ALLAMA IQBAL AND THE
YOUNG GENERATION
Dr. Muhmmad
Rafiuddin, in his book First Principles Of Education, states:
"Every
ideology has its own system of education which is designed to foster the love of
that ideology in the growing generations of the community of its lovers and to
create in them that special type of knowledge, skills, habits and attitudes
which is relevant to that ideology and which they need in order to be able to
love and serve the ideology whole-heartedly. Every ideology has, moreover, its
own philosophers of education who, by their reasoning, justify their own
ideology as the only true and sound basis of education and every ideology has
its own practical educators who exert themselves to put into practice the
educational thought of its philosophers. It is clear, there-fore, that the
educational system of one ideological community can never serve properly the
educational needs of another community."
Allama
Iqbal, both as a philosopher of education and as an educator knew what system of
education his community, i.e. the Muslims, were in need of. British imperialists
had imposed a system of education in the Sub-Continent which served their
purpose. They needed petty officials and clerks. The educational institutions
like factories, produced that commodity in plenty. How could a Muslim student
grow into a genuine believer and a person of character through the education he
or she got in such schools, colleges and universities. Allama Iqbal aptly
deplored that sorry phenomenon thus,
|
گلا تو گھونٹ دیا اہل مدرسہ نے تیرا
کہاں سے آئے صدا لا الٰہ الااللہ |
Masters of
education have strangulated you. How can you then proclaim "No god but the God"-[1]
The
education which Muslim children were getting could not mould them into good
Muslims. For Allama Iqbal a good Muslim meant a person who- had one integrated
personality, possessea fidelity and a developed acute sense of responsibility.
As is obvious, teaching is of two kinds. One is conducted in words, expressions,
lectures, books etc. and is called "instruction". The other deals with spiritual
upbringing, character-building, etc., and is called "education". Generally
speaking one is related to letters and the other with actions. But the tragedy
is that in the contemporary era almost all over the world, "instruction" stands
for "education". Hence the aim of character-building is being universally
neglected. This is why individuals without humaneness come out of "instruction
centres" miscalled "educational centres". Allama Iqbal saw this and bemoaned
over it.
Dr. M.
Rafiuddin in his book, mentioned above quotes Professor Clarke who maintains:
"For
whatever else education may mean it must mean primarily the self-perpetuation of
an accepted culture — a culture which is the life of a determined society."
If a
growing generation is not brought up to inherit the culture of the nation or
society to which it belonged, then the link with the past breaks up, hence that
particular culture cannot continue to develop and flow on. Allama Iqbal in 'Jawab-i-Shikwa',
written in 1913, had stressed the same point:
|
باہ کا علم نہ بیٹے کو اگر ازبر ہو
پھر پسر قابل میراچ پدر کیونکر ہو |
"if a son
is not Well-versed in the knowledge his father possessed then the son cannot be
deemed entitled to inherit what his father bequeathed."[2]
In a short
poem entitled
تعلیم اور اس کے نتائج
(Education
and its Results) Allama Iqbal referring to the young generation states:
|
خوش ت وہیں ہم بھی جوانوں کی ترقی سے مگر
اب خنداں سے نکل جاتی ہے فریاد بھی ساتھ |
|
ہم سمجھتے تھے کہ لائے گی فراغت تعلیم
کیا خبر تھی کہ چلا آئے گا الحاد بھی ساتھ |
"We too are
pleased over the progress our youngmen are making but our laughing lips do utter
a lament also. We conceived that education would bring in prosperity but we did
not visualize that atheism would also be coming alongwith it."[3]
Dr. Robert
Briffault in his renowned book The Making of Humanity lays down as under:
"If an
English baby were put to nurse with a Central African tribe in exchange fora
nigger baby, and the latter very carefully brought up in England, the nigger
baby, when he grew up, would be a civilized man substantially in possession of
the fruits of European evolution, and the English baby would be a savage."
Like
geographical surroundings, mind also has its own surroundings and the latter
also have their impact on the person carrying that mind.
