Selfless Devotion

Virtuous People

2012-02-18T20:44:00.000+05:00

Sin has aneducative value of its own. Virtuous people are very often stupid.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

To Revitalise the Dying Organism

2012-02-04T23:33:00.000+05:00

A diseasedsocial organism sometimes sets up within itself forces which have a tendency topreserve the health of the organism – e.g. the birth of a greatPersonality which may revitalise the dying organism by the revelation of a newideal.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Moral Readers

2012-01-01T20:50:00.001+05:00

The ancientsproduced Personalities; we produce moral readers.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Value of the Moment

2011-12-28T15:25:00.000+05:00

I judge theworth of my days, months and years from the experiences which they bring to me;and sometimes I am surprised to find that a single moment is more valuable thana whole year.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Are we downhearted?

2011-12-25T14:48:00.000+05:00

Create enthusiasm and spirit and go forward with your task, with courage and hope and we shall do it. Are we downhearted? Certainly not. This history of Islam is replete with instances of velour, grit and determination. So march on notwithstanding obstruction, obstacles and interference;

.. It is now up to you to work, work and more work; and we are bound to succeed. And never forget our motto: Unity, Discipline and Faith.

-- Mohammad Ali Jinnah

[Broadcast Speech from the Pakistan Radio, Lahore on 30th October, 1947]

Sin and Piety

2011-12-23T17:18:00.000+05:00

At least in onerespect sin is better than piety. There is an imaginative element in the formerwhich is lacking in the latter.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

[Image source]

Love is a Playful Child

2011-12-21T14:09:00.000+05:00

Love is aplayful child. She makes our individuality and then quietly whispers in ourears – “Renounce it.”

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Big Library

2011-12-17T14:18:00.000+05:00

If you have gota big library and know all the books therein, it only shows that you are a richman, not necessarily that you are a thinker. Your big library only means thatyour purse is heavy enough to hire many people to think for you.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

To Become A Public Leader

2011-12-15T18:49:00.000+05:00

If you wish tobecome a public leader you ought to know how to flirt with the Dame Public.Entertain her with platitudes and, if necessary, with lies.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Gramophone of History

2011-12-13T19:28:00.000+05:00

History is asort of huge gramophone in which the voices of nations are preserved.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Waiting for the Mehdi

2011-12-11T20:17:00.001+05:00

Give up waitingfor the Mehdi – the personification of Power. Go and createhim.
-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Sunset on the Banks of Ravi

2011-12-09T20:00:00.001+05:00

All thewonderful booklore in your library is not worth one glorious sunset on thebanks of the Ravi.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

[image source]

Suffering

2011-12-04T20:16:00.001+05:00

Suffering is agift from the gods in order to make men see the whole of life.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

God is Power

2011-11-26T19:55:00.001+05:00

Power is more divine than truth.God is power. Be ye, then, like your father who is in heaven.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Thought of the Powerful Man

2011-11-22T21:00:00.001+05:00

Remembering Waheed Murad, I just recalled the song 'Aaj Achanak' from one of his movies 'Ishara' (1969).

Although this song seemed to be a song of joy only, it has some hidden meanings which makes it an inspirational song. And the way Waheed Murad acted in this video reflects what artists, like Waheed Murad, have happened to be for the people of his era, present world and for the coming generations.

I shared my thoughts on this video earlier on the blog Khuram's Desk and I wanted to share those reflections of my mind here as well, on the death anniversary of Waheed Murad.

Through the video I observed;

It seemed that he has achieved something unexpectedly which was very much awaited.

He shared his happiness with each one of those who were present there and once he shares his happiness they all become equally happy as he is without knowing its cause.

He danced, made others dance, in happiness he revolved on its own in the centre and all others were revolving around him.

How do these actions symbolise the role played by artists like Waheed Murad in their societies?

These actions symbolise that the artists like Waheed Murad attain trust of the society on them. The society believes what they say. They reach the hearts of the people by the actions which harmonise the feelings and understandings of others.

And the result of these actions is that which happened at the end of the video; They act - like Waheed Murad danced in the centre -

Build consensus by their actions - like others revolved and danced with him -

Create system by building consensus - like at the end he left the circle but the circle continued to revolve means the system continues its working -

I believe that the work of Waheed Murad is a 'Thought of the Powerful Man' which has a capability to develop a civilisation just as Iqbal wrote in his private notebook, Stray Reflections (1910);

'Civilization is a thought of the powerful man.'

The Worth of Things

2011-10-28T19:51:00.000+05:00

God createdthings; man created the worth of things. The immortality of a people dependsupon their incessant creation of “worths,” said Nietzsche. Things certainlybear the stamp of Divine manufacture; but their meaning is through and throughhuman.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Interpretation of History

2011-10-05T19:32:00.000+05:00

History is onlyan interpretation of human motives; and, since we are liable to misinterpretthe motives of our contemporaries and even of our intimate friends andassociates in daily life, it must be far more difficult rightly to interpretthe motives of those who lived centuries before us. The record of history,therefore, should be accepted with great caution.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Miracles

2011-09-24T15:31:00.000+05:00

The question isnot whether miracles did or did not happen. This is only a question of evidencewhich maybe interpreted in various ways. The real question is whether belief inmiracles is useful to a community. I say it is; since such a belief intensifiesthe sense of the supernatural which holds together primitive societies as wellas those societies (e.g. Islam) whose nationality is ideal and not territorial.Looked at from the standpoint of social evolution, then, belief in miraclesappears to be almost a necessity.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

But that is not enough:

2011-09-11T15:41:00.000+05:00

.. But that is not enough: Remember, that the establishment of Pakistan is a fact of which there is no parallel in the history of the world. It is one of the largest Muslim States in the world, and it is destined to play its magnificent part year after year, as we go on, provided we serve Pakistan honestly, earnestly and selflessly.
I have full faith in my people that they will rise to every occasion worthy of our past Islamic history, glory and traditions.

-- Mohammad Ali Jinnah

[Message to the Nation on the occasion of the first Anniversary of Pakistan on 14th August, 1948]

Success in Life

2011-09-04T15:44:00.001+05:00

It isdetermination, not brains, that succeeds in life.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Karachi..

2011-08-20T01:21:00.000+05:00

I visualize a great future for Karachi --it always had immense potentialities.

... So let us all strive together to make this beautiful town a great metropolis, a center of trade, industry and commerce, and a seat of learning and culture.

Karachi has the distinction of being the only town of importance where, during these times of communal disturbances, people have kept their heads cool and lived amicable, and I hope we shall continue to do so.

..It should be our aim not only to remove want and fear of all types, but also to secure liberty, fraternity and equality as enjoined upon us by Islam.

