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INTRODUCTION

Iqbal, a poet of international fame, is recognized as the greatest poet of the Indian subcontinent in this century. His message is a guiding light to the world and is likely to acquire greater significance with the beginning of the new millennium. It is a messianic message-insistent and emphatic and beautiful in language, inspired by the deepest mystical experience, and the greatest admiration for the glory of Islam. In countries and areas unfamiliar with Urdu and Persian, his great message has been conveyed by means of the many translations of his works, in several European languages and in those of the Indian subcontinent. In the corpus of his work, Baal-i-Jibreel occupies a very important position, as the expression of his recurrent major themes, and as the example of a chastened lyricism which rises to heights of great power arid passion. This great collection of Iqbals poetry, however, has not been translated into English so far, with the exception of his famous poem, Majid-e-Qartaba. The verse translation presented in this volume thus fills an important lacuna and meets a great need. To the Islamic world, arid to the English speaking world in general, that has so far faced the barrier of language, this translation will, it is hoped, give some new insights, and offer some help in the understanding of Iqbals poetry. Baal-i-Jabreel can be divided into three sections: Odes, Quatrains (four-line stanzas), and Poems with specific titles, on different topics. their major themes, especially those of the Odes and the Quatrains, are three: a mystic experience, the concept of Selfhood (Khudi) and the conflict between Reason and Divine Love. This Introduction concentrates almost entirely on Baal-i-Jibreel, but in view of the thematic inter-relationship of Iqbals works, a discussion of these major themes has also brought into focus some points of linkage with his other works, both Urdu and Persian. Most of the Odes and many of the Quatrains in Baal-i-Jibreel deal with Iqbals own mystic experience. This experience is so pervasive in much of Iqbals work, and has such a passionate sincerity, that it cannot be considered a mere stylistic affectation (though some critics think so). For a correct evaluation of Iqbals mystic experience, it is necessary to know his own views on it, as expressed in his famous Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam. 1 1. The first point to note is the immediacy of this experience. In this respect, it does not differ from other levels of human experience which supply data for knowledge. All experience is immediate. As regions of normal experience are subject to interpretation of sense data for our. knowledge of the external world, so the region of mystic experience is subject to interpretation for the knowledge of God. (page 18) 2. The second Point is the unanalysable wholeness of mystic experience. . . The mystic state brings us into contact with the total passage of Reality in which all the diverse stimuli merge into one another and form a single unanalysable unity in which the ordinary distinction of subject and object does not exist. . . (pages 18-19) 3. The third point to note is that to the mystic, the mystic state is a moment of intimate association with a unique other Self, transcending, encompassing, and momentarily suppressing the private personality of the subject of experience. . . Response is, no doubt, the test of the presence of a conscious self. . . (page 19)

4. Since the quality of mystic experience is to be directly expe rienced, it is obvious that it cannot be communicated. Mystic states are more like feeling than thought Thus, in the following verses of the Quran, it is the psychology and not the content of the experience that is given: "It is not for a man that God should speak with him but by vision or from behind a veil. . . " (42:51) The incommunicability of mystic experience is due to the fact that it is essentially a matter of inarticulate feeling, untouched by discursive intellect. It must, however, be noted that mystic feeling, like all feeling, has a cognitive element also . . . (pages 20-21) 5. The mystics intimate association with the eternal which gives him a sense of the unreality of serial time, does riot mean a complete break with serial time. . . (page 22) Instead of an abstract discussion, a few lines from some of the Odes in Baal-i-Jabreel may be quoted in illustration: Bright are Thy tresses, brighten them even more; (Ode 2) Sonic luminous beauty, mystic grace, Has so enthralled them all. (Ode 6) O Cup-bearer! Give me again that wine of love for Thee; Let me gain the place my soul desires. (Ode 7) Dost Thou remember not my hearts first rapture That piercing glance of Thine, those secrecies of love? (Ode 10) The features to be noted in these lines are: the imagery of erotic symbolism, the concept of God as Absolute Beauty, and an anthropomorphic view of God (the concept. of God in terms of human attributes). The ideas and phrasal patterns are reminiscent of traditional Sufi poetry. Central amo ng ideas is the concept of God as Absolute Beauty, which is not explicitly Quranic, but is the modification of purely aesthetic, transcendental neo -Platonic ideas. In Platos Dialogue, The Symposium, the hierarchic quest for Beauty is described in memora ble terms. 2 In the process of an assimilation of neo-Platonic thought in Sufism, the concept of" Absolute Beauty was transferred to a religious plane, assisted by its identification with Truth. As an established philosophical formula, it almost became a platitude, as is evidenced by Keats rather facile aphoristic observation in the famous lines: Beauty is truth, truth beauty-that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. 3

For want of a better term, what may be called Bacchic imagery (imagery dealing with the drinking of wine) is also a feature common to Sufi poets. This symbolic image seems to have resulted from the concept of God as the Divine Cupbearer of Celestial wine in Paradise (Saqi-e-Kauser). The word Saqi (Cup -bearer), as a symbolic representation of God, has been used by Iqbal in the same meaning as by the other Sufi poets. A cognate term relating to Bacchic imagery, The old cupbearer ( Pir-i-moghan), has another symbolic connotation. It refers to the spiritual guide, a nd has been used by the Sufi poets in this sense. Hafiz Shirazi is a fine example of the frequent use of this term. Paying a -tribute to his spiritual guide he says: My head shall be the dust in my old cup-bearers path, A fitting memorial of his wine and his tavern. 4 Though Iqbal has condemned the Sufis (or pseudo-Sufis) of his time for their spiritual emptiness, this should not be construed as a condemnation of Sufism itself. Comparing himself with these shallow Sufis, Iqbal says: My little draught has value in this barren age, For Sufis in their sanctums have nothing but empty casks. (Ode 8) Iqbal believes that his mystic experience is genuine, though it may not be comparable to that of Rumi or the other great mystics. It is remarkable that Iqbal was able to have a mystic experience, in spite of many serious hindrances in his way. First among these hindrances was Iqbals intellectual upbringing his philosophical temper, attuned to Western thought, and his immersion in the life of reason and knowledge. fie repeatedly refers to this dilemma in his life: The riddles of reason I have solved, but now O Lord! Give me a life of ecstasy. (part of a Quatrain) The problem was compounded by a titanic conflict his intellectual world the conflict betwee n Nietzsches atheism and Rumis mysticism was one aspect of it. Keenly aware of the war within his personality, he cries out: You alone can rescue me, Revered apostle of God: My intellect is Western, My belief is heathenish. 5 (Ode 29) Elsewhere he says: The Western ways have tried to make me a renegade. 6 (Ode 14) He refers to this inherently tragic phenomenon in many verses-for example, in this Quatrain: Observe the strains of my tuneful song An Indian voice, a theme Arabian;

