and philosophical to educational nature.
Today’s world is overshadowed by multi-faceted crises like that of his time; that potentially endangers the foundations of human civilization. In such a critical situation, the world in order to survive needs to learn something from the eternal teachings of Iqbal.
It is not justified, at any cost, to celebrate Iqbal’s birthday without exploring and acting upon his teachings to effectively save the world from falling into the abyss of hatred, wars, animosities, armaments and climate change. He gave his philosophy, just like Rousseau, John Rawls and Michel Foucault, not to be praised in one half of the world, rather Iqbal was a universal thinker whose thoughts are equally applicable to the never-ending crises of the modern world.
Iqbal, in his letter to Aligarh, wrote, “Western culture is an extension of Islamic culture” To support his claim, he opined that Western philosophy is the brainchild of the Muslim philosophers which is a well-known fact for those who studied history.
Great thinkers do not sit silently; their minds are constantly chattering, reverberating, and deriving as well as proposing practical solutions to the problems they face and the ones which will plague the world in future. They just need a medium to spread their ideas. For Iqbal, that source was poetry which not only made him, “Poet of the East” but also led to his universal recognition. In the past, Iqbal’s poetry inculcated a sense of self-actualization in the youth, at present; it can do the same wonders in reviving the humane spirit of young people around the world.
In the past, the Muslim world was confused when they came across the concept of nation-state given by the West; Iqbal, acting as a beacon of light, gave his philosophy of a global community (Ummah) which is currently embodied by the presence of United Nations, an international organization; the UN is in sync with this concept of Iqbal.
Today’s global conflicts such as Gaza and Ukraine are because of the narrow-minded and selfish as well as restricted definitions of the nation-states. Were Iqbal alive today, he would have presented viable suggestions for the resolutions of the above-mentioned disputes. People live for a limited period of time but their philosophies thrive forever, in this case, the world can rely on his teachings. As Iqbal says,
“Butan-e-rang-o-khoon ko torh kar millat mein gum ho ja
na Toorani rahe baqi, na Irani na Afghani”
(Break the idols of colour and blood and become lost in the community.
Let neither Turanians, Iranians nor Afghans remain.)
What does Iqbal offer in his teachings that can solve the problems of today? Khudi, self-esteem, is the concept given by Allama Iqbal. This one word, if understood and applied, can give hope to millions of people from starving kids in Africa to bullet-embracing children in the Middle East. Khudi also exists at state as well as international levels.
Individuals, states or international organizations with self-esteem can turn around the fate of the world from the Waste Land of T.S Eliot to the heaven of Iqbal. For Iqbal, every evil and good act springs from individual thinking and it, then, shapes collective narratives followed by nations.
What does malign the current world? The answer is simple: extreme materialism. The world is largely governed by Western philosophies which, in return, revolve around gaining material benefits even at the cost of humanity. As a result of this, one can see the increasing restlessness coupled with mental illnesses, suicides, polarization, racism, death and starvation.
Despite having all the necessities of life, why do the aforementioned evils still exist? It is because the world lacks the element of spirituality as advocated by Iqbal. Today, millions of dollars are spent, in other words wasted, to curb these vices; which can only be solved by striking the right balance between spirituality and materialism; the world will stop bleeding, making Iqbal a philosopher for eternity. From the poetry of Iqbal,
“ae tair-e-lahoti us rizq se mout achi
jis rizq sy aati ho parwaz mein kotahi”
As a precious thinker, Iqbal offered viable and practical solutions to the issues faced by societies across all spectrums. His philosophies of political development, economic prosperity, social reformation, religious reconstruction, spiritualism as well as intellectual growth are not limited to specific people or areas of the world; rather, they are universal and should be treated as such.
As a human being, Iqbal died, but his teachings are still alive, enlightening generation after generation and leading humanity towards prosperity. To deprive the world of his message is akin to doing injustice to one of the great men of all ages. Every day, not just 9th November, is an Iqbal day, looking at his contributions to humanity; he deserves to be taught, followed and celebrated in every walk of life each day. His teaching of never giving up should be held close to heart as emphasized by his famous verse,
“tu rah na’ward-e-shauq hai;
manzil na kar qabool
you are a traveller traversing the road of love
don’t settle for your current state or take rest/reprieve from your mission
laila bhi hum nashin ho tau
mehmil na ker qabool
Even if laila (worldly glitters) be your close companion, do not accept that and shun it with great contempt!
