I wrote my previous post while Imran Khan was still the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Some of the predictions implied in the last section of that post have come true since then, and some readers have asked me to elaborate a few more points. I would like to begin by elaborating the comparison between Imran …
“If a wound has befallen you, a wound like it has already befallen others. We alternate the days of successes and reverses among peoples.” According to Iqbal, this is one of those verses of the Quran which can help us study history as a sign of God. The following is an example of how we …
Charles I in Pakistan: are we headed towards a glorious revolution or disaster? Read More »
In the previous posts of this series, we have considered some of the implications of how Iqbal and his school of thought, i.e. the All-India Muslim League, would have liked us to transform ourselves so that we might participate in the life of our communal self in a conscious manner. Let’s now consider the new …
Iqbal believed that if Iran were to lose its independence, it would not just be a loss for the Iranians. The impact on the world of Islam would be much more disastrous than the Fall of Baghdad in 1258 (by far the worst tragedy in the history of Islam). I am listing some of the …
By participating in the life of our communal self consciously, we can achieve a society free from want and fear.
The individual transformation also requires a change in actions and behaviour, and this change should be motivated by the desire to have a national organization. Pakistan came into being because this desire got realized.
According to Iqbal, we need to transform ourselves individually so that we could participate in the life of our communal self. This includes changing our habits of thought through our uniform culture.
According to Iqbal, the fundamental principle of the Muslim constitutional theory is “the idea of universal agreement” (we may understand it as the desire to seek consensus, or what Mary Parker Follett calls “the will to will the common will”). From a careful study of his political work – his actions as a practical politician …
This post is not for those who indulge in the thought of Iqbal as an intellectual luxury. Today, I am writing only for those who want to grasp a fundamental concept in order to become useful to society and humanity. To such friends, I can say quite frankly that to try grasping Iqbal’s concept of …
When seen from the point of view of the founding parents of the country, our history reveals that we have a collective ego, or a communal self, which has been conceiving and achieving its goals.