ALLAMA DR MUHAMMAD IQBAL'S PHILOSOPHY OF ISLAMIC CULTURE AND MORAL VALUES AND CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM WORLD: AN ANALYTICAL AND CRITICAL STUDY

• Published date: 30 June 2021

Furthermore, morality is dependent upon the culture also it seems to be conservative in the context of modern era. The followers of traditions are at conflict with the followers of modernization and considers them to be fundamentalists. However, the traditionalists are aware of this fact that their system of value is resilient against any sudden change. However, the trends and fashions of the modern age thought not completely inaccurate transmits within the generations. This review paper thus mainly focuses on exploring the philosophy of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal about the culture of Muslims along with their morality. Also, it would cornerstone the contemporary situations of the Muslim world under the influence of Iqbal's philosophy.

Though it does not determine the constitutional factors of cultures and traits of Muslim society however, it is an attempt to exhibit the critical appraisal of Dr. Iqbal about the nature of culture of Muslims as well as the fundamental ideologies which are motivating, inspiring, and directing the Muslim societies in their pursuit of moral values and culture.

The focal discussion of this review article is regarding the personality of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal together with his philosophy about the culture of Muslims and their morality. Furthermore, the growing trends of the contemporary Muslim world are also analyzed in terms of comparison with the view of Iqbal. Allama Iqbal (1877-1938) was a reverent Muslim, significant philosopher, proficient poet, as well as impelled activist. Different people were connected to him differently. Some people were attached to him because of progressiveness, religious modernism, and devotion towards Islam, whereas to some people he was an iconic westernizer. The nation of Pakistan, however, considers Allama Iqbal as a father of their homeland i.e., Pakistan. In the context of academia, Allama Iqbal is an enchanting paradigm who reconciled the ideas of Muslims with contemporaneousness.

Allama Iqbal is kindred to Imam Ghazali of the 20th century, one who synthesized modernity, mysticism, and Islam. Additionally, Iqbal encouraged the notion about the stated based upon religion without stimulating cliched and obnoxious representation of vicious theocracy.1

The Reconstruction of religious thought in Islam is the masterpiece scripted by Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal. In this scripture he has discussed just a little bit about Islam, may be due to the fact that this manuscript was initially introduced just as a lecture. Whereas, in his poetic scripture-Ramooz-e-Bekhudi i.e., The secrecies of altruism, Dr. Iqbal has written a complete section with the title of “Pillars of Islam”. Rather than describing Islam, he has analyzed Tawheed, “the entirety and solidarity of Allah”, together with the notion of Prophecy in the religion of Islam. Both of these conceptions are significantly important factors of the integrated and global Islam that Allama Iqbal pursues. Tawheed is considered to be the fundamental fountainhead of conviction that attenuates the trepidation together with every pessimistic sentiment that restricts the Muslims.

Moreover, in his scripture, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, Iqbal delineates Tawheed as solidarity, freedom, and equality. According to the believes of Iqbal, believing in the uniqueness of Allah is something that results in believing in individualism. Also, it is the reflection of solidarity of Allah i.e., Tawheed in the believer. Furthermore, Iqbal implicates this notion in every human of the community in another masterpiece, Baang-e daraa. The vision of Allama Iqbal about Islam is focused on unifying every believing Muslim living individually or communally. Paradoxically, might be the Islam of Iqbal is not just intellectual, but potential religion which is stimulated by the objectives inclusive of self-empowerment, community-empowerment, and liberties of the politics. To make his point of view clear, Iqbal keeps intellectualism separated from vitalism by tagging intellectualism as just the comprehension of connection.

On the other hand, vitalism is considered to be the enhanced acceptance which is quite equal to Imaan-Belief in terms of meanings. On contrary to the belief based upon intellectualism, Imaan is reflected through the action of the believers. Allama Iqbal ascribes the orientation of Islamic actions to those of Prophet Muhammad Mustafa PBUH and attributed Him to be the very first spirituality positivist, pragmatist, as well as psychologist. In endorsement of his thoughts, Iqbal referred to the various sayings together with the deeds of Holy Prophet PBUH i.e., Hadiths of Prophet PBUH. Iqbal emphasizes the virtues of Prophet PBUH as the testimony for his personality as Insaan-e-Kaamil, specifically underpinning creative potential of the spirit of Prophet PBUH. Finally, Iqbal pondered upon acknowledging several perspectives of Islam.