An ear attuned to Western harmonics; A royal nature, and the fate of a slave. (Quatrain on page 85) Another serious limitation for Iqbal was that he had no living spiritual guide (murshid). Dissatisfied With the Sufis and miracle-mongers of his time, Iqbal looked upon Rumi as his spiritual guide, though physically separated from him by a gap of more than six centuries. Rumis influence on his thought was profound, even catalytic -a counter-balancing force against (the impact of Western philosophers. His influence on the stylistic features of some of Iqbals poetry is also noticeable: in his Asrar-i-Khudi and Rumuz-i-BeKhudi, and also in the imaginary dialogue between Rumi and himself (in Baal-i-Jibreel), Iqbal uses the metrical structure of Rumis Mathnavi. Rumi himself had a spiritual guide-Shamsuddin Tabrizi, whom he calls The Sun of Truth, and who showed him the path of mystical love. So profound was the influence of this overpowering personality that Rumi, in his Diwan, used his name as nom de plume at the end of most of his poems. Rumis Diwan thus bears the title of Diwan-iShams-i-Tabriz.

THE CONCEPT OF SELFHOOD Under the empyreans fortresses are men who can Seize angels, capture prophets, and get God Himself Rumi has, in these immortal words of extraordinary daring, pictured the infinite potentialities of the human soul. Iqbal believes that this glorious goal is achievable. In his concept of Selfhood, he formulates the hierarchic stages in which it can be achieved. After reaching it, he believes, some will remain in seclusion, and others will go out, like Prophets, for the regeneration of society: Selfhood, in the world of men, in prophethood; Selfhood in solitude is godliness; (Baal-i-Jibreel; part of a Quatrain) After this prefatory statement, we can proceed to the basic questions about the concept of Selfhood: 1. What is meant by Selfhood? 2. How is Selfhood achieved? 3. What are the blessings of Selfhood?

1. Iqbals concept of Selfhood is closely linked with his concept of God. In his Reconstruction of Religious
Thought in Islam, he makes the following observations about this concept, on the basis of his interpretation of Quranic verse, ;, and about the relationship between the two concepts: a) We cannot conceive this unity except as the unity of a self -an all-embracing concrete self-the ultimate source of all individual life and thought. . . (p. 55) b) The infinity of the Ultimate Ego consists in infinite inner possibilities of His creative activity, of which The universe, as known to us, is only a expression. . .

(p. 64) c) I have conceived the Ultimate Reality as an Ego; and I must add now that from the Ultimate Ego only egos proceed. The creative energy of the Ultimate Ego, Whom deed and thought are identical, functions as ego-unities. The world, in all its details, from the mechanical movement of. what we call the atom of matter to the free movement of thought in the human ego, is (he self-revelation of "Great I am Every atom of Divine energy, however in the scale of existence, is an ego. But there are degees in the expression of egohood. Throughout the entire gamut of being runs the gradually rising note of egohood until it reaches its Perfection in man. That is why the Quran declares the Ultimate Ego to be nearer to man than his own neck-vein. . . (pp. 71-72) d) .... No doubt, the emergence of egos endowed with the power of spontaneous and hence unforeseeable action is, in a sense, a limitation on the freedom of the all-inclusive Ego. But this limitation is not externally imposed. It is born out of His own creative freedom whereby He has chosen finite egos to be participants of His life, power and freedom. (pp. 79-80) e) The acceptance of selfhood as a form of life involves the acceptance of all the imperfections that flow from the finitude of selfhood. The Quran represents man as having accepted at his peril the trust of personality which the Heavens, the Earth, and the mountains refused to bear. "Verify We proposed to the Heavens and to tile Earth and to the mountains to receive the trust, but they refused the burden and they feared to receive it. Man undertook to bear it, but hath proved unjust, senseless. "(33:72) (p. 88) (It may be noted that Iqbal uses egohood and selfhood as inter-changeable terms. ) This long but necessary quotation from his Reconstruction should form the basis of any discussion on Iqbals concept of Selfhood. Further elucidation of his ideas on Selfhood, which had their genesis in Asrar-i-Khudi (1915) and continued to preoccupy his mind all through the rest of his life, can be found in his numerous poems on the subject, both Urdu and Persian. A few representative extracts Are given here: The Self is the source, and the essence of being, Whatever thou seest is a secret of the Self; When the Self did waken the soul of man, It revealed to him the world of cognition. (Asrar-i-Khudi, pages 20-21)7 What is life but the revealing of Selfhoods essence? Assert thyself. , thy essence has remained unknown. (Zarb-i-Kaleem, p. 28) Get out of the whirlpool of Being and Not Being; Transcend this world that gains and losses counts: Build up the spirit of Selfhood in thy soul; Build a Kaaba within thyself, like Abraham.