-- Mohammad Ali Jinnah

[Reply to the Civic Address presented by the Karachi Corporation on 25th August, 1947]

[Photograph (taken by me): Neelam Point, Karachi]

Our duty to the State comes first

2011-08-13T23:38:00.000+05:00

Our duty to the State comes first; our duty to our Province, to our district, to our town and to our village and ourselves comes next. Remember we are building up a State which is going to play its full part in the destinies of the whole Islamic World. We therefore, need a wider outlook, an outlook which transcends the boundaries of provinces, limited nationalism, and racialism. We must develop a sense of patriotism which should galvanise and weld us all into one united and strong nation. That is the only way in which we can achieve our goal, the goal of our struggle, the goal for which millions of Mussalmans have lost their all and laid down their lives.

-- Mohammad Ali Jinnah

[Reply to the Address presented by the Students of Islamia College, Peshawar on 12th April, 1948]

[Photograph (taken by me): inside Lahore Fort]

Self-Control

2011-08-05T21:57:00.003+05:00

Self-Control in individuals builds families; in communities, it builds empires.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Experience and Knowledge

2011-07-03T01:17:00.000+05:00

Every experience evokes something from the soul of man. Even the experience of sin will reveal some aspect of your soul of which you were not cognisant before. Experience, then, is a double source of knowledge; it gives you an insight into what is without you, as well as an insight into what is within you.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Critical Period for the Musalmans of India

2011-06-18T15:30:00.000+05:00

In so far as the evolution of religious ideas is concerned there are principally three stages in the development of a community:

1) The Attitude of scepticism towards traditional religion – a revolt against dogma.

2) But the need of religion as a social force of great value is at last felt and then begins the second stage – an attempt to reconcile religion with reason.

3) This attempt leads necessarily to difference of opinion which may have awful consequences for the very existence of a community. Difference of opinion, if not honest (and unfortunately it is generally not honest), must lead to utter disintegration. The Musalmans of India are now in the third stage; or, perhaps, partly in the second partly in the third. This period in the life of our community appears to me to be extremely critical; but I am glad that there [are] forces of a different nature at work which have a tendency to preserve the solidarity of the community – though their influence, I fear, will be only temporary.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Introduction to Iqbal Studies - Online Course

2011-05-05T22:59:00.000+05:00

Introduction to
Iqbal Studies

Online Course

6 June – 9 July 2011

Special introductory fee Rs.1000

Our teachers give all the wrong messages to our youth, since they take away the natural flare from the soul. Take it from me that all knowledge is useless until it is connected with your life, because the purpose of knowledge is nothing but to show you the splendours of yourself!

Iqbal – Javid Nama

Designed and conducted by
Khurram Ali Shafique
Author of Iqbal: an Illustrated Biography
khurramsoffice@yahoo.com
www.therepublicofrumi.com

Under the auspices of
Educational Resource Development Centre (ERDC), A-735, Block H, North Nazimabad, Karachi
021-36723454, 021-36051229
info@erdconline.org
www.erdconline.org

Brochure can be downloaded from here: Iqbal Studies Online Course

Wonder

2011-04-22T23:38:00.001+05:00

Wonder, says Plato, is the mother of all science. Bedil (Mirza Abdul Qadir) looks at the emotion of wonder from a different standpoint. Says he:–

To Plato wonder is valuable because it leads to our questioning of nature; to Bedil it has a value of its own irrespective of its intellectual consequences. It is impossible to express the idea more beautifully than Bedil.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

* The Persian couplet could be translated as: “Fragilities are contained in the glasshouse of Wonder. Blink not the eye, lest the show might be over!”
Khurram Ali Shafique.

Arab Poetry

2011-04-01T00:58:00.000+05:00

“There is my uncle’s son walking along the edge of a precipice. Shall I go and, from behind, push him down the rocky valley to die without a dawn? Considering his treatment I am perfectly justified in doing so; but it is mean and unmanly to do such a thing."

So says the Arab poet in the Hamasa (?) This passage may be taken as a typical specimen of Arab poetry. No poetry is so direct, so straightforward and so manly in spirit. The Arab is intensely attached to reality; brilliancy of colour does not attract him. The poet Mutanabbi, however, may be regarded as an exception; but he is an Arab poet by language only; in spirit he is thoroughly Persian.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

You have the power; you must learn the art to use it...

2011-03-23T20:04:00.000+05:00

It is always easy to criticize, it is always easy to go on fault-finding, but people forget the things that are being done and are going to be done for them, and generally they take those for granted without even realizing as to what trials, tribulations, difficulties and dangers we had to face at the birth of Pakistan. I do not think that your administration is perfect, far from it, I do not say that there is no room for improvement; I do not say that honest criticism from true Pakistanis is unwelcome. It is always welcome. But when I find in some quarters nothing but complaint, fault-finding and not a word of recognition as to the work that has been done either by your Government or by those loyal officials and officers who have been working for you day and night it naturally pains me. Therefore, at least say some good word for the good that is done, and then complain and criticize. In a large administration, it is obvious that mistakes must be made; you cannot expect that it should be faultless; no country in the world can be so. But our ambition and our desire are that it should be as little defective as possible. Our desire is to make it more efficient, more beneficial, more smooth working. For what? What has the Government got for its aim? The Government can only have for its aim one objective --how to serve the people, how to devise ways and means of their welfare, for their betterment. What other object can the Government have and remember; now it is in your hands to put the Government in power or remove the Government from power; but you must not do it by mob methods. You have the power; you must learn the art to use it; you must try and understand the machinery. Constitutionally, it is in your hands to upset one Government and put another Government in power if you are dissatisfied to such an extent.

-- Mohammad Ali Jinnah

[Speech at a public meeting attended by over three lacs of people at Dhaka on March 21, 1948]

Scepticism and Religion

2011-03-09T22:09:00.000+05:00

There are some people who are sceptical and yet of a religious turn of mind. The French Orientalist Renan reveals the essentially religious character of his mind in spite of his scepticism. We must be careful in forming our opinion about the character of men from their habits of thought.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Power of Minorities

2011-02-20T23:54:00.000+05:00

The fate of the world has been principally decided by minorities. The history of Europe bears ample testimony to the truth of this proposition. It seems to me that there is a psychological reason why minorities should have been a powerful factor in the history of mankind. Character is the invisible force which determines the destinies of nations, and an intense character is not possible in a majority. It is a force; the more it is distributed the weaker it becomes.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Amusements in Muslim Countries

2011-02-16T15:42:00.000+05:00

There are no amusements in Muslim countries – no theatres, no music halls, no concerts, and better so. The desire for amusement once satisfied soon becomes insatiable. The experience of European countries clearly proves this deplorable fact. The absence of amusement in Muslim countries indicates neither poverty nor austerity nor bluntness of the sense for enjoyment; it reveals that the people of these countries find ample amusement and enjoyment in the quiet circles of their homes. The European critic ought not to be so hasty in his denunciation of the Muslim home. I admit that indifference to outdoor amusement is not a necessary consequence of domestic happiness; nor does love of amusement necessarily mean domestic unhappiness.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Memory of Man