For
example, Arabs became masters of Spain and settled down there. The geographical
and climatic conditions of Spain are quite different from those of desert
regions which is real Arabia. Yet the Arabic odes composed in Spain by Arab
poets who had not seen Arabia even once in their life contained almost -the same
patterns, themes and especially the beginnings which invariably portrayed the
camels, the caravans, far-flung places of encampment, pools surrounded by sand
dunes, pastures, pieces of strings, stones blackened by the fire while they
served as hearth, etc. Even the Christian's of Spain who wrote poetry in Arabic
took to the same path. Through Persian and directly too, Arabic poetry has
influenced Urdu to a considerable extent… Just take one example of Mirza Ghalib.
(مرزا غالب)
He
was born in Agra and died in Delhi. He had never seen vast waterless tracts
interspersed with huge sand-dunes. He had never lived in wool-tents nor had he
loved any woman who belonged to tent-dwelling tribes, encamping in a desert. Yet
he says,
|
کہاں تک رووں اس خیمے کے پیچھے قیامت ہے
مری قسمت میں یا رب کیا نہ تھی دیوار پتھر کی |
"How long
should I weep and bewail behind the tent of my beloved? O God! could there be no
stone-wall for me" (so that I could dash my head against it and get rid of the
pangs of separation).
Allama
Iqbal saw and vividly so, that in his nation there were growing youngmen who
biologically belonged to the Pak-India Sub-Continent but mentally and culturally
they lived in Europe, in particular, England. They were Anglophile. If they
heard or read the word "river," they did not visualise the Indus or the Ganges.
They visualised the Thames. The link of such persons with their own culture had
thinned down extremely.
Allama
Iqbal was admittedly a great supporter of the onward march of human societies to
progress, scientific as well as intellectual. He was himself a 'modernist'
who could not reconcile himself to numerous fossilized notions, whether they
related to religion or society at large. Nevertheless he could not see eye to
eye with the secular and materialistic temper of the modern age. He had made his
modernism manifest but with a rider;
|
کھلے ہیں سب کے لیے غریبوں کے میخانے
علوم تازہ کی سرمستیاں گناہ نہیں! |
|
اسی سرور میں پوشیدہ موت بھی ہے تری
ترے بدن میں اگر سوز لالٰہ نہیں |
"Western
taverns are open for every body. The rapture of modern knowledge is no sin.
Your death
also lies hidden in this rapture if your frame has no fire of faith in one God
in it.[4]
Being a
serious student of Western philosophy Allama Iqbal could very easily understand
that the dominant theme of Western civilization was secularism — which had its
genesis in Greek Philosophy. The impact of Greek Philosophy on Western societies
has been so deep that even the Christianization of the whole Europe could not
destroy its secular character. Christianity did produce philosophers like St.
Augustine and Thomas Acquinas who utilized philosophy to serve the cause of
religion but in the eyes of their successors they were mere theologians.
No doubt
the philosophy of a nation governs almost all the departments of its life
including religion. Education is no exception. Rather it is the educational
system of a nation which generally interprets the mind and goal of the nation
concerned.
"A Dialogue
in Paradise" (فردوس
میں مکالمہ)
is a poem which deals with the modern education and its consequent impact on the
minds of Muslim youth. In this poem we find the Sheikh of Shiraz i.e. Sa'di,
talking to Maulana Hali. Allama Iqbal chose Sa'di and Hall because each one of
them was a reformer of his age, especially in respect of education. We find the
former asking the latter:
|
کچھ کیفیت مسلم ہندی تو بیاں کر
داماندہ منزل ہے کہ مصروف تگ و تاز |
|
مذہب کی حرارت بھی ہے کچھ اس کی رگوں میں
تھی جس کی فلک سوز کبھی گرمئی آواز |
"Please
tell me something about the condition of Indian Muslim.
Is he still
struggling hard to reach the destination, or has he been left behind like an
exhausted way-farer?"
"Is there
any measure of religions fervor still left in his veins?
There was a
time when he could melt the firmament with the warmth of his cry."[5]
Hali
replied as follows, in a strain of despondency:
|
جب پیر فلک نے ورق ایام کا الٹا
اائی یہ صدا، پاو گے تعلیم سے اعزاز! |
|
آیا
مگر اس سے عقیدوں میں تزلزل
دنیا تو ملی، طائر دیں کر گیا پرواز |
|
دیں ہو تو مقاصد بھی پیدا ہو بلندی
فطرت ہے جوانوں کی زمیں گیرہ زمیں تاز |
"When the
ancient firmament (like an old priest with a book) turned over the leaves of
days, it was heard, "education would grant you honour".