(Payam-i-Mashriq, Lala-i-Thour, Quatrain 30) In Asrar-i-Khudi, Iqbal describes three progressive stages in the attainment of Selfhood: Obedience, Selfpurification, and Gods Vicegerency. (Pages 73-74) Iqbals concept of Gods Vicegerency is based on the famous Quranic verses: And when thy Lord said unto the angels, Lo! I am to place a Vicegerent on earth. (2:30) Iqbal argues that for reaching these three hierarchic stages, search for God is the first precondition. Man should capture God in much the same way as a hunter captures his game. Says Iqbal: O man of courage! Cast thy net for God Himself. 8 This is an echo of Rumis famous words quoted above. But God is anxious to be caught Himself, according to Iqbal, and is as much in search of man as man is in search of Him: We have lost God, and He is in search of us; Anxious like us, He yearns to find us again. 9 The highest hierarchic rank - the Vicegerency of God - is achieved when man is able, not to be absorbed by Him and thus lose his identity, but to absorb within himself as many of Gods attributes as possible.

3. The blessings of Selfhood, after the attainment of the highest stage range from the conquest of what is
mistakenly called destiny (taqdeer) to the spiritual conquest of the universe. Iqbal does not believe in predestination. Postulating the existence of a dynamic, creative, Absolute Ego, and His relationship with tile individual human ego (sell), he concludes that destiny is the wrong term for divine dispensation which is conditioned by the deeds, even by the will of the individual self. So he advises: Raise thy Selfhood so high, that before each dispensation, God Himself may ask thee what thy wishes arc. (Baal-i-Jibreel, (Ode 47) In Asrar-i-Khudi he says that man is the victim of the durational, linear concept of time, and has not been able to see another world, a timeless world, within his heart: O prisoner of days and nights, look into thyself! And behold another world in the recesses of thy heart. Thou best sown the seeds of darkness in thy soil, And hast imagined time as a linear measure. (Asrar-i-Khudi, p. 142) The final stage in Selfhoods achievement is the spiritual conquest of the whole universe:

The earth, the heavens, the great empyrean, Are all within the range of Selfhoods power. (Part of a Quatrain) This concept of the spiritual rule of the universe is not Iqbals original idea. It is found in the philosophy of Sufi schools, representing the highest level of the hierarchic spiritual progress in the esoteric Sufi cult. This hierarchy includes Abdal and Aqtab. The highest in rank among them is called Ghouse. They include many saints, whose shrines are well known. It is said about these spiritual reformers that they have specific duties; one of them is to rule the universe and perform such other activities as are known only to Sufis. 10 The attainment of the Vicegerency of God is the stage at which a Muslim, according to Iqbal, fulfils the requirements of his Mard-i-Momin (Ideal Muslim). He has detailed the qualities of the Ideal Muslim in many of his Poems. In the Mosque of Cordova, for example, Iqbal portrays him in this way: His deeds sublime and noble; his thought flame-begotten; With rapture in his soul; with modesty in his mien; In every inspired act like the act of God Himself Gracious and creative; beneficent, exalted. Human, but angelic; man in the image of God; Indifferent to both worlds; content with the divine will; Humble, in his hopes; lofty in his ideals; A person charismatic in glance and word and deed; Soft as a breeze in converse; hot as a furnace in quest; Pure of heart, pure of conduct, in battle or in peace. There are parallelisms between Nietzsches Superman and Iqbals Ideal Muslim. The well kno wn fact that Iqbal was under the influence of the atheistic Nietzsche should not. obscure the dichotomy in Iqbals own thought as a result of this impact. In spite of Nietzsches influence on Iqbal, there are basic differences between his Superman and Iqbals Ideal Muslim. Nietzsches concept is basically individualistic and eugenically oriented. Iqbal, whose historical imagination was inspired by the glorious past of Islam conceives of his Ideal Muslim as a messianic force, as the architect of the resurgence of Islam.

REASON AND DIVINE LOVE The conflict between Reason and Divine Love is a recurrent theme in Iqbals poetry, and though the concept is as old as the ancient Greeks and the old Sufis and mystics of the East, in Iqbals poetry it has complexity and a new dimension. The nature of this conflict changes with the growth and maturity of his emotional and spiritual life. His spiritual journey can be divided into three phases: 1. The early period, up to the year 1905. Baang-i-Dara, the most self-revealing of his works, contains, among his erotic poems, a very early poem relevant to his conflict. Its title is Aql-wo-Dil (Reason and the Heart). It has a simple dialogue between the two. The Heart (traditional scat of the emotion) says: Thou art concerned with the manifest alone, And I am a knower of the inner truth.

Thou givest knowledge, and I give intuition, Thou seekest God, and I lead to God. There are many other poems written during this period, which make it very clear that the conflict was between reason and physical love. 2. The middle period, between 1905 and 1915. This period seems to have brought a cataclysmic change in Iqbals intellectual and spiritual life. The three years beginning in 1905, which he spent at Cambridge and on the. Continent, mark the first phase of intellectual gestation, turmoil and reflection - a phase in which the impact of Western thought first collided with the impact of Islamic philosophers, scholars and Sufis. Baang-i-Dara, though in a sense a hybrid of disparate elements, with themes ranging from nature to the championship of Islam, is a faithful record of Iqbals spiritual growth. On the basis of internal evidence, it can be said that Iqbals spiritual conversion took place during the latter half of this period. It is significant that he has put the date February 1912 to his great poem, Shama -wo-shair, which marks a complete departure in theme and style, and is in fact the beginning of his period of great poetry. His po em, Muslim, is dated June 1912 by him, and was followed by several poems on Islam, including Khizr -i-Rah and Tulu-i-Islam (The Rise of Islam). It was in this poem that Iqbal first used the term Khudi (Selfhood). 3. With the publication of Asrar-i-Khudi in 1915, he began -his new role as an Islamic thinker, a moralist, and a didactic poet of remarkable power, with a passionate love of God. It was during this period of his spiritual growth, from 1915 onwards - a period of the flowering of his Islamic spirit - that he seems to have Started recognizing (the existence of a strong conflict between reason or knowledge, and his love of God, which was now the deepest part of his consciousness. Leaving aside the traditional trappings of this conflict, we find that in Iqbals case it has some unusual features. He has presented it in two ways: first, as a general statement, which is in fact the externalization of an internal feeling; and second, as a direct expression of his personal experience: Who snatched away the piercing sword of love? Knowledge is left with an empty sheath alone. (Baal-i-Jibreel, Ode 7) Very often the statements are direct: The path of reason was smooth for me to pass, But I was lost on the path of ecstasy. (Baal-i-Jibreel, Ode 42) In Zarb-i-Kaleem, in a poem titled Zamana -i-Hazir-KaInsan (The Modern Man), Iqbal says: Love is extinct; reason stings him serpent-like, Man could not make his reason obey his hearts desire. There are many poems on the subject in Payam-i-Mashriq, in one of which, titled Ishq (Love) Iqbal says: Reason that destroys the world in a flash of fire, Should learn from love how to brighten the world. But more complex than this partly traditional conflict, is the conflict in what may be called a concentric circle that is, a conflict within a conflict: in the field of reason and knowledge there is, in Iqbals mind, a conflict between warring concepts, beliefs, and philosophies. The atheistic Nietzsche and [he saintly Rumi were quite obviously incompatible; and even though Iqbal in Javid-Nama (pages 175-78) has presented Rumi as Nietzsches supporter, it seems to, be a vicarious attempt on Iqbals part at resolving a crisis of allegiance within himself, and at bringing the