2011-02-10T19:34:00.000+05:00

The memory of man is generally bad except for the offences he receives from his fellow men.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Robber Nations

2011-01-30T00:01:00.000+05:00

The spendthrift is nature’s own child. She does not like the accumulation of large masses of wealth in the hands of a few individuals. When the maker of a family succeeds in amassing a fortune, it often happens that in the third or even in the second generation a spendthrift appears and scatters the whole wealth. But for this agent of nature the circulation of wealth would be clogged. What is true of individuals is also true of nations. When a nation, by industry or otherwise, amasses and hoards up wealth – thus clogging the wheel of the world’s industry the working of which depends on the continual circulation of money – robber nations appear on the scene and set the imprisoned wealth at liberty. Warren Hastings, Clive and Mahmud are the representative types of such nations which are unconscious agents of nature in the advancement of world’s industry. The robbery of Warren Hastings finds its true explanation in the history of the European currencies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Soul of Oscar Wilde

2011-01-20T20:39:00.000+05:00

The soul of Oscar Wilde is more Persian than Eng[lish.]

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

[Image source: Wikipedia, Oscar Wilde]

Milton

2011-01-12T20:21:00.000+05:00

The Puritan theology of Milton cannot appeal to the imagination of our age. Very few people read him. Voltaire is quite true in saying that Milton’s popularity will go on increasing because nobody reads him. There is, however, one thing in Milton. No poet has been more serious about his task than him. His style – a gigantic architecture consecrated to false deities – will always stand untouched by the palsied hand of time.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

[Image source: Wikipedia, John Milton]

Goethe’s Faust

2011-01-01T23:14:00.000+05:00

Goethe picked up an ordinary legend and filled it with the whole experience of the nineteenth century – nay, the entire experience of the human race. This transformation of an ordinary legend into a systematic expression of man’s ultimate ideal is nothing short of Divine workmanship. It is as good as the creation of a beautiful universe out of the chaos of formless matter.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

[image: Faust in his Study, from Goethe's Faust, 1828, (illustration)]

White Man’s Burden

2010-12-30T22:13:00.000+05:00

An English gentleman once told me that he hated the Jews, because they believed themselves to be the Chosen People of God – a belief which implies and perhaps justifies contempt of other nations. He did not remember that the phrase White Man’s Burden concealed the same Jewish belief in a different garb.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

...nothing to fear

2010-12-25T01:43:00.000+05:00

Let us impress the minorities by word, deed and thought that as long as they fulfill their duties and obligations as loyal citizens of Pakistan, they have nothing to fear. To the freedom loving tribes on our borders and the States beyond our borders, we send our greetings and assure that Pakistan will respect their status and will extend to them its most friendly co-operation in preserving peace. We have no ambition beyond the desire to live honorably and let others live honorably.

-- Mohammad Ali Jinnah

[Message to the Nation on the occasion of the inauguration of the Pakistan Broadcasting Service, 15 August 1947]

Ideas

2010-12-16T16:24:00.000+05:00

Individuals and nations die; but their children, i.e. ideas, never die.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

On Loving One’s Enemy

2010-12-12T15:13:00.000+05:00

Love is more than elixir. The latter is supposed to turn baser metals into gold; the former turns all the baser passions into itself. Christ and Buddha were absolutely correct in their perception of the nature of love; but in their passion for ethical idealism they ignored the facts of life. It is too much to expect of man to love his enemies. Some extraordinary individuals may have realised this maxim in their life; but as a principle of national morality the maxim clearly falls down. The results of the Russo-Japanese war would have been different if the Japanese had acted on the principles of morality associated with their religion.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

the sunshine has yet to come..

2010-11-12T23:15:00.000+05:00

We are going through fire: the sunshine has yet to come. But I have no doubt that with unity, faith and discipline we will not only remain the fifth largest State in the world but will compare with any nation of the world. Are you prepared to undergo the fire? You must make up your mind now. We must sink individualism and petty jealousies and make up our minds to serve the people with honesty and faithfulness. We are passing through a period of fear, danger and menace. We must have faith, unity and discipline.

-- Mohammad Ali Jinnah

Address of Welcome presented by the Divisional Superintendent and Officers of North Western Railway- December 28, 1947

The Spiritual Ideal of the German Nation

2010-11-06T01:16:00.000+05:00

It is Goethe’s Faust – not the books supposed to have been written by the Galilean Fishermen – which reveals the spiritual ideals of the German nation. And the Germans are fully conscious of it.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Polygamy

2010-10-27T20:19:00.000+05:00

The institution of polygamy was never meant to be a universal institution. It was permitted to exist in order to meet certain difficulties which are not peculiar to Muslim society alone. The worst of permitted things, according to Islam, is “divorce”. It was partly to avoid “divorce” becoming a common social phenomenon that polygamy was tolerated. Of the two social evils divorce and polygamy (evils if universalised), the later is certainly the lesser. But the avoidance of divorce is perhaps not the only justification for this institution; it is partly a concession to the nature of the male who, according to this institution, is allowed to indulge in his inclination for variety – without escaping scot-free from the responsibility arising out of this indulgence. In

England

the individual, does in some cases, indulge in such inclinations, but the law leaves him absolutely free from the responsibilities which may arise from his sexual freedom. He is not responsible for the education of the children he produces. Nor can such children inherit their father. The consequences, in some cases, are awful.

France

has been compelled to recognise prostitution as a social institution which it is the ugly duty of the State to keep healthy. But perhaps the greatest criticism on monogamy is the existence of the superfluous women in several European countries where various forces of a social and political nature are tending to enhance the number of women who cannot secure husbands. They cannot become mothers, and consequently they are driven to seek interests, other than the bringing up of children. They are compelled to “conceive” ideas instead of children. Recently they have conceived the inspiring idea of “votes for women.” This is really an attempt on the part of the superfluous woman, or, if you like an attempt on her behalf, to create “interests” for her in the sphere of politics. If a society cannot allow their women to produce and bring up children they must give them something else to be occupied with. The Suffragette movement in Europe is at bottom a cry for husbands rather than votes. To me it is nothing more than a riot of the unemployed.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Relationship of Ideas to Their Historical Context

2010-10-19T20:15:00.000+05:00

The progress of thought cannot be divorced from other phases of human activity. Our histories of philosophy tell us what various peoples have thought, but they give us no information as to the various causes – social and political – which have determined the character of human thought. To write a complete history of philosophy would certainly be a tremendous task. A mere theologian cannot fully reveal to his readers the rich content of Luther’s Reform. We are apt to isolate great ideas from the general stream of man’s intellectual activity.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Modern Science and Democracy

2010-10-15T23:08:00.000+05:00

Ideas act and react on each other. The growing spirit of individualism in politics is not without its influence on contemporary scientific thought. Modern thought regards the universe a democracy of living atoms.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Dependence of Science on Metaphysics

2010-10-10T20:26:00.000+05:00

Modern science ought not to mock at metaphysics, for it was a metaphysician – Liebnitz – who first gave science her working idea of matter. The “substance,” said he, is essentially “force” “resistance.” Borrowing this notion from metaphysics, science devotes herself to the study of the behavior of this force. And it is clear that she could not have discovered it for herself.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Aafia - an Omen

2010-09-24T00:30:00.000+05:00

[photograph: tehrantimes.com]

I wonder if the values of a Nation State are being practiced in the world today.

