By Dr. Arif Bashir
November
19, 2020
Allama
Mohammad Iqbal was born on November 9, 1877 in Sialkot Punjab. He was brought up
in a family with Kashmiri Brahmin lineage. Allama’s grandfather left his
ancestral village of Looehar in Kashmir after the revolt of 1857 in India and
settled in Sialkot, Punjab. Allama’s father was a tailor and his family was
living hand to mouth. Therefore, it was not until Iqbal’s elder brother Shaikh
Atta Muhammad joined the Mechanical Engineering Services of the Army, that his
family’s economic position geared up: from being a working-class family to a
middle-class one. Allama’s first published collection of poems came out in 1923
titled, “Bang-e-Dara” (Call of the Marching Bell). He wrote mostly in Urdu and
Persian. Some of his poetic works include Zabur-i-Ajam, Bal-i-Jibril (Gabriel’s
Wings), Ramuz-e-Bekhudi (Mysteries of
the Selflessness), Asrar-e-Khudi
(Secrets of the Self). For the English readership he is mostly known by his
lectures, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.
Syed Nazeer
Niazi, popularly known as James Boswell of Allama Mohammad Iqbal, was an
eminent Muslim scholar, professor, and a journalist of Pakistan. Once Niazi
enquired from Allama about the sources of Khudi/Selfhood.
In response to that, Allama invited him to his house in order to unfold the
source from which the concept of Khudi
has derived. Syed Nazeer Niazi then eagerly went to his house with a pencil and
a notebook to put on a piece of paper the sources of Khudi. After a while Allama asked Niazi to bring the copy of Holy
Quran from the shelf, and asked him to read the Verse 19 of Surah Al-Hashr,
which says: “And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them oblivious
of themselves.” Niaza was stunned to know that Khudi/Selfhood is a result of Allama’s understanding of the Verse
19 of Surah Al-Hashr. Asrar-e-khudi,
popularly known as The Secret Self in English was published in the year 1915.
It is an effort towards the discovery of the Self in the light of the holy
Qu’ran. Allama in his philosophy of self defines khudi as, “a divine element that exists in human self, if realized,
developed, educated and tamed.”
The
translation of Khudi/Selfhood is not
just self-respect or ego but it is the reality of humanity. Khudi as understood is an extraordinary
supernatural power, force, or existence residing in human beings after the
development of which a man becomes the vicegerent of Allah on Earth.
Qahhari-o-Gaffari-o-Quddusi-o-Jabroot,
Yeh Char Anasir Hon
Toh Banta Hai Musalman
Khudi is the most fascinating, yet immensely
delicate and sensitive concept. This is the reason why the eminent scholars
become silent as they understand that the topic of Khudi is not merely about the projection of knowledge or debate
rather it is the restructuring of spiritual experience. One to speak about it
has to go through these experiences and the one who didn’t experience the
flairs of Khudi/Selfhood probably
cannot speak about it. However, the concept of Khudi, according to Allama is deeply rooted in “Knowledge” and
“Love”.
Quwwate-e-Ishq se Har
Past Ko Bala Kar De
Dehr Mein
Ism-e-Muhamnned (PBUH) Se Ujala Karde.
Allama first talks about the love and then gives a
man the idea that the most powerful force in the human body is love.
Johar-e-Zindagi Hai Ishq,
Johar-e-Ishq Hai
Khudi, Aah!
He
emphasizes on a point where he says that the essence of life is love but the
essence of love is Khudi. But it is
remorseful to see that this sharp sword is yet hidden in a sheath. He further
tries to explain man the secret of Self.
Tu Raaz-E-Kun Fakan
Hai, Apni Ankhon Par Ayan Ho Ja.
Khudi Ka Raazdan Ho
Ja, Khuda Ka Tarjuman Ho Ja.
