LITERARY NOTES: Revisioning Iqbal

A book on Iqbal entitled "Revisioning Iqbal" as a poet and Muslim political thinker reflects that the Heidelberg's interest in Iqbal has not abated. Even though the book doesn't do justice to the title of the book but some of the articles by Western contributors show that there is still a good deal of Iqbal's poetry and thoughts which needs further probing.
Dr Ali Osman Qasmi's introduction successfully deals with Iqbal's contemporary relevance in the backdrop of the upsurge of fundamentalists. One would wish that Ali Osman Qasmi also looked into Professor A. H. Kamali's English and Urdu writings on Iqbal particularly "Iqbal aur Asasi Islami Wijdan" and "Space & Time Orders of Reality". However, it is true that Iqbal, while criticising the Western culture and civilisation stood for the primacy of the principles of time over that of space.
I like the way Dr Qasmi has dealt with some of the features of Iqbal's thinking. However, his Iqbal doesn't emerge as a modernist philosopher. Dr Qasmi's Iqbal doesn't enjoy the advantage of being a precursor of empiricism-based knowledge in tune with the West's strides in science and technology. Actually Iqbal picks up the threads of the decline of the Muslim science and proves that the reason lies in its tutelage to Greek reason.
I think that Dr Qasmi's introduction, in spite of its tilting Iqbal towards traditional Islam, is academically sound though falling short of the real Iqbal which emerges from the highly penetrating analyses of Iqbal's thought by other scholars like Faiz, Ali Sardar Jafri and A.H Kamali have done.
Iqbal's dilemma is that he is fully anchored in the West without severing his moorings with Islamic tradition so much so that despite his modernism he is also credited with the view that whenever there is confusion about a juristic stand on any issue, the considered opinions of the Aslaf should be followed. It is quite a contradictory position if the pursuit of truth is the goal. The juxtaposition of the empirical with the traditional could cause further confusion pushing the seeker of truth in a no-man's land.
In spite of the above dichotomy, Iqbal comes out to be a modern in many facets of his thinking. For example, his refection on the traditional Madrasah system, having no space for liberal arts and philosophy brings him closer to someone believing in the efficacy of liberal arts and philosophy. Both Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Iqbal have criticised the traditional centres of Islamic learning to the extent of considering them to be a stumbling block in the way of acquisition of modern knowledge.
Both of them seem to be followers of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's emphasis on modern knowledge which, according to him, was neither Islamic nor un-islamic as there could be no divide between Islamic and modern frontiers of knowledge. Iqbal's concept of Millat as outlined by Dr Qasmi need to be rectified in the light of the concept as enunciated by the Covenant of Madina, known as Mesaq-i-Madina. The concept included Jews and Christians living in Madinah in Prophet's time and hence it was not synonymous with Ummah.
Another point which Dr Qasmi is must have reflected upon Iqbal's idea of Muslim nationalism which was not different from the political ideal of Islam but quite different from the views of Maulana Husain Ahmed Madani or Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who thought that the common bonds of nationhood were possible with Hindus.
The views of Maulana Madani and Maulana Azad were not different from the spirit of Madina Constitution. Iqbal's Allahabad address which envisioned a polity for the Muslims of North-Western India was quite different from the approach of Azad and Madani. Moreover, Iqbal's disavowal of certain rituals of Islam as the vestige of Arab imperialism needs serious examination. In fact Iqbal opposed the influence of Iranian Islam to the extent of preferring Arab Islam. One should interpret it as a glaring contradiction in Iqbal's earlier disavowal of "Arab Imperialism".
The articles of Christina Oesterheld, Stephen Popp and Axel Monte are good readings. Shamim Hanafi's article on Iqbal's dialogue with the West and Inayatullah Baloch's contribution don't break any new ground. However, Tahir Kamran's article Problematising Iqbal as a State ideologue is a good effort but it doesn't bring any new aspect. Dr Aslam Jawaid's book on Iqbal goes a long way to put Iqbal in a far more radical context.
Hans Herder, Qazi Afzal Husain and Abdul Wahab Suri's articles provide a great deal of insight into some well known aspects of studies on Iqbal but one can't agree with Qazi Afzal Husain that it is the concept of knowledge based on reason and the perception through senses which Iqbal detests.
It is only a half truth. Iqbal is opposed to Greek reason but the knowledge based on the senses been made essential. He thought that the West has made rapid strides in science because of its option to follow the Muslims lead in inductive logic and experimental sciences.
However, it would take some time to achieve any success in studying Iqbal the way Stephen Popp has tried according to the rules of New Criticism. The main difficulty in following the rules of the Binary Opposition is that Iqbal's diction doesn't lend it credibility he is clearer to someone believing Realism to be handy. It doesn't need any decoding the way Derrida would like us to do. There is no difference between the signifying and signified (Dal and Madlool) meanings as under binary opposition.
Rediscovery of Ameen Hazeen Sialkoti
Professor Jahan Ara Pal deserves our congratulations for compiling the Kulliyat of a one time well-known poet Ameen Hazeen of Sialkot. The Kulliyat which is in fact a selection of the life-time contribution of a poet who devoted his entire life to poetry besides being a linguist would be remembered for long.
Ameen Hazeen was born in Sialkot and had the good fortune of having Syed Mir Hasan as his mentor. Syed Mir Hasan enjoys the distinction being the mentor of Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz as well. It is a strange coincidence that as the Kulliyat has appeared in Faiz Ahmed Faiz's centennial year. It is the year of re-discovery of Ameen Hazeen Sialkoti as a poet as well as Faiz Ahmed Faiz's centennial year.
However, there is no other similarity between the two poets. Faiz Ahmed Faiz is the doyen of progressive poets while Ameen Hazeen is a traditional poet having all the pre-requisites which work well in a poet of good standing. The Kulliyat is a voluminous collection which contains a good number of Ghazal/Nazm, Qata, Free Verse, Haiku compositions. Ameen Hazeen's, youthful days saw a reaction to Sir Syed's movement of "purposive" poetry. However, it doesn't mean that Ameen Hazeen is oblivious to the revival of Muslim nationalism which Sir Syed, Hali and other stalwarts of Sir Syed Movement were serving. Ameen Hazeen is also a romantic, as well as a poet relishing the soul-relating sights of nature. He had served in Gilgit's Political Agent's Office and enjoyed his stay there till his retirement.