This document provides an overview of Muhammad Iqbal's philosophical thoughts as presented by Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak. It discusses Iqbal's background and education, his major works, influences from Western philosophers like Nietzsche and Bergson, his critique of pseudo-mysticism and wahdatul wujud, his emphasis on dynamism and appreciation of science, influence of Rumi, comparison to Al-Ghazali, view of the prophet's personality, and his eclectic approach to philosophy. It examines Iqbal's perspective on understanding the West and East and encouragement to appreciate the arts and sciences of the West.

1. Revisiting Iqbal’s Philosophical Thoughts
By:
Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak
Department of Fundamental & Inter-Disciplinary Studies
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
(maarji@iium.edu.my)
Presented at: Pakistani Food Festival
Organized by: The Pakistani Business Community in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Place: Kababish Restaurant, Star Point Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Date: 27th
March. 2015
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2. Allama Muhammad Iqbal
1879-1938
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3. My Journey into Iqbal’s Philosophical Thoughts
At the age of 19 (during my High School)
Later in Aceh, Indonesia (during my Bachelor’s
degree)
Later during my Postgraduate Studies at IIUM
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4. My Research Works
1. Konsepsi Pendidikan Akhlaq Menurut Muhammad Iqbal,
1992, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
2. Human Nature: A Comparative Analysis between
Western and Islamic Psychology, 1997, IIUM
3. Contribution of Iqbal’s Dynamic Personality Theory
to Islamic Psychology: A Contrastive Analysis with
Freud and Selected Mainstream Western
Psychology, 2011, IIUM
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5. My Book on Iqbal:
Iqbal’s Theory of Personality: A Contrastive Analysis with Freud,
Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany, 2013.
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6. Personal Information on Iqbal
• Born in Sialkot Punjab
• His ancestors were of Kashmiri Brahmins
• Pakistan was Iqbal's brainchild
• Poet-philosopher, thinker, Sufi-scholar,
statesman, religious- reformer, advocate,
educationist
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7. Personal Information
• He was given titles like Allama Iqbal (Iqbal the
learned)
• Shaire-e-Mashriq (Poet of the East)
• Hakeem-ul-Ummah (The sage/physician of
the Ummah)
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8. How to Read Iqbal
(Personal Experience)
Iqbal’s Ideas are enshrined in his poems and
philosophical views
Read the social and political milieus of India
during Iqbal’s time
Read what others have written on Iqbal
before reading his own thoughts
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9. Iqbal’s Magnum Opus
The Reconstruction of Religious
Thought in Islam
(Iqbal’s Philosophical Ideas)
My personal experience in trying to understand Iqbal’s Philosophical Ideas
9

10. Other Great Works of Iqbal
Poetic books in Persian
Asrar-i-Khudi (1915)
Rumuz-i-Bekhudi (1917)
Payam-i-Mashriq (1923)
Zabur-i-Ajam (1927)
Javid Nama (1932)
Pas Cheh Bayed Kard ai Aqwam-e-Sharq (1936)
Armughan-e-Hijaz (1938) (in Persian and Urdu)
Poetic books in Urdu
Bang-i-Dara (1924)
Bal-i-Jibril (1935)
Zarb-i Kalim (1936)
Books in English
The Development of Metaphysics in Persia (1908)
The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930)
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11. Poetry and Philosophy
To Iqbal, poetry and philosophy are the two
vehicles through which he conveyed his
ideas to the intellectuals as well as the
masses in the East and West
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12. The Language of his Poems
-In the beginning he wrote in the Persian
language and later in the Urdu language
- Former President of Iran Ali Khamenei spoke
highly of Iqbal’s skillful usage of the Persian
language in his poems
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13. Iqbal's Enthusiasm
What can I do? My nature is averse to rest;
My heart is impatient like the breeze in the poppy field:
When the eye beholds an object of beauty
The heart yearns for something more beautiful still;
From the spark to the star, from the star to the sun
Is my quest;
I have no desire for a goal,
For me, rest spells death!
With an impatient eye and a hopeful heart
I seek for the end of that which is endless!
(Iqbal and Saiyidain,1995: 11)
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14. Professor Nicholson on Iqbal:
“He is a man of his age and a man in
advance of his age;
he is also a man in disagreement
with his age”
(Nicholson in Iqbal 1983,p.xxxi)
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15. Stood Firmly on his Principles
I am the voice of the poet of To-morrow
My own age does not understand my deep
meanings,
My Yusuf(Joseph) is not for this market
I despair of my old companions (Iqbal,1983)
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16. Areas of Interest
• Iqbal had keenly studied philosophy of both the East
and the West. He was well versed in literature,
history and law. A student of science he perhaps
never was, yet he kept a keen eye on the latest
scientific discoveries and theories. Being thus
equipped intellectually he was in a position to pick
up good points from different systems of polity,
philosophy, economics and what not, and weave
them into a new pattern (Munawwar,1985,p.18)
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17. Learned Man
• Iqbal was deeply interested in the issues that have exercised
the best minds of the human race—the issues of the meaning
of life, change and constancy, freedom and determinism,
survival and progress, the relation between the body and the
soul, the conflict between reason and emotion, evil and
suffering, the position and role of human beings in the
universe—and in his poetry he deals with these and other
issues. He had also read widely in history, philosophy,
literature, mysticism, and politics, and, again, his catholic
interests are reflected in his poetry (Mir, 2009)
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18. Iqbal's Philosophy (An Eclectic Approach)
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Mohd Abbas,
2013,p.227