Here, Iqbal
tries to make man realize his secret of existence. He says that man is a secret
of Kun Fayakun. All it takes, when He
wills something to be, is simply to say to it: “Be!” And it is! (Surah Yaseen,
verse 82). To understand this one needs to refer to the holy Qur’an where Allah
says that the world is the response of Kun
Fayakun i.e. He just commanded the world to be and it is. Allama stresses
upon to realize this secret behind his essence. He wants a man to understand
the forces of the divine element that reside in him because once it is realized
and achieved, the man will become the reflection of Allah SWT that is to say
the man will become the Representative, a Vicegerent of Allah SWT on Earth.
Then he will speak by the will of Allah on his behalf. He will become the eyes
and hands of Allah. He will be able to see things from the Light of Allah and
carry the matters under the Guidance of Allah. Man will now be among one of the
Forces, Powers, and Armies of Allah. Allah in the holy Qur’an commands his
servants to acquire his colour that is his attributes. Allama further asks the
man not to deviate from his self rather identify, know, and immerse into thy
secret Self and free it from the unnecessary fetters, strive towards
immortality and become immortal.
Khudi Mein Doob Ja Ghafil! Ye Sir-E-Zindagani
Hai
Nikal Kar Halqa-E-Shaam-O-Sahar Se Javidan Ho
Ja
Allama
through his poetry constantly made man to realize his Self and its secrets. In
one of his couplets, he asserts that the human’s selfhood is an infinite,
boundless ocean and in another one, he says that the morning breeze whispers
him that those who know their self, their status is that of a King, meaning
they rule the worlds.
Yeh Payam De Gayi Hai
Mujhe Bad-e-Subhagahi
Ke Khudi Ke Arifon Ka
Hai Mukham Badhshahi
Later on,
Allama vehemently remarks, especially responding to his critics, that if anyone
lacks the inner vision then it is better for him not to be a part of his
gathering or be among his listeners.
Nazar Nahin To Mere
Halqa-e-Sukhan Mein Na Baith
Ke Nukta Haye Khudi
Hain Misaal-e-Taeg-e-Aseel
Allama once
defined Khudi as,
Khudi Ki Jalwaton
Mein Mustafai
Khudi Ki Khalwaton
Mein Kibriyai
Zameen-o-Asman-o-
Kursi-o-Arsh
Khudi Ki Zad Mein Hai
Sari Khudai!
Allama
elucidates that when the Khudi is
revealed it reflects the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and when it is in solitude it
reflects Godliness. He says that if man only realizes, not only the Earth, the
Heavens, and the great Empyrean, but almost everything will be within the range
of Selfhood. This is the eternal secret that Iqbal tries to unveil to all of
humanity and specifically to Muslims. He has comprehensively defined the concept
of Khudi, the relationship that
exists between men, Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) and Allah (SWT) in the
aforementioned lines. It won’t be wrong to say that a man of today wouldn’t
have got simple yet a comprehensive understanding of Khudi in any other discourse, language, speech or poetry. Most
certainly, Allama was at the peak of Khudi/Selfhood
otherwise it is not possible for an ordinary man to precisely explain the
secret pearls of Self and Selfhood. Allama after explaining the concept of Khudi depicts its effects on the human
world.
Uss Qoum Ko Shamsheer
Ki Hajat Nahin Rehti
Ho Jis Ke Jawanon Ki
Khudi Soorat-e-Foulad
Allama says
that the nation’s youth who are well versed with the concept of Khudi don’t require weapons to protect
themselves. Each one of them is a weapon himself or it can also be understood
as those nations are not dependent upon arms and ammunition whose youths
realize, develop, sternly protect and take care of their Khudi. He showed the path walking upon which man protects his khudi.
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Dr. Arif Bashir is a PhD in Clinical
Biochemistry and is an invited referee of Springer’s Tumor Biology, The
Netherland.
Original Headline: Unravelling the mysteries of
the self
Source: The Greater Kashmir
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/concept-khudi-iqbal-constantly-made/d/123511
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