Security, Freedom, Order and justice and Welfare none of them was proved to be practiced when the verdict was announced for Aafia Siddiqui by the

court.

I mourn over this brittle value system.

I feel this case is like an Omen for the Law system of US. If it is being handled in the right way, the nation would be saved but if not then collapse of a value system can be the most dangerous to the life of that nation.

I thought if any American can be convicted like this in the Pakistani Court. Would the

government let it happened? Definitely not!

What our government had been doing since 2003? Were there really sincere efforts to get Aafia released? Were we honest to give her a support as a Pakistani? My questions continue and I cannot find the answers.

I pray for the victory of humanity as this victory is necessary to be achieved soon.

Mazzini

2010-09-21T19:56:00.000+05:00

The true sphere of Mazzini was literature, not politics. The gain of Italy is not much compared to the loss which the world has suffered by his devotion to politics.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Pakistan means...

2010-08-13T23:39:00.000+05:00

PAKISTAN

means complete and absolute equality between religious groups on the basis of the UNITY of God.

Hence, in the context of

PAKISTAN

, there is only ONE community, and it is the PAKISTANI COMMUNITY. It needs no definition because it is what we are. Recognizing this will also help us understand that ethnic, religious and other diversity in such a community can be a blessing rather than otherwise. Every single individual, and every group, should be free to choose any identity which they want for themselves, and it is the job of

PAKISTAN

to keep redefining itself as changes occur.

We should not IMPOSE any definition of

PAKISTAN

. We should DISCOVER and ACCEPT and EVOLVE a new definition every day, based upon how individuals and groups are defining themselves. Poet Sehba Akhtar put it very well, "

Pakistan

is belief as well as faith, it is ideology as well as land.

In this many-hued world, it can only be identified thus: I AM

PAKISTAN

, AND YOU ARE PAKISTAN TOO."

-- Khurram Ali Shafique

Nature Revealing Secrets

2010-08-04T20:58:00.000+05:00

It is for you to decide where you fit in the giant machinery of our world. Soon, very soon, people will look upto you as the man – maybe the nation’s leader; do NOT LET THEM DOWN (You can by anything it’s all upto you). You owe it to your family, to your country, to the world to be something and to prove as good for it. You owe it to yourself! Great men are not born they make themselves great.

[Rashid Minhas in his letter to his brothers Rahat Minhas (Ratti) and Anjum Minhas (Jimmy), 29 October 1969]

The combination of individualism and universalism can be seen in the above lines which the young Pilot Officer wrote to his younger brothers at the age of eighteen.

Rashid Minhas’s first ever complete biography has highlighted the high sense of responsibility, integrity and universality which was a part of that individual who sacrificed his life while retaining his Selfless Devotion to Duty.

Starting from innocent doings in childhood to the attainment of immortality, his life story takes you through the complete journey of soul passing through different phases to reach that miraculous point which is everlasting.

This biography is a marvelous work from Khurram Ali Shafique who is an historian, screenwriter and educationist.

While ending this book he wrote [in Urdu];

[crude translation in English]

“…The motives of our collective life which cannot be identified by our wisdom are being obvious in the story of Rashid Minhas. We know the meaning of Pakistan but the objectives of Pakistan are the secrets hidden in the universe which the time will reveal. Rashid Minhas is seemed to be among the omens which the Nature is providing to understand these objectives. This omen should be considered…”

The process of this revelation is seemed to be continuing.

============

- Dedicated to the Martyrs of Pakistani Renaissance -

- Read the complete Letter of Rashid Minhas -

The Jewish Contribution to Civilisation

2010-08-01T23:55:00.000+05:00

In the development of universal civilisation the Jewish factor cannot be regarded as a negligible quantity. The Jews were probably the first framers of the principles of business morality summed up in the idea of righteousness.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Parables

2010-07-28T19:47:00.000+05:00

To explain the deepest truths of life in the form of homely parables requires extraordinary genius. Shakespeare, Maulana Rum (Jalaluddin) and Jesus Christ are probably the only illustrations of this rare type of genius.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Hegel, Goethe, Ghalib, Bedil and Wordsworth

2010-07-26T20:49:00.000+05:00

I confess I owe a great deal to Hegel, Goethe, Mirza Ghalib, Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil and Wordsworth. The first two led me into the “inside” of things; the third and fourth taught me how to remain oriental in spirit and expression after having assimilated foreign ideals of poetry, and the last saved me from atheism in my student days.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Popularity of a Poem

2010-07-19T20:48:00.000+05:00

The popularity of a poem does not depend on the amount of logical truth revealed in it. Goldsmith’s “Deserted Village” is extremely popular; yet the poem is full of scientific inaccuracies and bad economic reasoning.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Tutelage of Nations

2010-07-18T00:37:00.000+05:00

A disinterested foreign rule is an impossibility. Yet the tutelage of nations is a necessity. The fee paid for this tuition is sometimes a nation’s daily bread. The Mexicans had to undergo a severe training under the Spaniards before they could undertake to manage their own affairs.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Ghalib

2010-07-17T00:11:00.000+05:00

As far as I can see Mirza Ghalib – the Persian poet – is probably the only permanent contribution that we – Indian Muslims – have made to the general Muslim literature. Indeed he is one of those poets whose imagination and intellect place them above the narrow limitations of creed and nationality. His recognition is yet to come.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Conquest of Persia

2010-07-13T20:55:00.000+05:00

If you ask me what is the most important event in the history of Islam, I shall say without any hesitation: “The Conquest of Persia.” The battle of Nehawand gave the Arabs not only a beautiful country, but also an ancient civilization; or, more properly, a people who could make a new civilisation with the Semitic and Aryan material. Our Muslim civilisation is a product of the cross-fertilisation of the Semitic and the Aryan ideas. It is a child who inherits the softness and refinement of his Aryan mother, and the sterling character of his Semitic father. But for the conquest of

Persia

, the civilisation of Islam would have been one-sided. The conquest of

Persia

gave us what the conquest of

Greece

gave to the Romans.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

=========

[Image: Vakil Mosque Shiraz, Iran]

