Allama Iqbal as Visionary Reformist

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Allama Iqbal asVisionary and Reformist(January 2010)

by Muhammad Iqbal Malik

2007-2010LetsStartThinking.org. All rights reserved.


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Social Change and the Role of

Leadership

All great movements andsocialreconstruction are inspired by a movingthought, belief or vision

The greatness of change is correlated with thegreatness of thought and effort

The leadership roles essential to any significantsocial change are: visionaryand architect

These roles are commonly assumed by two ormore personalities, though on rare occasions by asingle leader


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Social Change: The Role of a

Visionary

A visionary is a creative thinker who perceivesnew realitywhich is profoundly different andmore favourable than the present

His blueprintof the future is not constrainedwith the ground realities and hard facts of thepresent. Thats why most visionaries are labeledas dreamers, mad men and even lunatics bytheir contemporaries

He rejects to seestatus quo as impregnableand works on to unleash a force or energythatpierces through the present day inertia. Thisforce is known as inspiration


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Social Change: The Role of a

Visionary

The basic toolkit of a visionary includes:

a fantasticyetsimplistic modelof the future

the ability to connectwith the people and the future

passionate articulation of the idea that excites themasses, powerful enough to be ownedandinternalizedby the people

the ability tosellthe idea as a real possibilityratherthan mere fiction, instilling beliefand conviction

Thus, visionary is the one who fuels change

He represents the creative dimension of socialchange


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Social Change: The Role of an

Architect

An Architect is the one who:

Plans and orchestrates change

connects at the same time, with the vision, the peopleand thesituation (the present)

refines the simplistic model, into a workable schemethat keeps into account the present day constraints andrealities

inculcates trustand commitmentin people and drivesthem through change against all odds, either through hischarismatic personalityor through hispersonal

character

Without an effective architect, a great vision istermed as a wild dream. Simply put, its a visionwithout an owner


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Social Change: The Role of an

Architect

Thus, architect is the one who drives change

He represents the rationaldimension of socialchange


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Iqbal as a Visionary


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Allama I qbal as a Visionary

Iqbal was not an architect. This fact is clear fromhis personal efforts towards making Jinnah, theQuaid-e-Azam, or the architectof Pakistan; hedid not project himself as the leader of Muslim

India And he neverpositionedhimself as a poet

either; he used poetry to connectwith thepeople and as a vehicle to advance his vision

His primary aim as I understand was toreconstructand reform thesocial polityofIslam in general and Muslim India in particular


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Allama I qbal as a Visionary

Iqbal envisioned renaissance in Islam andviewed the existing plight as a transient trough

Iqbal rejected to see the present state asdestiny

He heralded degeneration of the westerncivilization and looked at theIslamicCivilization as itssuccessor

And he asserted all that when all Muslim societiesacross the world were subjugated and colonizedleaving no room for any ray of hope


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Iqbals Call for Back-to-Basics

Iqbal rejects to see the present as anadvanced state of the Past; he instead projectsit as a corrupted instance of the greatcivilization of Islam

Much of his writings, is aimed at unearthing theroots of above cited corruption

He thus vigorously calls for back-to-basics; hetends to connect the past (rather than the

present) with the future; he draws his energyand inspiration from the past and then addressesthe future with revitalized zeal


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Iqbals View on Islamic Culture

His perspective about Islamic societies can besummarized as follows:

Our culture has been grossly corrupted throughthe natural phenomenon ofthe rise and fall of

nations The beliefs, values and attitudes that led to the

development and advance ofIslamiccivilization across the world have significantlydecayedover time, rendering oursocial

systems, including religion as dysfunctional Consequentially, we have lostsocial vitality,

viability and are incapacitated to advance as apeople


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Iqbals View on Islamic Culture

This decay however, is not limited to Islam butcan be witnessed in any great nation with a longenough history

In order to regroup, and reposition ourselves as

a vital polity with an integratedsociopoliticalidentity, we must get back-to-basics and pickup the lost pieces

Failure to recognize the above need of the hourwould further dampen our national and social

existence, ultimately leading to furtherfragmentation and disintegration


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The Future of I slam and

The Encounter With the West

Aftersalvaging the lost values, attitudes andrevitalizing oursocial system, we must initiate aprocess ofreinterpretation of Islamic thoughtto address contemporary challenges and toreclaim ourstatus as a modern, vibrant and

dynamic polity According to Iqbal, no other civilization has the

real prospect to counterand rise as analternative to western thought and civilization

And he views this encounter, between Islam andthe west as essential to the advance of thehuman civilization as a whole


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The Future of I slam and

The Encounter With the West

He recognizes the western contribution inadvancing the human civilization in terms ofthought and the sciences and sees opportunitiesfor the Muslims to draw from western experience