Though Iqbal is the supporter of his Islam and considered it to be the one of its kind in true essence, still he demonstrated the consciousness of all other perspectives and aspects of Islam. In his other scripture, Zarb-e-Kaleem, Iqbal mentioned about thinking about new Islam. This recognition of multiple Islams highlights two significant factors related to the philosophy of religion of Iqbal. The first important factor is the recognition of Iqbal about his target audience as well as his awareness about the distinction amidst scriptural and practical Islam. The second significant factor is his acknowledgement about the empowerment of Islam on individual level to conquer established form of Islam.2 In accordance with the writings of Allama Iqbal, moral values are the obstinate codification of conduct allowing liberated self-esteem to attain their maximum prospective.

Application of the determination of morality through denial, concept of Iqbal about morality can be comprehended by having an insightof what morality might not be. Neither, morality is pragmatic, nor it is defined already. Factually, morality is a definite approach of behavioral aspects having right, wrong as well as good and bad features. Allama Iqbal opted this definition of morality based upon the behavioral aspects due to the fact that morality operates as the codification of conducts for liberated self-esteem, that permits them to attain their maximum capabilities.3 Allama Iqbal is a categorical representative of moral autocracy. Also, he has strengthened this argument by explaining the concept of Ijtehaad in the reconstruction of religious thoughts in Islam, where Ijtehaad is the legitimate action for the derivation of moral constitutions.

There he stated that the only option we are left with is to remove the hard sheath from Islam that has made stationary the important dynamic perspectives about man's life, also to find again the innovative assortments of equality, solidarity, and freedom with the aim of reconstructing our political, social, as well as moral approaches from their fundamental resources of simplicity together with universality. Furthermore, the belief of Dr. Iqbal on the precept of Tawheed is a crux of his moral certainties.4 Morality never changes, merely the comprehensions of legislations reporting morality alters. These altering comprehensions of the ways of developing high morals are applicable on every single being regardless of the creed they belong to or the religion they follow. The inquisition then arises about the source of moral values of Allama Iqbal, which can be replied by the detailed examination of his affirmations, such as equalizing Shariah-the divine legislation and moral values.

Also, Fiqh-the legislations interpreted by the man, should modify based on the alteration in Shariah. Therefore, whatever is legitimate according to Shariah and Fiqh, would be considered moral. The fountainheads of moral values are thought to be the origins of law or Usool-al-Fiqh; The Holy Quran, The Prophetic sayings-Ahadith, Consensus of the religious scholars-Ijmaa, the Qeyaas-inferential philosophy, and Ijtehaad for the modification of frame of references. The initial two fountainheads are generally recognized as the origins of Shariah, however, the following two are established as the root of Fiqh.5 Though Allama Iqbal did not exemplify the moral values, yet he vociferously determined the absolute actions-based morality. Allama Iqbal rationalized moral values that are articulated to the absolute standards of Shariah which are comprehended by the man in a better way with the passage of time.

That is why, the actions which were considered to be virtuous in the 16th century might not remain so in the 20th century as achievement of the same righteousness has advanced. The comprehensive philosophy of Allama Iqbal is based upon the holistic insight of the circumstances inclusive of good or bad incidents. There exists nothing like the isolated fact as facts are something based on the methodical discretions, whose factors should be comprehended by mutual consent. There exist absolute principles about what is good and what is evil, therefore a man should continuously try hard to achieve the good moral attributes to achieve the self-esteem as per standardized by the principles, however, categorical division of good and bad acts is not possible as they share symbiotic connection.6

Intention behind performing any action is also a standard explained by Allama Iqbal, as according to him, intention is a core belief of Islam and is something which is judged by Allah for the determination of the moral or immoral base of any action a man performs. Intention is considered to be the aesthetic mental feeling of doing an action which ultimately defines its nature. So collectively, the current circumstantial apprehension of Shariah, influence of the personal choices on surrounding people, and most importantly intention behind any act is the crux of deciding about the actions, whether they are moral or immoral. Any...