Aurangzeb

2010-06-21T00:30:00.000+05:00

[Aurangzeb Alamgir's coin]

The political genius of Aurangzeb was extremely comprehensive. His one aim of life was, as it were, to subsume the various communities of this country under the notion of one universal empire. But in securing this imperial unity he erroneously listened to the dictates of his indomitable courage which had no sufficient background of political experience behind it. Ignoring the factor of time in the political evolution of his contemplated empire he started an endless struggle in the hope that he would be able to unify the discordant political units of India in his own lifetime. He failed to Islamise (not in the religious sense) India just as Alexander had failed to Hellenise Asia. The Englishman, however, came fully equipped with the political experiences of the nations of antiquity and his patience and tortoise-like perseverance succeeded where the hasty genius of Aurangzeb had failed. Conquest does not necessarily mean unity. Moreover, the history of the preceding Mohammedan dynasties had taught Aurangzeb that the strength of Islam in India did not depend, as his great ancestor Akbar had thought, so much on the goodwill of the people of this land as on the strength of the ruling race. With all his keen political perception, however, he could not undo the doings of his forefathers. Sevajee was not a product of Aurangzeb’s reign; the Maharatta owed his existence to social and political forces called into being by the policy of Akbar. Aurangzeb’s political perception, though true, was too late. Yet considering the significance of this perception he must be looked upon as the founder of Musalman nationality in India. I am sure posterity will one day recognise the truth of what I say. Among the English administrators of India, it was Lord Curzon who first perceived the truth about the power of England in India. Hindu nationalism is wrongly attributed to his policy. Time will, I believe, show that it owes its existence to the policy of Lord Ripon. It is, therefore, clear that in their political purpose and perception both the Mughals and the English agree. I see no reason why the English historian should condemn Aurangzeb whose imperial ideal his countrymen have followed and whose political perception they have corroborated. Aurangzeb’s political method was certainly very rough; but the ethical worth of his method ought to be judged from the standpoint of the age in which he lived and worked.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

========

Image source: http://www.numis.in/mughal.htm

The Madness of Nietzsche

2010-06-19T11:44:00.000+05:00

There are strange inconsistencies in the nature of man. If I marry a prostitute I indicate thereby that I do not object to such nasty alliances. But if you make my conduct the subject of a story I take it ill – I condemn in theory what I permit in practice. The philosophy of Nietzsche – at least in the domain of ethics – is an attempt rationally to justify the conduct of Europe, yet this great prophet of aristocracy is universally condemned in Europe. Only a few have realised the meaning of his madness.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Aristotle

2010-06-17T20:53:00.000+05:00

I have the greatest respect for Aristotle, not only because I (living in the twentieth century) know him much better than the older generations of my community, but also because of his vast influence on the thought of my people. The tinge, however, of ingratitude revealed in his criticism of Plato’s doctrine of Ideas withholds me from giving him my fullest admiration. I do not deny the truth contained in his criticism of his master’s views; but I detest the spirit in which he chooses to approach them.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

To Reconstruct This World

2010-05-31T20:23:00.000+05:00

Given character and healthy imagination, it is possible to reconstruct this world of sin and misery into a veritable paradise.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Thought of the Powerful Man

2010-05-30T23:20:00.000+05:00

Civilization is a thought of the powerful man.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

[Mosque of Cordoba, Spain]

The Powerful Man

2010-05-27T23:02:00.000+05:00

The powerful man creates environment; the feeble have to adjust themselves to it.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Power of Belief

2010-05-26T19:24:00.000+05:00

Belief is a great power. When I see that a proposition of mine is believed by another mind, my own conviction of its truth is thereby immensely increased.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The End of Education

2010-05-24T19:45:00.000+05:00

What is the law of things? Continual struggle. What must, then, be the end of Education? Evidently preparation for the struggle. A people working for intellectual superiority reveal thereby their feebleness.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Equality

2010-05-23T19:22:00.000+05:00

The working power of an idea depends on the force of the personality in which it embodies itself. Muhammad, Buddha and Jesus Christ are the great embodiments of the ideas of Equality, yet Islam is the only force in the world which is still working in the direction of Equality.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Fanaticism

2010-05-23T00:37:00.000+05:00

All nations accuse us of fanaticism. I admit the charge – I go further and say that we are justified in our fanaticism. Translated in the language of biology fanaticism is nothing but the principle of individuation working in the case of group. In this sense all forms of life are more or less fanatical and ought to be so if they care for their collective life. And as a matter of fact all nations are fanatical. Criticise an Englishman’s religion, he is immovable; but criticise his civilisation, his country or the behaviour of his nation in any sphere of activity and you will bring out his innate fanaticism. The reason is that his nationality does not depend on religion; it has a geographical basis – his country. His fanaticism then is justly roused when you criticise his country. Our position, however, is fundamentally different. With us nationality is a pure idea; it has no material basis. Our only rallying point is a sort of mental agreement in a certain view of the world. If then when our fanaticism is roused when our religion is criticised, I think we are as much justified in our fanaticism as an Englishman is when his civilisation is denounced. The feeling in both cases is the same though associated with different objects. Fanaticism is patriotism for religion; patriotism, fanaticism for country.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

============

This entry has already been published earlier on this blog. However I have found it quite relevant to some recent events. Therefore I have posted it again so that I may have more views and comments on this reflection with diverse perspectives.

You may refer to the previous comments on this post at 'Fanaticism'

Christ and Spinoza

2010-05-21T20:06:00.000+05:00

The Jewish race has produced only two great men – Christ and Spinoza. The former was God incarnated in the Son, the latter in the universe. Spinoza was only a completion of the greatest teacher of his race.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

[Image source: Spinoza - Wikipedia]

European Christianity

2010-05-19T19:54:00.000+05:00

In the sphere of human thought Muhammad, Buddha, and Kant were probably the greatest revolutionaries. In the sphere of action Napoleon stands unrivalled. I do not include Christ among the world’s revolutionaries, since the movement initiated by him was soon absorbed by pre-Christian paganism. European Christianity seems to me to be nothing more than a feeble translation of ancient paganism in the language of Semitic theology.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Life as Criticism of Poetry

2010-05-15T23:28:00.000+05:00

Matthew Arnold defines poetry as criticism of life. That life is criticism of poetry is equally true.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Future of Afghanistan

2010-05-11T20:00:00.000+05:00

The verdict of history is that buffer states have never been able to form themselves into great political units. So was the case with

Syria

– a buffer state between the Empire of Rome and that of the Persians. It seems difficult to forecast the future of

Afghanistan

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Right and Might

2010-05-09T18:26:00.000+05:00

Philosophy is the logic of right, history the logic of might. The cannons of this later logic appear to be more sound than those of her sister logic.