two together in his own mind. His heart is Muslim; his brain is a heathen. This apt description of Nietzsche makes it clear that faced with a dualism in his own mind, he could only transmit a similar dualism to Iqbal. But Iqbal finally conquered this dualism, and resolved the conflict created by the tyranny of modern reason. As he says: I am aware of the torture Of the inferno of modern reason, For I was hurled into its fire Like Abraham the blessed. (Ode 56) A few details, which defy classification, are added here. Structurally , Iqbals Odes have the pattern of a ghazal (a love lyric), in which there is usually no continuity or unity of theme; every unit of two lines can, in fact, have a different theme. There is nothing corresponding to this discontinuity of theme in English poetry. The underlying unity of thought seems to exist in the poets own consciousness. But structurally, a ghazal has a rigid unity created by the use of the radeef (repetition of the same word or words at the end of every two lines), and a qafia (rhyme), or only a rhyme There is only one rhyme-scheme throughout the ghazal. The radeef and the qafia (or just the qafia) thus string together all the units in spite of a discontinuity of theme. Iqbal, a traditionalist, has used both these endings, or only one of them, in most of his poems. In my translation, I have preferred blank verse to the use of rhyme for several reasons. My first priority has been accuracy in translation, and my second, adherence to the English poetic tradition. The use of rhyme involves departure from the original text, superfluity, and needless verbal transposition. The qualities of blank verse do not need advocacy. Much of the greatest English poetry, including Shakespeares dramatic work, Miltons great epics, and some of the best poetry of the Romanticists and the Victorians, has been written in blank verse. The only exceptions in my translations are some Quatrains, in which I have used the traditional rhyme -scherne adopted by Iqbal, and two poems in which I have used the rhymed couplet, as it was more suitable for the satirical theme. Historical references have been explained in the Notes. I have omitted a few minor poems.

A NOTE, ON VERSIFICATION This verse translation should be read as verse, that is, with an awareness of the metrical structure and rhythmic value of every line. I have used variations of blank verse, ranging from three to eight metrical feet. A metrical foot can be iambic (with two syllables, the first unaccented and the second accented) or anapaestic (with three syllables, the first and the second unaccented and the third accented). Here are some examples:

A-line of three metrical feet: A new world lives in thee Its scansion will be as follows: A new | world lives | in thee | (From Adam Is Received By the Spirit of the Earth) A line of four metrical feet, also taken from the same poem: The spark in thee is a radiant sun Its scansion: The spark | in thee | is a ra | diant sun | It may be noted that | is a ra | is an anapaest (it has three syllables, in which the third is accented). Five metrical feet: I have used this metre in all the Quatrains and in sonic Odes and Poems with titles. This, is the metre most often used in blank verse. An example: Love is sometimes a wanderer in the woods. Scansion: Love is | sometimes | a wan | derer in | the woods. (Part of a Quatrain) In many Odes and Poems with titles, lines of six metrical feet have been used, as here" That love should be concealed, and beauty should be veiled! Its component parts, in a scansion, will be: That love | should be | concealed | and beauI ty should | be veiled. (Ode 2) A line of six or more metrical feet has also been used in the long poem, The Mosque of Cordova. Each line in the. poem is divisible into two halves, for purposes of an enhanced rhythmic effect, as in this line: Thy beauty exalts the heart; my song inspires-the soul. The two halves of the line have been distanced by extra space between them in most cases. I have very rarely used lines of seven and eight metrical feet. They should be scanned in the same way. Here is a line with a special feature which has to be explained:

Make this half-enraptured soul a skylark of Thy spring. Scansion: Make | this half | enrap | tured soul | a sky | lark of | Thy spring. In this line, the first metrical foot has only one syllable the accented one. It is a common practice to omit the first unaccented syllable and to give the line the emphasis of a trochaic movement, in which the first syllable is accented. NAIM SIDDIQUI

Muhammad Iqbal and the Asian Renaissance


Poet, philosopher, social reformer and political activist, Iqbal was a multi -faceted genius in the tradition of Al-Razi, Ibn Sina and Al-Ghazali. Iqbal has also made a major contribution to the awakening of Asia after decades of colonial rule. As an awakened Asia continues its humble journey of rediscovering its poets and philo sophers, its social reformers and political leaders, Muhammad Iqbal will be a shining light guiding Muslims and non-Muslims alike into the twenty first century because the life and thoughts of Iqbal embody the spirit of the Asian Renaissance. It is to honour that life and those thoughts that the Institute of Policy Research (IKD) is holding this International Conference on Iqbal. This is how the Institute for Policy Research articulated the motivating idea and basic concept which materialized into the grand event of a three days conference and four different events-exhibitions that accompanied the conference and enhanced its overall impact on the intelligentsia while making a successful outreach to the uninitiated masses. Here is a brief report on the salient features of the Conference/exhibitions. The conference opened with the introductory speech of Dato Kamaruddiri Ja afar, Chairman, Institute of Policy Research, (See Anx. I) Kuala Lumpur. Dr. Ja' afar, introduced his Institute and its charter and gave details of the Renaissance Project that it had undertaken in connection with a civilization dialogue in which the rich traditions of Asia, that is, our histories, cultural and religious heritage should be first rediscovered and then recovered. According to him This international conference exhibitions cultural event on Muhammad Iqbal and the Asian Renaissance is a part of our efforts to deepen our understanding of the great contribution that Asia has made to world civilization.