While on one hand he vehemently criticizes thesocial evils of the Muslim culture, he is alsorelentless in condemning the corruption of thewestern system, especially the devices ofcolonization, subjugation and exploitation ofhumanity

It is important to note that while Iqbal heraldsand impatiently anticipates the encounterbetween Islam and the West, his notion of thisencounter is not militaristicin essence


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I l i Alt ti t th Gl b l


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I slamic Alternative to the Global

Exploitative Systems

He considers the unhinderedadvance of theexploitative system of the West as a threat tohumanityincluding the West itself

He asserts the potential in Islam for providing

alternatives in the following areas Social system (based on justice, humanity and

brotherhood as against racism and other class systems)

Economic system (equitable distribution of wealth, freefrom interest, and other forms of exploitation)

Political system (A value based system, an alternative toutilitarianism, nationalism and other exploitativesystems that by design, empower and enrich a fragmentof the population by manipulating, enslaving, anddepriving much of humanity)


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Iqbal as a Reformist


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Hakeem-ul-Ummat

The widespread acknowledgement of Iqbal asHakim-ul-Ummatis not a mere emotionalexpression

It is rather a careful articulation of the

fundamental character of his works

Like a physician, he aims to restore health, notof an individual however but of the society as awhole

And he too, analyses, diagnoses and prescribes

He carefully distinguishes betweensymptomsand the problem (disease)


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Hakeem-ul-Ummat

He observes with razor sharp lens, and analyseswith penetrating eyes

His diagnosis andprescription however, is not

polluted with the bland tradition of his age He fearlessly asserts what he sees, feels and

experiences

I t ti f S i l S t


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I ntrospection of Social Systems,

Corrupt Norms and Values

Iqbal serves like apsychoanalystand abehaviour therapist

Part of his poetry serves as introspection of oursocial systems, attitudes, beliefs and norms

He makes us review our false beliefs, negativeattitudes and social norms that were shaped andcorrupted through history

Then carefully connects these attitudes andnorms with our failures and desperate socialconditions thereby establishing a causal link

He makes us vividly see our social and religioussystems as dysfunctionaland points to theideal type from Islamic History for therapy


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Confronting the Problem

Unlike a psychoanalyst however, hisstyle isfairly blunt andshocking

He first destroys your self-image as anindividual (Muslim) and as a people, making you

feel as totally exposedand vulnerable, thenreconstructs and completely reshapes your selfandsocial image from grounds up, revitalizedand rock solid

You have to go throughphases of shock, shame

and shattered self-esteem in order to enjoy thestrength of your real selfand existence. Youhave to bear the heat of his message to gainanything worthwhile there is no easy way out!


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Confronting the Problem

This realization and acceptance of self-defeatingattitudes and behaviours is integral to anyserious effort of individual orsocial reform

Compare this with our current tendency of

silencing critics of the system, and attributingmost of our ills to external factors, making us feellike pathetic victims of fate and conspiracies

Its a recipe for disaster

A vicious escape from realityand a guaranteed

approach for eternal status quo The above two tendencies are often called

approach and avoidbehaviour respectively

The Therapeutic Dimension of


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Iqbals Message

There is a very importantpsychologicalimplication of the two attitudes (approach vs.avoid) towards problems

The approach and accept behaviour (as adopted

by Iqbal), implies that the problem isself-createdand thus can be cured from within(internal locus of control)

The current and more prevalent attitude ofavoidance andscapegoating, implies that the

problem is inflicted by a powerful yet externalentity and thus the cure is beyondinternalcontrol (external locus of control)

The former attitude empowers the systemwhereas the latter makes it helpless



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Iqbals Message

It is in this spirit that Iqbal vehemently criticizesthe social, religious, political and economicsystems of the Muslim society withearthshaking zeal completely exposing thevulnerabilities of the system

And it is with this empowering approach thathe completely rebuilds theself-image of thereader, both as an individual and as a member ofthe great Muslim Civilization

And finally, he injects a verypotentdoze ofhope by contrasting the diseasedpresent withthe glorious and healthysamples from the pastand his emphasis on the true selfas against theruptured and corrupt self of the present


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The F inal Experience

And the emotions that stem from thistherapeutic process are elation, hope, positive

self-image, conviction and can dofeeling

It is these very emotions that fuel change in adiseased system

No amount or quality of prescription can evercure a system without the aid of a healthypsychological state

And thats precisely what one gets from Iqbal a healthy state of mind

After going through his text, being a Muslimfeels good!

The prior states ofshame and inferiorityjust vanishlike a bad dream


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Allama Iqbal as Visionary Reformist