-- Iqbal, Stray reflections 1910

The Modern Hindu

2010-05-06T00:38:00.000+05:00

It is extremely interesting to watch the birth and growth of a new ideal among a people. O! the enthusiasm it inspires and the force with which it attracts all the energies of a people to one common centre. The modern Hindu is quite a phenomenon. To me his behaviour is more of a psychological than a political study. It seems that the ideal of political freedom which is an absolutely new experience to him has seized his entire soul, turning the various streams of his energy from their wonted channels and bringing them to pour forth their whole force into this new channel of activity. When he has passed through this experience he will realise his loss. He will be transformed into an absolutely new people – new in the sense that he will no longer find himself dominated by the ethical ideals of his ancestors whose sublime fancies have been a source of perpetual consolation to many a distressed mind. Nations are mothers of ideals; but ideals, in course of time, become pregnant and give birth to new nations.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The German Nation

2010-05-02T21:16:00.000+05:00

Main staircase of the Ludwig Maximilian university, Munich

[Image Source: Wikipedia]

In the economy of nature each nation has a function allotted to it. The function of the German nation is the organisation of human knowledge. But they have recently started on a commercial enterprise which may give them an empire, but they will have to suffer the displacement of a higher ideal by the all-absorbing spirit of trade.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Muslim Solidarity

2010-04-30T00:51:00.000+05:00

From what I have said above on Islam and patriotism it follows that our solidarity as a community rests on our hold on the religious principle. The moment this hold is loosened we are nowhere. Probably the fate of the Jews will befall us. And what can we do in order to tighten the hold? Who is the principal depositary of religion in a community? It is the woman. The Musalman woman ought to receive sound religious education, for she is virtually the maker of the community. I do not believe in an absolute system of education. Education, like other things, is determined by the needs of a community. For our purposes religious education is quite sufficient for the Muslim girl. All subjects which have a tendency to dewomanise and to de-Muslimise her must be carefully excluded from her education. But our educationists are still groping in the dark; they have not yet been able to prescribe a course of study for our girls. They are, perhaps, too much dazzled by the glamour of western ideals to realise the difference between Islamism which constructs nationality out of a purely abstract idea, i.e. religion, and “Westernism” the very life-blood of whose concept of nationality is a concrete thing, i.e. country.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Stray Reflections

2010-04-27T23:19:00.000+05:00

Stray Reflections is the private notebook of Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) which he kept for sometime to jot down his random thoughts and reflections.

According to this notebook Iqbal started writing it on 27 April 1910. However it was first compiled and published by his son Dr. Javid Iqbal in 1961.

You will find a series of Stray Reflections' entries on this blog in the sequence as written by Iqbal in the notebook:

Stray Reflections, 1910

Art
The Discovery
Human Intellect
The Economics of Charity
The Existence of God
A Dialogue
The Satisfaction of Vanity
Cruel Psychology
The Power of Belief
The God of Islam
Hegel’s System of Philosophy
15^th May 1910
Forms of Government
Poetry and Logical Truth
Personal Immortality
History
Metaphysics
Fanaticism
Patriotism
Justice
Muslim Solidarity
The German Nation
The Modern Hindu
Right and Might
The Future of Afghanistan
Life as Criticism of Poetry
European Christianity
Christ and Spinoza
Aristotle
The Madness of Nietzsche
Aurangzeb
The Conquest of Persia
Ghalib
The Tutelage of Nations
The Popularity of a Poem
Hegel, Ghalib, Goethe, Ghalib, Bedil and Wordsworth
Parables
The Jewish Contribution to Civilization
Mazzini
The Dependence of Science on Metaphysics
Modern Science and Democracy
The Relationship of Ideas to Their Historical Context
Polygamy
The Spiritual Ideal of the German Nation
On Loving One’s Enemies
Ideas
White Man’s Burden
Goethe’s Faust
Milton
The Soul of Oscar Wilde
Robber Nations
The Memory of Man
Amusements in Muslim Countries
The Power of Minorities
Scepticism and Religion
Arab Poetry
Wonder
The Critical Period of the Muslims of India
The Interpretation of History
Equality
The Worth of Things
The End of Education
God is Power
The Powerful Man
The Touch of Power
The Thought of the Powerful Man
Waiting for the Mehdi
The Idea of Nationality
Kant’s Categorical Imperative
To Revitalize the Dying Organism
Self-Control
Idolatry
The Wonderful History of the Muslim Community
To Reconstruct This World
Suffering
Infinity
The Poet and the World-Spirit
The Vague and the Obscure
The Gramophone of History
Sin and Piety
Virtuous People
Contemplation Without Action
Success in Life
To Become a Public Leader
A Successful Man
The Lazy Mind
The Moral Value of Suffering
The Big Library
Miracles
Democracy
Democracy and Imperialism
Moral Readers
The Young Prophets and the Muslim Woman
Poets and Politicians
A Prophet
Philosophy and Poetry
Plato and Goethe
The Most Charming Thing on Earth
Conformity Without Dogma
Sunset on the Banks of the Ravi
True Political Life
The Importance of a True Marriage
God and the Devil
Think of the Devil
Thanksgiving
The Psychologist and the Poet
The Instinct to Collect Testimonials
The Anatomy of the Human Mind
Man and Infinity
The Poet as a Human Being
The Effect of Philosophy and Poetry
Shakespeare and Goethe
The Value of the Moment
Experience and Knowledge
Common-place Facts
Horace, Montaigne and Azad
Literary Criticism
Goethe and Heine
Hafiz
Love is a Playful Child
Seeking Wisdom
The Man with a Single Idea
Art Alone is Boundless
Absolute Knowledge and Moral Growth
Flattery

Justice

2010-04-25T21:59:00.000+05:00

Justice is an inestimable treasure; but we must guard it against the thief of mercy.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Patriotism

2010-04-22T00:46:00.000+05:00

Islam appeared as a protest against idolatry. And what is patriotism but a subtle form of idolatry; a deification of a material object. The patriotic songs of various nations will bear me out in my calling patriotism a deification of a material object. Islam could not tolerate idolatry in any form. It is our eternal mission to protest against idolatry in all its forms. What was to be demolished by Islam could not be made the very principle of its structure as a political community. The fact that the Prophet prospered and died in a place not his birthplace is perhaps a mystic hint to the same effect.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Fanaticism

2010-04-18T16:06:00.000+05:00

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Recent Post on Fanaticism

Metaphysics

2010-04-16T20:16:00.000+05:00

I confess I am a bit tired of metaphysics. But whenever I happen to argue with people I find that their arguments are always based on certain propositions which they assume without criticism. I am, therefore, driven to examine the value of these propositions. The practical in all its shapes drives me back to the speculative. It seems to me to be impossible to get rid of metaphysics altogether.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

History

2010-04-14T19:54:00.000+05:00

History is a sort of applied ethics. If ethics is so to be an experimental science like other sciences, it must be based on the revelations of human experience. A public declaration of this view will surely shock the susceptibilities even of those who claim to be orthodox in morality but whose public conduct is determined by the teachings of history.

--Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Personal Immortality

2010-04-11T20:27:00.000+05:00

Personal Immortality is not a state; it is a process. I think the distinction of spirit and body has done a lot of harm. Several religious systems have been based on this errorneous distinction. Man is essentially an energy, a force, or rather a combination of forces which admit of various arrangements. One definite forces arrangements of these forces is Personality – whether it is a purely chance arrangement does not concern me here. I accept it as a fact among other facts of nature, and try to find out whether this arrangement of forces – so dear to us – can continue as it is. Is it then possible that these forces should continue to work in the same direction as they are working in a living, healthy personality? I think it is. Let human personality be represented by a circle – which is only another way of saying that these forces result in describing a definite circle which may be obliterated by an upsettal of the arrangement of forces constituting it. How then can we manage to secure the continuance of this circle? Evidently by energising in a way calculated to assist the constitutive forces in their regular routine of work. You must give up all those modes of activity which have a tendency to dissolve personality, e.g. humility, contentment, slavish obedience, modes of human action which have been errorneously dignified by the name of virtue. On the other hand, high ambition, generosity, charity and a just pride in our traditions and power fortify the sense of personality.

Personality being the dearest possession of man must be looked upon as the ultimate good. It must work as a standard to test the worth of our actions. That is good which has a tendency to give us the sense of personality; that is bad which has a tendency to suppress and ultimately dissolve personality. By adopting a mode of life calculated to strengthen personality we are really fighting against death – a shock which may dissolve the arrangement of forces we call personality. Personal immortality then lies in our own hands. It requires an effort to secure the immortality of the person. The idea I have dropped here has far-reaching consequences. I wish I could have time to discuss the comparative value of Islam, Buddhism and Christianity from the standpoint of this idea; but unfortunately I am too busy to work out the details.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Poetry and Logical Truth

2010-04-09T13:41:00.000+05:00

It is idle to seek logical truth in poetry. The ideal of imagination is beauty, not truth. Do not then try to show a poet's greatness by quoting passages from his works which, in your opinion, embody scientific truth.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Forms of Government

2010-04-07T19:07:00.000+05:00

"Let fools fight for the forms of government," says Alexander Pope.
I cannot agree with this political philosophy. To my mind, governement, whatever its form, is one of the determining forces of a people's character.Loss to political power is equally ruinous to nations' character. Ever since their political fall the Musalmans of India have undergone a rapid ethical deterioration. Of all the Muslim communities of the world they are probably the meanest in point of character. I do not mean to deplore our former greatness to this country, for, I confess, I am almost a fatalist in regard to the various forces that ultimately decide the destinies of nations. As a political force we are perhaps no longer required; but we are, I believe, still indispensible to the world as the only testimony to the absolute Unity of God - Our value among nations, then, is purely evidential.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

15th May 1910

2010-04-05T18:29:00.000+05:00

15th May, 1910: Yesterday morning at about 4, I saw that glorious visitor of our hemisphere known as Halley's comet. Once in seventy-five years this superb swimmer of infinite space appears on our skies. It is only with the eyes of my grandsons that I shall see it again. The state of my mind was quite unique. I felt as if something indescribably vast had been closed up within the narrow limits of my clay: Yet the thought that I could not see this wanderer again brought home to me the painful fact of my littleness.

For the moment all ambition was killed in me.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Hegel's System of Philosophy

2010-04-04T18:20:00.000+05:00

Hegel's system of philosophy is an epic poem in prose.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

[Image source: Wikipedia]

The God of Islam

2010-04-03T19:40:00.000+05:00

Christianity describes God as love; Islam as power. How shall we decide between the two conceptions? I think the history of mankind and of the universe as whole must tell us as to which of the two conceptions is truer. I find that God reveals Himself in history more as a power than love. I do not deny the love of God; I mean that, on the basis of our historical experience, God is better described as power.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

Cruel Psychology

2010-04-01T19:40:00.000+05:00

Excuse me a bit of cruel Psychology. You fail in your enterprise, and now you wish to leave your home and try your luck in other climes. It is not because your ambition has received a fresh spur from your faliure; but chiefly because you wish to hide your face from those who have witnessed your faliure.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Satisfaction of Vanity

2010-03-31T19:21:00.000+05:00

The satisfaction of vanity has an economic value with us.

Call me sub-assistant surgeon instead of Hospital Assistant and I am quite contented even if you do not increase my salary.

-- Iqbal, Sray Reflections 1910

A Dialogue

2010-03-30T19:28:00.001+05:00

Heart - "It is absolutely certain that God does exist."

Head - "But, my dear boy! Existence is one of my categories, and you have no right to use it."

Heart - "So much the better, my Aristotle"

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Existence of God

2010-03-29T22:46:00.000+05:00

My friends often ask me, "Do you believe in the existence of God"? I think I am entitled to know the meaning of the terms used in this question before I answer it. My friends ought to explain to me what they mean by "believe," "existence" and "God", especially by the last two, if they want to answer to their question. I confess I do not understand these terms; and whenever I cross-examine them I find that they do not understand them either.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

The Economics of Charity

2010-03-25T23:10:00.000+05:00

The charitable man really helps the non-charitable, not the indigent. For what is given to the poor is virtually given away to those who do not give anything to the poor. The non-charitable, therefore, are kept in their state of non-benevolence, and the benevolent man pays for them. This is the Economics of Charity.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

--------

* indigent: needy/poor
* benevolent: kind/caring/charitable

Human Intellect

2010-03-24T00:22:00.000+05:00

Human Intellect is nature's attempt at self - criticism.

-- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

I sometimes feel that self - criticism is being cruel to me.

Due to any mishap or any unpleasant event that happens in my life, my mind or my intellect starts criticising my own self in a harsh manner. [There is a possibility that my intellect has got a fault: D]

Even if it is a very minor thing in the eyes of others, self criticism makes it worse in my own eyes and leads me to self pity.

However I also believe that the process of self criticising helps in discovering one’s own self. It invites re thinking of the ways you select in your life to live.

But how can I recognise that point from where the Self- Criticism cannot be stretched anymore?

The Discovery

2010-03-14T17:43:00.000+05:00

Our Soul discovers itself when we come into contact with a great mind. It is not until I had realised the Infinitude of Goethe's imagination that I discovered the narrow breadth of my own.

- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

What is a 'Great Mind' ?

Why the word great is associated with Mind?

Is the soul discovery dependent upon logical reasoning which mind provides?

Art

2010-03-07T16:27:00.000+05:00

Art is a sacred lie.

- Iqbal, Stray Reflections 1910

If Art is a sacred lie, what is the truth which is preventing us to accept the Art as a reality?

Can we question the sacred, even if it is a lie?

Is Art beauty?