The Introductory speech was followed by the Keynote address H. E. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif the Prime Minister of Pakistan, read by Dr. Javid Iqbal. The address met with a great applause from the gathering especially when it came to its concluding part which reads as 'follows: It is primarily and above all a matter of civilizational and intellectual issues as the East has always been the repository of wisdom and spirituality and it is through focusing on the protagonists of this wisdom and spirituality that the East can make a significant contribution to the civilizational dialogue. It is in this respect that the Conference Muhammad Iqbal and the Asian Renaissance is to be regarded as an extremely important step toward this all important goal and I whole-heartedly associate myself with the present theme, which is directly related to us, and to the forthcoming events in the series and pray that it would be helpful in creating a just and peaceful world order. Keynote address of the Acting Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato Siri Anwar Ibrahim eloquently articulated his vision of the future of South East Asia and his admiration of Iqbal as a guiding force in the rediscovery of the Asian Self. After his Keynote address the Acting Prime Minister inaugurated the three exhibitions mounted as parallel events to the academic proceedings of the conference, namely: Exhibition of the Iqbal Memorabilia Art of Aslam Kamal Book Sales His keen interest in these was evident from the time he spent at each of these exhibitions and the queries he made about each and every exhibit and the themes of the paintings. MUHAMVMMAD IQBAL AND THE ASIAN RENAISSANCE Academic Session The proceedings of the conference started on the. same day after the tea break. Twenty three delegates from 13 countries of the world attended the conference, contributing to a rich atmosphere of scholarly debates and active participation from

the local audience. Details of the proceedings are as follow Day One: 2 June 1997 AM/PM 8pm Arival of Participants Welcome Dinner for Conference Speakers Hosted by Hon. Anwar Ibrahim A cting Prime Minister, Malaysia DAY TWO: 8-9am Registration. OPENING OF CONFERENCE Venue: The Ballroom, Pan Pacific Glenmarie Resort, Shah Alam 9.00am Policy 9.10am of Minister, 9.45am IQBAL THE ART OR ASLAM KAMAL Introduction Dato Kamarudin Jaffar, Chairman, Research, Malaysia Institute for 3 JUNE 1997

KEY ADRESSES H.E. Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister, Islamic Republic Pakistan Hon. Anwar OPENING Ibrahim, Malaysia OF Acting EXHIBITION MEMORABILIA Prime OF AND

BREAK 10.30am PANEL ONE: THE WORLDVIEW OF THE POETChairperson: Speakers: PHILOSPOHER

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Member of Parliament, Thailand Iqbal: His Life and Worldview: Shan Yun, Professor of Urdu, Department of Oriental Studies, Peking University, China. Iqbal: His Metaphysical Ideas Dr. Sheila McDonough, Professor, Department of

Religion, Concordia University, Canada Iqbals Relationship to Mysticism: His Reconciliation of Science and Religion Associate Prof. Dr. Azizan Baharuddinm, Visiting Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, Malaysia 11.30am 12.30PM 2.00pm Chairperson: DISCUSSION LUNCH PANEL TWO: THE POETRY OF IQBAL Philip Jeyaratnam Advocate & Solicitor, Singapore Speakers: The Poetry of Iqbal Dr. Liu shuxiong

Deputy Dean, Graduate School, Peking University Poetry of Iqbal Muhammad Suheyl Umar Director Iqbal Academy Lahore, Pakistan. Poetic World of Muhammad Iqbal Professor Natalia Prigarina, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russian Federation 3.00pm 4.30pm 8.00PM DISCUSSION BREAK AND END OF PANEL TWO DINNER Hosted by Dato Kamarudin Jaffar Venue: Poolside, the Pan Pacific Glenmarie Resort DAY THREE: 4 June 1997 9.00AM PANEL THREE: IQBAL AND THE QUEST FOR REFORM Chairperson: Dr, (Fr.) Raul J.Bonoan, S.J. President, Ateneo de Naga University, Philippines. Speakers: Iqbal as a Social Reformer Mahmood Esmail-Nia, Diploment, Tehran, Iran

Iqbals Quest for Social Justice Djohan Effendi, Jakarta, Indonesia Iqbal and the Concept of an Islamic Polity Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of San Diago, U.S.A Iqbal and the Struggle for Freedom in the Muslim World Dr. Abdul Karim Soroush Kiyan Cultural Institute, Tehran, Iran 12.30am 11.00am 12.30PM 2.00PM SOCIETY Chairperson: Speakers: BREAK DISCUSSION LUNCH PANEL FOUR: THE MUSLIM, CIVIL AND THE GLOBAL ORDER

Professor Dr. Syed Hussain Alatas The New Framework Dr. Hafeez Malik, Professor of Political Science Villanova University, U.S.A. World Order within the Iqbalian

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Iqbalian

Idealism

and its Impact Muslim World Today

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Senator Dr. Javid Iqbal, Retired Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Iqbal and Reform in the Muslim World Professor Dr. Chandra Muzaffar Driector, Centre for Civilizational Dialogue University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur Iqbals Views on the Occident: The Relevance of a Vision for Europes Muslim Communities Professor Yahya Michot Brussels, Belgium 3.30pm` 4.00PM 5.00PM 8.00PM BREAK DISCUSSION END OF PANEL FOR FOUR QUICKENING OF THE SELF: A Celebration of Iqbal in Drama and Music Venue: Dewan Tun Hussein Onn, Putra World Trade Centre DAY FOUR: 5 June 1997 8.30am Speakers: PANEL FIVE: SYMBIOSIS OF CIVILISATIONS Iqbals Critique of the East Suroosh Irfani, Senor Research Fellow,