19. Relationship between Rumi & Iqbal
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(1207- 1273)
(1877–1938)
Rumi wrote the Masnavi (in the poetical expression)
Iqbal wrote the Asrar-i-Khudi (Secrets of the Self)(1915)
Both Spoke about the Khudi
According to Iqbal, it was Rumi who inspired him to write the Asrar-
i-Khudi (Rumi came in his dream and suggested the idea on Asrar )
Iqbal took Rumi to be his Spiritual Guide
The Ego philosophy or Khudi is about the Man and his personality

20. Similarity between Al-Ghazali and Iqbal
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(18771938)(1058-1111)
During Al-Ghazali’s time, he has to face the philosophers (He wrote Tahafut Al-Falasifa)
Iqbal also faced a similar situation with pseudo-mysticism (He wrote Asrar-i-Khudi)
Al-Ghazali & Iqbal highlighted the errors committed by the Muslim philosophers
Iqbal also criticized Socrates , Plato and other Western modern philosophers

21. Western Philosophers
Nietzsche
Henri Bergson
Goethe 21

22. Iqbal’s Response to Western Philosophers
Nietzsche’s Übermensch (Superman)
Iqbal’s Insanul Kamil(Perfect Man)
Henri Bergson’s Élan vital (Creative Evolution)
Iqbal’s Khudi Philsophy (Ego Philosophy)
Goethe’s West-östlicher Diwan
Iqbal’s Payam-i-Mashriq (Message from the
East)
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23. Iqbal’s Theory of Personality came as a Response to:
Mohd
Abbas,
2013, p.315
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24. Wahdatul Wujud
• Iqbal was against that teachings of wahdatul wujud that
says man at his highest level of spirituality will merge with
God and attains union with God; like a drop that fall into
the ocean. Man becomes one with God. To him, this
teaching is not there in the Qur’an and Hadith.
• In Iqbal’s view, man does not disappear at that point of his
spirituality but become more refined in his personality. He
analogically explained that Man becomes a shining pearl
when he falls into the Ocean of God & at the same time he
maintains his personality.
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25. Iqbal’s concept on Ego/Khudi/Self
Efficient
Ego
Appreciative
Ego
Mohd Abbas,
2013, p.338
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26. Iqbal & the Study on Man
• Iqbal said that his forefathers (Brahmins) were
interested in God and they were searching for
God
• On the contrary, Iqbal was interested in the
study on Man as such he came up with his
theory on personality(Khudi)
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27. Iqbal’s Love for the Prophet
Just like Ar-Rumi, Iqbal had a similar
pattern of love for the Prophet of Islam,
expressed in his poems
He made the prophet to be the role-model
in bringing the socio-political change within
the Muslim society of his time
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28. Poems
In Armaghani Hijaz, Jawab-e- Shikwa, Javid
Nama & other poems he referred to the
Prophet as:
•Mustafa
•The source of everything good and useful
in human life
•King of both poverty and sovereignty
•He is the good role-model for humanity
•The visible and witness of God’s beauty & power
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29. Poems (Cont.)
• Muslims in the modern world have made
themselves strangers to ways of the prophet
• As a lamp in the darkness
• The ‘slave’ of God
• The mercy of Allah sent to all the worlds
• The self is strengthened by the love for the
prophet
• The concept of Insan al- Kamil explained in his
theory of personality is the representation of the
Prophet’s personality
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30. Mawlid Celebration
In the year 1922, Iqbal stated his satisfaction
in seeing the Mawlid celebration of Prophet in
South India:
In order to bind together the Islamic nations of
India the most holy personality of the
honoured Prophet can constitute as our
greatest most efficient power (Iqbal)
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31. Personality of the Prophet (s.a.w.)
In scrutinizing the Qur’an and Sunnah, Iqbal found out
that Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) as a messenger of
God had a dynamic personality, which was anchored in
the teachings found in the Qur’an. Iqbal further
thought that throughout his life and mission, the
Prophet always showed great vitality in toiling and
struggling together with his companions to uphold the
message of Islam (Mohd Abbas, 2013, p.36)
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32. Mystic & Prophet
Muhammad of Arabia ascended the highest Heaven and
returned. I swear by God that if I had reached that point, I
should never have returned’
(Abdul Quddus of Gangoh)
The mystic does not wish to return from the repose of
‘unitary experience’; and even when he does return, as he
must, his return does not mean much for mankind at large.
The prophet’s return is creative. He returns to insert himself
into the sweep of time with a view to control the forces of
history, and thereby to create a fresh world of ideals
(Iqbal, 1996, p.99)
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33. A Response to George Fox
Muhammad, we are told, was a psychopath.
Well, if a psychopath has the power to give a
fresh direction to the course of human history,
it is a point of the highest psychological interest
to search his original experience which has
turned slaves into leaders of men, and has
inspired the conduct and shaped the career of
whole races of mankind
(Iqbal,1996,p.150)
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34. Against Pseudo-Mysticism