Is Iqbal referring to any particular Art in this reflection?

I need to know what others think about this thought and if they can help me out to find answers of my questions.

Please share your views.

Passion UNLIMITED...

2010-02-15T23:41:00.000+05:00

I again read the whole advertisement for the Commission in Pakistan Air Force as Fighter Pilots and Aeronautical Engineers word by word in yesterday’s DAWN.

I do this every time whenever this ad comes in the newspaper although I know that I cannot apply in the Air Force.

I have been doing this since my childhood when I was sure that women cannot join the Air Force and it was seemed difficult to be happened in future too. But I cannot forget the day when I saw that ad and the women, for the first time, can also apply for the Aeronautical Engineers and Fighter Pilots.

It was really hard for me to believe that my childhood dream can come true now. I just cannot give words to my feelings I had at that time. I had always dreamed myself as a Fighter Pilot from the day I read “Rashid Minhas” chapter in my primary Urdu book. A young BRAVE WARRIOR.. a Fighter Pilot who died for his land’s honour and dignity.

The thing which fascinates me the most of the Fighter Jet is that it continues its onward movement with force despite of very strong resistance. Although much noise is produced by this interaction of the onward force and resistance but it continues its effort and at last reaches the height.

I was too enthusiastic to apply for the Air Force and I applied for it. I applied twice but couldn’t get selected. I passed all academic examinations but I was not medically fit for it.

On returning from the Faisal Base Hospital I was almost unable to walk and felt as if my feet were of iron.

But I surrendered. I tried my best but it was His decision.

I am not made for the Air Force.

Handmade drawings of the fighter jets are placed at the front on my desk. My Pictures folder contains a collection of fighter planes photographs and My Music folder has several Air Force songs.

It has been four years since I applied in the Air Force and I know that I would continue to do all these things because my love for the Air Force is selfless and my PASSION is UNLIMITED!

Aafia - an Omen

2010-02-05T01:16:00.000+05:00

[photograph: tehrantimes.com]

I wonder if the values of a Nation State are being practiced in the world today.

Security, Freedom, Order and justice and Welfare none of them was proved to be practiced when the verdict was announced for Aafia Siddiqui by the US court.

I thought if any American can be convicted like this in the Pakistani Court. Would the US government let it happened? Definitely not!

I pray for the victory of humanity as this victory is necessary to be achieved soon.

Do you want to be a Revolutionist?

2010-02-01T23:23:00.000+05:00

Revolution of minds is the revolution of a nation. Bringing revolution in the society is a gradual and constant process of inducing ideologies and thoughts that can revolute one’s mind. Revolution is based on an ideology and ideology is created in mind. People say that the enforcement of a certain law can bring the revolution but in my opinion it can be an assumption not reality.

If you are ready to be a revolutionist and wish to take ‘Study of Revolution’ as one of your course in this life then you first need to see inside yourself where you first meet with your conscience.

Here you have entered your class. The class where you will study ‘Revolution’. Your first lesson is ‘Ethics’ which seeks to address questions about morality. How your moral values should be determined. How a moral outcome can be achieved in specific situations. What are the demands of being justified with your ethical values and your sincerity in adopting those ethics? Do you really find them logical? These questions might be typical of your own but they are essential.

Let’s have a look on certain common moral values which can make a revolutionary mind;

Nature has taught us to ‘Share.’ The sharing starts from the very beginning when you find yourself in a family having brothers and sisters. Do you share something with someone when you know that it will be more beneficial for you if you will not share it although he or she deserves the most to have that thing?

Don’t you usually reply any person in the same bad way he spoke to you? You consider yourself tolerant but you are not truthful with the habit of being tolerant. Whenever a situation comes to you which you dislike, you act like the most intolerant person on earth. Most of the time you have your blood pressure low because most of your blood evaporates when it boils on difference of opinion among your friends and you.

Have you ever thought about the habit of being forgiving? Don’t you carry those harsh words in your heart which was said by your friend several years ago when he was angry on you? You always hold them and whenever it gets revived in your mind you make your friend realize that he did that thing to you. On the other hand you usually do not think before you speak especially when you are mad on someone.

Do you like the same thing for your brother or friend which you like to have for yourself? You always want to have a better one.

Being morally revolutionized you will be able to make a difference. How one can be a revolutionist who is not sincere with the moral values, beliefs and those moral codes on which the mankind exists.

Your character, honor and dignity, valuing words and the impact of your appearance comes from your ethically purified nature. Being ethically victorious is more venerable than being victorious by means of Power.

Contradiction?

2010-01-24T00:09:00.000+05:00

Last night I was watching a political discussion on a news channel. As usual two groups were there discussing a burning political issue along with the Anchor person.

In the starting of the programme, the two groups were discussing the matter at normal pace presenting reasons in the support of their respective points of view. Participants on both sides were belonging to the same field which was Law. Anchor was questioning the two persons and as they belonged to the same field they were more or less agreed with each other and reasoning in a very respectable way.

During all this I was watching the face of the Anchor who seemed to be quite uneasy as if there is something wrong going on which he didn’t want to be happened. While questioning, he was very loud and putting questions one after the other in front of the participants and it was felt that he didn’t want to listen to them.

After a while a point came in the discussion where the two participants seemed to have a bit disagreement with each other. At that very point Anchor person again became unnecessary loud and said “TAZAAD! TAZAAD!” (Contradiction! Contradiction!). I saw his face and he looked so contented as if he had achieved what he wanted since the beginning of his programme and then only I realized the reason of his discomfort in the starting.

After that the discussion was useless because no one was listening to the other and the programme ended. At the end of the programme that “Famous” Anchor person smiled and said, “We hope that the things would change.”

I was thinking was there really a Contradiction between the views of the participants or he (anchor) wanted to see the Contradiction in them?

If he wanted to see the contradictions, would the things change?

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Introduction to Iqbal Studies - Online Course

Introduction toIqbal Studies

Online Course

6 June – 9 July 2011

Designed and conducted byKhurram Ali ShafiqueAuthor of Iqbal: an Illustrated Biographykhurramsoffice@yahoo.comwww.therepublicofrumi.com

Under the auspices ofEducational Resource Development Centre (ERDC), A-735, Block H, North Nazimabad, Karachi021-36723454, 021-36051229info@erdconline.orgwww.erdconline.orgBrochure can be downloaded from here: Iqbal Studies Online Course

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Introduction to
Iqbal Studies

Designed and conducted by
Khurram Ali Shafique
Author of Iqbal: an Illustrated Biography
khurramsoffice@yahoo.com
www.therepublicofrumi.com

Under the auspices of
Educational Resource Development Centre (ERDC), A-735, Block H, North Nazimabad, Karachi
021-36723454, 021-36051229
info@erdconline.org
www.erdconline.org

Brochure can be downloaded from here: Iqbal Studies Online Course