The Institute of Strategic Studies, Pakistan Iqbals Evaluation of the West Professor Barbara D. Metcalf Dean, College of Letters and Science, University of California, Davis, U.S.A Iqbal and the Renaissance in Asia Professor Datuk Dr. Osman Bakar Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Malaya 9.30am 10.30am 11.00am Chairperson: DISCUSSION BREAK PANEL SIX IS THERE AN ASIAN RENAISSANCE? Professor Dr. Chandra Muzaffar Director, Centre for Civilisational Dialogue University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur Panelists: Francisco Sionil Jose Editor and Publisher, Solidarity Manila, Philippines Senator Dr. Javed Iqbal Retired Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Professor Pabitra Sarkar Vice Chancellor, Rabindra Bharati University

Calcutta, India 12.40pm 15.45PM END OF PANEL SIX CLOSING REMARKS Abdul Rahman Adnan Director, Institute for Policy Research, Malaysia EXHIBITION OF IQBAL MEMORABILIA Exhibition of the Iqbal Memorabilia was the second part of the conference events, envisaged as a visual outreach to the non-academic and uninitiated masses informing them about the life and achievements of the poet-philosopher through a systematic display of various exhibits. It was unmatched by any attempt of its kind that went before it in the past. Unique it was in terms of its comprehensiveness and the impact it created through intelligently selected exhibits, displayed in an artistic and attractive manner. I had a chance to arrange International conferences before, in 1986 (Tehran) and 1991 (Cordoba, Spain) and these were successful events in their own right. But these were purely academic pursuits with little or no interest for the local populace. Present exhibition, on the contrary had a much broader scope in that it succeeded in riveting the attention of a large number of visitors through a variety of mediums. A large hall was allocated for the exhibition. Except for the entrance door all the three walls were covered by huge panels lighted with adjustable lamps. These panels were then used for mounting the photographs of Allama Iqbal in chronological order starting from the photographs of his father and his early life. Most of the photos were in 20 X 24 inch size. Left corner of the room displayed the turban which Iqbal used while his hookah was displayed in the right corner. In the middle, beside the wall, stood a small table on which Iqbal's wrist watch and eye glasses were displayed. Centre of the room was occupied by two large tables. The first, lying in front of the entrance door, was used to display original manuscripts of Javid Nama, Asrar-iKhudi and Rmmuz-i-Bekhudi, flanked with 11 original letters in Urdu and English. In the row. next to the MSS., first editions of Iqbal's Urdu, Persian and English works were displayed. The table adjacent to the it displayed representative samples of translations of Iqbal's works in more than 18 languages of the world. A small table on the right hand side of the entrance door displayed Iqbal's works in current editions as well as copies of the journals of the Academy (5 languages) and selected works on Iqbal studies.

The passage leading to the entrance of the exhibition hall was decorated by large sized panels displaying A day from Iqbal's life, a narrative drawn from the memories of All Baksh, the faithful servant who served Iqbal till his last days. On one side of these panels a large Video Screen was installed which was used to continuously play several short documentaries on Iqbal's life and works and documentaries about the art of the leading Iqbal painters. These were: 1) Sha'ir Mashriq --- Beareu of Film and Publications 2) M. Iqbal --- prep. by Mr. Anis Nagi 3) Lala-i-Sahra --- prep. by Mr. M. Tariq 4) Ta'bir-i-Sukhan --- prep. by P.T.V. 5) Aslam Kamal and His Art. The Audio System was used to play the musical rendering of selected Urdu/Persian poems form Iqbal provided by the Academy to augment and enhance the visual displays. The same cassette was used to provide the background music which continuously went on in the exhibition halls entertaining the ears of the visitors as well. The exhibition was visited by a large number of scholars, students, statesmen, and people from all walks of life. BOOK SALES EXHIBITION Outside the conference hall a special corner was allocated to exhibit and sell books of Iqbal and selected books on Iqbal studies and journals. The number of books sold and demands for move reflected that it was a success in terms of introducing Iqbal and disseminating basic materials of Iqbal Studies. MUHAMMAD IQBALAN ARTISTS PERSPECTIVE The exhibition of Paintings and Drawings was given the title that we mentioned above. In a large hall, adjacent to the exhibition of the Iqbal Memorabilia, 36 paintings and 14 drawing of Aslam Kamal depicting various selected themes of Iqbal's poetry through a variety of mediums were mounted and displayed in an elegant manner. Aslam Kamal has painted and illustrated Iqbal for almost three decades and has won world wide recognition. The works displayed were among his best. The spell binding impact of the beauty of his art combined with the force and

grandeur of Iqbalian themes captivated the visitors and they stayed on. The Acting Prime Minister, when he inaugurated the exhibition, became so interested and occupied with the masterpieces that he stayed on in the hall for a detailed survey of each and every piece. Conducting the chief guest, Aslam Kamal explained, briefly, each art work and the theme or themes it illustrated. At the end of this conducted art-tour of the gallery a special gift was presented to the Acting Prime Minister by the Iqbal Academy and the Artist. It was a large oil painting of Iqbal, nicely framed and captioned for the occasion. The exhibition was visited by crowds of art lovers and admirers of Iqbal.Aslam Kamal was all the time busy in his exhibition in accepting congratulations, signing autograph looks and imparting the exciting experience of mysteries of painting the poetry of Allama Iqbal. Everyone of the delegates from 13 countries was keen to see him personally and to pay homage to his mastery It was amazing for Aslam Kamal himself that by virtue of his creative commitment to Allama Iqbal his name had been spread to these parts of the world alongwith the name and thoughts of the great poet philosopher. The appreciation and admiration it received is reflected in the following comments of Dr. Natalia Prigarina from USSR which is but one of the many comments made during the exhibition:

I am deeply impressed by the work of the well known artist Aslam Kamal.. I was always fond of his portraits of Muhammad Iqbal which I met in the books, illustrated by this painter. One may say that he created an image of Iqbals spirituality by laconic and elegant means. His vision of Iqbal and his poetry is of high artistic merit, it combines the precise interpretation of Iqbals poetic world and the free imagination of the master of art. His black and & white graphics are full of energy and expression.
QUICKENING OF THE SELF

A Celebration of Iqbal in Drama and Music


Putra World Trade centre was the grand setting in which the events of the cultural evening Quickening of the Self took place. It was yet an other attempt to reach out for the common man through popular modes of entertainment. Staged on the two consecutive days of 4th and 5th June, this event of 2 hours length was divided into three parts. First part of the show started with a Tableau Drama in Malay and English languages based on the selections from Iqbal's Persian works, Asrar-i-Khudi, Rumuz-i-Bekhudi and Javid Namah; an interplay of light and sound, action and dialogues, alternating in Malay and English, it was performed by accomplished actors and vocalist. It conveyed the salient themes of Iqbal's thought through the medium

of drama and music in such an enchanting manner that the audience, which consisted of the high-ups of the Govt., including the Acting P.M., were visibly spellbound. The second and third parts of the cultural evening comprised of a performance of Pakistani ghazal singing interwoven with recitations from Iqbal's Urdu/Persian works in translation. The vocalists from Pakistan were Salamat Ali and Azra Riaz supported by four musicians playing sitar, tabla, harmonium and violin. The performance was extremely impressive and musicians were both very well prepared and quickly achieved such a level of excellence in their performance that the whole assembly was greatly moved. The quality of pronunciation and style of delivery of the English recitations was equally superb. The show ended with the performance of the art of the four musicians, without any singing or recitation, enhancing the already elated mood of the audience and bringing the show to its close with its culmination in a magnificent blend of emotions and exquisite auditory pleasure. The Acting P.M., after a long interval of roaring applause, concluded the session with his appearance on the stage and congratulating the artists and performers. The same show was repeated for the general public the next day and with an equal level of success. To conclude our report we would like to quote from the remarks made by Kamar ud Din Ja'afar, Chairman, IKD, which speek of their gratitude and reflect our contribution. Let and me end who by made thanking this the meeting following possible. persons

organization

The Rt. Honourable Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for his support; The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for giving us all the support, particularly the loan of thee original manuscripts and personal belongings of Allama Iqbal to be displayed at this conference; The Iqbal Academy, the Iqbal Museum, and the Lok Virsa for their co-operation during the preparations of this meeting; Our special thanks to Mr. Muhammad Suheyl Umar of the Iqbal Academy for his advice and assistance; and to the Pakistani painter, Aslam Kamal, for his exhibits .

The Malaysian High Commission in Islamabad and the Pakistan High Commission in Kuala Lumpur for facilitating our organisation. Report : Muhammad Suheyl Umar

Three Poems By Iqbal IV: Dialogue Between God And Man


January 1st, 2010 | 9 Comments By Dr. Ali Hashmi Muhawaraa Maa Bain Khuda-o-Insan (Dialogue between God and Man): The third poem in this selection, Muhawaraa maa bain Khuda-o-Insaan features one of Iqbals favorite styles, a dialogue or interplay between earthly and celestial figures. It also employs one of Iqbals favored poetical styles, the Socratic Method (or Socratic Debate), named after the Classical Greek philosopher Socrates, a form of inquiry and debate between individuals with opposing viewpoints based on asking and answering questions to stimulate rational thinking and to illuminate ideas. It is a dialectical method, often involving an oppositional discussion in which the defense of one point of view is pitted against the defense of another. One of the most famous examples of this genre is Iqbals lengthy poem Shikwah or Reproach in which Man(representing the Muslim faith) complains to God about the shabby treatment meted out to Muslims by God inspite of the sacrifices that Muslims have made on Gods behalf. The poem, which caused quite a stir when first read by Iqbal in public, is a bold criticism of Gods indifference to a people who feel they deserve better: Ae Khuda, shikwah-e-arbaab-e-wafa bhi sun lay Khoogar-e-hamd say thoda saa gilaa bhi sun lay O God, listen to this remonstrance from your faithful Listen to the lament of those who forever praise you Many people were scandalized in those conservative days of the British Raj when Iqbal dared to address God in so brazen a manner and eventually, Iqbal ended up writing a Jawab-e-Shikwah or Reply to Reproach in which God takes Man (Muslims) to task for daring to complain while failing miserably in all manner of things practical.

Dialogue is just such a poem. It is brief, a mere six verses, three each allowed to God and Man with, tellingly, the last word by Man. It is in Persian, Iqbals favored language and flows in his typical style. God starts first, remarking to man: Jahan raaz yak aab-o-gil aafridum Tu Iran-o-tataar-o-zang aafridi Man az khaak polaad naab aafridum Tu shamsheer-o-teer-o-tafang aafridi Tabar aafridi nihal-e-chaman ra Qafas sakhtee tair-e-naghma zan ra I created this world from the same water and earth You created Iran, Tartaria and Nubia I forged from dust, irons pristine ore You fashioned the sword, arrow and gun To fell the garden tree, you made the axe You fashioned the cage to imprison the singing bird Man replies: Tu shab aafridi, chiragh aafridum Safaal aafridi, ayaagh aafridum Bayabaan-o-kohsaar-o-raagh aafridi Khayabaan-o-gulzar-o-bagh aafridum Man aanam kay az sang aaina saazum Man aanam kay az zehr noshinaa sazum You created night, I the lamp