Remember that Islam was born in the broad day light
of history. The great democratic Prophet lived and
worked among intelligent men, who have transmitted
to posterity every word that dropped from his sacred
lips. There is absolutely nothing esoteric in his
teachings. Every word of the Qur’an is brimful of light
and joy of existence. Far from justifying any gloomy,
pessimistic mysticism, it is an open assault on those
religious teachings, which have for centuries mystified
mankind. Accept, then, the reality of the world
cheerfully and grapple with it for the glorification of
God and His Prophet (Iqbal, 1992: 151-152)
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35. Iqbal’s Version of Zuhd
• According to Iqbal, the highest form of Zuhd is
to posses the money and power in one’s hand
and he is not touched by this material things.
• While others teach that man must keep away
form money and power in order to attain the
nearest to God
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36. What to take from the West
The East in imitating the West is deprived of its true self.
It should attempt, instead, a critical appraisal!
The power of the West springs not from her music
Nor from the dance of her unveiled daughters!
Her strength comes not from irreligion
Nor her progress from the adoption of the Latin script
The power of the West lies in her Arts and Sciences
At their fire, has it kindled its lamps
(Iqbal in Saiyidain, 1977:p. 20)
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37. Dynamism In the West
To Iqbal, the dynamism of the West is
the lost heritage of the Muslims of
the past (Mohd Abbas,2011)
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38. Criticism on the West
The European man of wisdom does not possess
a wakeful heart, although he possesses a
wakeful eye (Bazm-i-Iqbal, 1969: 510)
Believe me, Europe to-day is the greatest
hindrance in the way of man’s ethical
advancement (Iqbal, 1953: xii)
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39. The Difference bt. West & East
The East perceived God and failed to perceive
the world
The West lost itself in the World and fled from
God!
To open the eyes on God is worship!
To see oneself unveiled is life
(Iqbal and Saiyidain, 1995: p. 19)
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40. The Role of Science
Science is an instrument for the preservation of
Life.
Science is a means of invigorating the Self.
Science and art are servants of Life (Iqbal, 1983:p26)
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41. Science
• To Iqbal, the exploration, observation and
investigation done by the scientists is a kind of
mystic behaviour trying to establish an
intimacy with the Creator. Furthermore he
believed that the physical sciences provide a
sort of spiritual meaning to men who
contemplate and ponder over God’s wisdom
behind His creations (Mohd Abbas, 2013,p.248)
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42. The Way Forward
“He (the Muslim) has to rethink
the whole system of Islam
without completely breaking
with the past” (Iqbal, 1996: p.78)
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43. The Way Forward
• In analyzing Iqbal's ideas and advice for the
Islamic Ummah, one would come to recognize
that as a religious reformer, all his works in
poetry and philosophy were aimed at bringing
the Muslims out of their backwardness,
superstitious beliefs, conservatism and
passivity in life towards a state of
preparedness in facing the challenges of the
modern world (Mohd Abbas, 2011)
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44. In his view, the message of the Qur’an is not all rituals
(Zikr) but also scientific (Fikr). As Muslims, we should
possess both these two aspects mentioned in the
Qur’an in order to fulfill our duties in this world as
Allah’s vicegerents. In line with Iqbal’s vision for the
survival of the Ummah, modern day Muslims should be
prepared to learn from others, particularly from the
West, the latest development in the areas of science
and technology for the betterment of the Ummah and
humanity at large (Mohd Abbas,2011)
Zikr & Fikr
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45. Critique
• The scenario in the Muslim World has not
changed very much from the time of Iqbal
• The Ummah is still lagging behind other nations
in the areas of Science and Technology
• Many oil rich countries waste huge some of
money buying armaments
• Muslim World lacks facilities to conduct
scientific research. This caused the Muslim
scientists and scholars to migrate
Critique
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46. Critique
• Due to brain drain phenomenon, there is a
poor rate of development and intellectual
progress.
• To counter the phenomenon of brain drain,
Muslim countries should use ‘brain gain’ and
‘brain retention’ to gain back the good brains
and to prevent losing good brains
• Besides the revealed knowledge, Muslims
should also give equal emphasis on human and
natural sciences.
Critique…..cont.
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47. Iqbal Criticized for the Partition(1947)
He had a noble intention of getting a separate
homeland for the Muslims of India during his
time, whereby the Muslims will have the
freedom to practice their religion and culture
without any intimidation from others
Iqbal should not be held responsible for what
is happening between India and Pakistan right
now and also the act of violence in Pakistan
A lesson can be learnt on concept of friendly
co-existence from Malaysia & Singapore 47

