“We have appointed a law and a practice for every one of you. Had God willed, He would have made you a single community, but He wanted to test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to God and He will…
“In the eyes of history, religious toleration is the highest evidence of culture in a people. It was not until the Western nations broke away from their religious law that they became more tolerant, and it was only when the Muslims fell away from their religious law that they declined in tolerance and other evidences…
Killing of innocent human not permitted (Qur’an;5:32,17:33), “As for such (of the unbelievers) as do not fight against you on account of your faith, and neither drive you forth from your homelands, Allah does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity. Indeed, Allah loves those who act…
IntroductionPresently society is in a state of ideological confusion and flux. Materialism, terrorism, ignorance and intolerance have threatened peace, tarnishing the image of religion. These circumstances demand special response from the people who are concerned about well being of society. The objective of this wakeup call is to draw attention towards pressing issues which need…
IntroductionThis is the last article of the series, summarizing exploration of “Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam”, a compilation of lectures by Dr. Muhammad Iqbal. This work gives some insight to the philosophic thought of Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, the great poet, philosopher and thinker. He proposed an innovative solution to the challenges faced by Muslims of present…
IntroductionThe last and the seventh lecture, “Is Religion Possible?” present the conclusions of the series of lectures compiled as “Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam”. Iqbal has categorized religious life into three periods, firstly the ‘Faith’, secondly ‘Thought’ and thirdly, the ‘Discovery’. The first period involves acceptance without rationalism. The second period, he says, is when…
IntroductionThis is the most important lecture by Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, sixth in the book “Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam”. In fact the idea behind the whole work put across in the famous work revolves around it. It is in this lecture that Iqbal urges the need for modernization in Islamic thought. “The principle of movement…
IntroductionIn “The Spirit of Muslim Culture”, the fifth lecture being explored, Iqbal differentiates the psychological difference between the prophetic and mystic type on consciousness. In order to imagine the value of the Prophets’ religious experience is to examine the cultural world that has been created by them. Iqbal also highlights the Muslim culture and the…
IntroductionDr. Muhammad Iqbal, the great poet, philosopher and thinker has proposed an innovative solution to the challenges faced by the Muslims of present era through sophisticated philosophical medium using his prose writing, ‘The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’ that is representative of his basic philosophic insights. The book is a compilation of lectures delivered…
IntroductionDr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal is the best articulated Muslim response to Modernity that the Islamic world has produced in the 20th century. His response for a creative engagement with the conceptual paradigm of modernism at a sophisticated philosophical level through his prose writings, mainly his The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam which presents his…