You created clay, and I the cup You-desert, mountain peak and valley I-flower bed, park and orchard It is I who grind a mirror out of stone And brew elixir from poison The striking thing about this exchange, other than its lyrical flow (lost in translation somewhat) is the insolent nature of Mans response. It is all the more surprising considering that Iqbal is revered throughout Pakistan as a champion of the Muslims and a staunch defender, till his last days of the somewhat problematic concept of Pan-Islamism, the notion that all Muslims, all over the world are one Ummah or brotherhood. This has been a rallying cry of poets, writers, reformers and leaders through the ages although there has never been an effective political event that came close to realizing the dream. This would seem to demonstrate the ideas inherent weakness i.e. the difficulty that any new faith has always had taking strong root in a new land unless it adapts and incorporates local traditions, customs and beliefs. In spite of exhortations to the contrary, the banner of faith has never been able to unite disparate nationalities, ethnicities and languages simply because loyalties to family, community, ethnicity and nation (in the broadest sense of the word) predate religion by thousands of years. Mans response in the poem is also a good example of one of Iqbals central poetical themes, that of Khudi or self hood, the sense of evolution and history through advance and struggle, of the development of a dynamic individual personality developed through practical activity in the world as against the lingering Sufi ideal of passive contemplation and mystic absorption according to Kiernan. The poems chief strength appears to be Mans declaration of supreme confidence in his abilities to face any challenge, rise to overcome any obstacle, even one thrown up by the Almighty. It also points to another important psychological turning point, particularly in a mans life: the struggle, beginning according to Freud at a young age, and continuing throughout life to overcome and surpass the legacy of a dominant father. Freud termed this the Oedipus complex after the mythical Greek king, Oedipus, who, unknowingly, kills his father and marries his mother, an act which is expressly forbidden in all major religions on pain of eternal damnation. In this poem, Man, the defiant son, challenges his heavenly Father and proudly defends his accomplishments while God benevolently (and perhaps ironically) looks on and chooses to allow Man to have the last word. This belief in struggle and the resulting development of self-hood is a favorite theme in Iqbals work. Kiernan pointed out that Iqbal could never reconcile the Materialist and Metaphysical aspects of his personality and this is evident in his poetry. There is no evidence that Iqbal ever wanted to reconcile his two opposing natures, his poetry seems to lean now one way, now the other, and, as with all great poets, everyone can find in it

what they are looking for. Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Iqbals spiritual successor, whose progressive, anti-Imperialist poetry remains widely popular on both sides of the Indo-Pak divide, deeply admired Iqbals poetry (while remaining sceptical of Pan-Islamism). It is often thought that Faiz, being a socialist and humanist, did not care much for Iqbals poetry. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only was Faiz an admirer of Iqbals poetry, Faizs father and Iqbal were contemporaries and friends from their days at Cambridge Law School. Iqbal presented Faiz with one of his first awards for winning a poetry competition when Faiz was still a teenager and later wrote a letter of recommendation for Faiz admission to Government College, Lahore. Upon Iqbals death, a sorrowful Faiz wrote a moving elegy titled Iqbal: Aaya hamare des main ek khush nawa faqeer Aaya aur apni dhun main ghazal khwaan guzar gaya Sunsaan rahen khalq say aabad ho gayin Veeraan maikadon kaa naseeba sanwar gaya Ab door jaa chuka hai woh shah-e-gadaa numa Aur phir say apnay des kee rahen udaas hain Par uss kaa geet sab kay dilon main muqeem hai Aur uss kee ley say sainkaron lazzat shanaas hain Yeh geet misle-shola-e-jawwala tundo-o-tez Iss kee lapak say baad-e-fana kaa jigar gudaaz Jaise chiragh wehshat-e-sar sar say bekhabar Ya shama bazme-subh kee aamad say bekhabar A sweet singing saint arrived in our land Sang his songs and moved on Desolate pathways and deserted taverns came alive Far away is he now, that regal beggar And forlorn once again are the streets of our land His song remains in our hearts

And enlivens countless souls with its sweetness The song, like a fiery flame Dispels even the wind of Death Like the lamp, fearless of the blowing gale Or the candle-flame, unaware of the coming morn Of Iqbals place in Pakistan, Kiernan wrote In the new State that now had to find its place in the world, Iqbal was canonized as a founding father. That dead poets should molder in government shrines while living poets molder in government jails is a not unfamiliar irony of history. (However) A poets influence is Protean. Among those numerous Hindus and Muslims who in the nightmare days of 1947 saved the lives of members of the other community at the risk to their own, there must have been many who had breathed Iqbals verses with their native air. It was, after all, his lifelong teaching that the spirit is more than the letter, that religion must always be on guard against the dogmatist and the charlatan and that a people must go forward or die. At its best, Iqbals poetry is a magnificent call to action against all forms of injustice, tyranny and oppression, a call that is as relevant today as it was a hundred years ago. Concluded The author is a Psychiatrist practicing in Arkansas, USA. * First Published By The Friday Times, Lahore. Bibliography (Entire Series): 1. Kiernan, V.G. Poems from Iqbal; Translated by V.G.Kiernan. Oxford University Press, 2004. 2. (Aasan) Kulliyaat-i-Iqbal,Urdu. Alhamra Publishing, Islamabad, 2004. 3. Kanda K.C. Allama Iqbal Selected Poetry; New Dawn Press, 2006 4. Vassilyeva, Ludmilla. Parvarish-e-Lauh-o-Qalam; Translated by Osama Farooqui and Ludmilla Vassilyeva. Oxford University Press, 2004. 5. A Desertful of Roses. The Urdu Ghazals of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib; available at http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ghalib/ 6. Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings by Abolqasem Ferdowsi (Author), Dick Davis (Translator), Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc, 2006.

7. The October Revolution; writings of members of the Party that made the October 1917 Revolution in Russia., available online at http://marxists.org/history/ussr/events/revolution/index.htm 8. Ten Days that Shook the World by John Reed, 1st published by BONI & Liveright, Inc. for International Publishers, 1919. Available online at http://marxists.org/archive/reed/1919/10days/10days/index.htm

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