48. Critique
The departed melody may or may not come,
The zephyr may below again from Hejaz or not!
The days of this Faqir have come to an end,
Another seer may come or not
(Iqbal in Beg,1961, p.50)
Even as I depart from this world,
Everyone will say ‘I know him’
But the truth is, alas! that none knew
Who the stranger was, or what he said, or when
he came! (Iqbal in Nadwi,1979,p.i)
His Last Lines of his Poem
48

49. Reference
49
Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak. ( 2011). Contribution of Iqbal’s dynamic personality theory to Islamic
psychology : A contrastive analysis with freud and selected mainstream western psychology.
Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak. ( 2013). Iqbal’s theory of personality : a contrastive analysis with freud.
Iqbal, Muhammad. (1983).The secrets of the self (Asrar-i-Khudi). (Renold A. Nicholson, Trans.).
Lahore: SH. Muhammad Ashraf.
Iqbal, Muhammad, & Saiyidain, K. G. (1995). Iqbal’s poetry. Patna: Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library.
Saiyidain, KG. (1977). Iqbal’s educational philosophy. Lahore: SH Muhammad Ashraf.
Iqbal, Muhammad. (1996). The reconstruction of religious thought in Islam, Lahore: Institute of
Islamic Culture
Munawwar, Muhammad. (1985). Iqbal and Quranic wisdom. (2nd
.edn.) Lahore: Iqbal Academy Pakistan.
Iqbal, Muhammad, Sir. (1953). The mysteries of selflessness: A philosophical poem (Rumuz-e-Bekhudi).
(A.J. Arberry, Trans.). London: John Murray.
Beg, Abdulla Anwar. (1961). The poet of the east: Life and work of Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal. Lahore:
Khawar Pub. Cooperative Society.
Nadwi, Syed Abul Hasan Ali. (1979). Glory of Iqbal (Trans. Mohammad Asif Kidwai).Lucknow: Islamic
Research and Publications.

50. Syukran Jazilan
Terima Kasih
Thank You
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