This Poster was presented at IRIIE 2013, International Islamic University Malaysia

1. Dr. Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
Department of General Studies
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
PosterID:
1353
Iqbal’s Ego Philosophy and Its Importance in Awakening Man’s
Religiosity
IIUM Research, Invention and Innovation Exhibition 2013
Introduction
Secularization of the human mind all over the world has
deprived modern man from the true meaning of life and
the ultimate reality of his existence in this world. Not
knowing his actual role as God’s vicegerent and his
position in the hierarchy of God’s creations has led him
into conflict with God, nature and rest of mankind.
Moreover, the absence of God in his life has alienated
modern man from binding a harmonious relationship with
his Self, nature and others. This state of life has taken him
to the brink of destruction in the form of harming the
environment, going into endless war, etc. In the wake of
this catastrophic condition of man, this research explored
the philosophical ideas of Iqbal with regard to the life of
the ego and the multifaceted relationship it has, as stated
by Iqbal in showcasing his concept of the ego to the
world. As a prelude to the crux of the matter of this
research, the researcher provided some information on
the scenario in the East which challenged Iqbal’s mind to
come up with his ego philosophy. This research aimed at
exploring Iqbal’s ideas on the life of the ego in order to
draw out some understanding as to how modern man
could find meaning to life and through which he could
strengthen his sense of religiosity.
Scenario in the East
The scenario at the time Iqbal appeared on the intellectual stage of the
world was when the Muslim world was lagging behind the West in the
areas of education, science and technology. Some of the contributing
factors to this pathetic scenario were the widespread influence of the
doctrine of Wahdah al-Wujūd in the Muslim countries, particularly in India,
prevalence of conservatism in the mental attitude of the masses which led
them to fatalistic thinking, and colonization of the East by the West,
particularly Muslim countries (Iqbal,1992).The following figure below
provides a vivid picture of the scenario during the time Iqbal emerged as a
scholar who wanted to carry out his reformation works:
Khudi/Self
Political &
Social
conditions in
India
Blind
Imitation of
the West
Wahdatul
Wujud
Fatalistic
Thinking
Colonization
of Muslim
Lands
Ideas on the Human Ego
Iqbal’s theory of personality explains that man who is
God’s best creation, needs to assimilate into his own
personality many of God’s attributes mentioned in the
Asmā’ Al-Husnā (the Beautiful Names of Allah). Through
this process of assimilation, man can transform himself
into a complete individual. What one sees as an end result
of this assimilation of the godly attributes in man is one
that has strengthened and solidified his personality (El-
Muhammady, 2002). In Iqbal’s view such an individual has
prepared his ego for immortality. According to him, the
assimilation of God’s attributes by an individual prepares
his ego for a state of immortality after death. In his
theory, Iqbal further stressed that the immortality of an
individual’s ego is not a God-given right to him. As such,
in order to achieve the state of immortality of the ego,
one has to work hard during this earthly life, performing
all actions which are considered as ego sustaining acts,
and at the same time one has to refrain from all ego
dissolving acts. Another interesting fact stated by Iqbal in
his theory of personality is that man by assimilating God’s
Divine attributes gets closer to God spiritually. The closer
he is to God, the stronger is his personality. On the
contrary, the further one moves away from God the
weaker becomes his personality (Iqbal,1983 &1996).
Conclusion
Iqbal’s ideas on the human ego has brought to our understanding that in
the absence of a true understanding of God and his inner-self (ego) has
caused great confusion in the mind of the modern man. Iqbal’s ideas have
highlighted that the ego has its beginning with God and it is man’s duty to
tap the hidden and latent potentials that lie within the ego. In order for
the ego to attain its state of immortality, man has to bind a good
relationship with God, nature and other egos in the society. Besides that,
man has to perform all ego sustaining acts and avoid all ego-dissolving
activities. Iqbal has also explained that man must actualize all godly
attributes that are dormant within his psyche in order to attain the
nearness to God. Iqbal’s ideas have also indicated that an ego that is
conscious of its duties living in this world will have a harmonious
relationship with God, the environment and humanity at large. When this
ideal situation is achieved one can witness that the human race as whole
will enjoy the much needed peace, harmony and happiness in this world.
Significance of the Study
Iqbal’s ideas on the human ego and personality development when
applied in the field of education can produce the most desired results in
terms of education which is seen as a dynamic process for personality
development. Besides that it is expected that through the application of
his ideas, educators and learning institutions can bring out all the positive
aspects of what is latent and innate in the human psyche. Moreover, in
terms of personality development, his ideas are very much relevant in
producing students who possess an integrated personality with the
inculcation of moral values and a good relationship with God,
environment, society and humanity at large.
This research was presented at CMR2012 International
Conference on Multidisciplinary Research, 1-3rd Nov.2012,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang.
Phone: 03-61966155, Fax:03-61965504, E-mail:
maarji@iium.edu.my