"Of course
it has conferred material benefits on the people, it has at the same, dealt a
fatal blow to spiritual values."
"With
religion hopes soar high, but (now bereft of religion) our young men have become
earth-rooted and low-spirited."[6]
Hall's
statement does not come to an end here. It goes on gaining in pathos. At the end
it is really touching. Hali observes:
|
پانی نہ ملا زمزم ملت سے جو اس کو
پیدا ہیں نئی پود میں الحاد کے انداز |
|
یہ ذکر حضور شہؐ
یثرب میں نہ کرنا
سمجھیں نہ کہیں ہند کے مسلم مجھے غماز |
"As the
young generation could not be nourished on the perennial, Life-giving founts of
Islamic learning, atheistic trends are visible in them."
"I beseech
you not to bring it to the notice of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him)
lest the Indian Muslims take me for a tale-bearer."[7]
The last
couplet in Persian is Sa'di's to whom the answer is addressed.
|
خرمانتواں یافت ازاں خار کہ کشتیم
دیبانتواں بافت ازاں پشم کہ ریشتم |
"We cannot
get palms out of the thorns we have sown. We cannot weave fine silk out of the
coarse woollen threads we have spun.
From the
perusal of this poem it becomes obvious that Allama Iqbal's foremost concern was
to see the youth of Muslim community advancing on the pathway to progress
remaining at the same time strong believers in Islam. He wished they retained
their link with the positive and glorious aspects of their culture. If they
lacked belief in Allah then their advancement could do no good to world Muslim
Community i.e. the Muslim Ummah.
Allama
Iqbal has addressed the youth of the Ummah several times, directly as
well as indirectly. We see that laved Nama begins with a prayer to Allah.
And that prayer ends thus:
|
من کہ نومیدم زپیران کہن
دارام از روزے کہ می آید، سخن! |
|
برجواناں سہل کن حرف مرا
بہرشاں پایاب کن ژوف مرا |
"I am
utterly despaired of the old generation hence I address myself to the day which
is yet to dawn. (By that day he means new generations who had yet to appear on
the surface of earth.)
"(My Prayer
is) that Almighty Allah make my words for younger generation easy to understand.
Make my deep sea fordable for them (i.e. meanings of my verses become clearto
them without much effort).[8]
And the
last poem in laved Nama is addressed to Javed Iqbal and through him to
the New Generations. This is a long poem containing about one hundred and thirty
verses. First of all belief in Allah is stressed. None else is worthy of
worship. One who believes in the One and shuns all other gods and-Idols can
become capable of conquering the Elements and hence can rise to celestial
heights. Translation of some verses from this poem being given below. The who
has the whole laved Noma translator is Sufi A. Q. Niaz into English.
"Dost thou
say 'Laa Ilaah? Then say it with all thy soul, That from thy body should flow
the fragrance of the soul."
"The two
brief words are not merely an expression; For Laa Ilaah is nothing but a
powerful sword."
"To be a
true Believer, but to put on the girdle of service before others:
To be
called a Believer, but to behave as a traitor to be destitute, beggarly or
quilty of hypocrisy—"
"To betray
the interests of the Precious Faith for a paltry copper coin,
Is to burn
to an ash all the wealth in one's home, and to burn one's own self along with
everything else!" -
"And when
the soul had flown out of his Prayer and Fasting,
The
individual became rough, and disagreeable; and the leadership and discipline of
the nation fell into disorder."
"That those
who have the Qur'an for guide should have no urge for asking, no taste for a
yearning, for the fulfillment of a Desire.
It is
strange and very unfortunate — it is very strange indeed."
"If Allah
be pleased to make thee a Man of Vision Give careful thought to the times that
are coming."
"Reason
grown impertinent; no warmth, no fire in the hearts
No sense of
modesty in the eyes; drowned in a sense of worldliness — superficial, profane."
"Knowledge
and the Arts, Religion and Politics Reason and the human heart
All in
pairs intent on devoting themselves entirely to acquirement of only the material
means."
"To the
spirit of my own times I have addressed a few 'words
And in this
I have reduced the vastness of the seas to the capacity of a couple of jugs."
"The
younger generations are intensely thirsty but their cups are empty;
Civilized
in gait dark of soul, but they have illumined
brains."
"They are
shortsighted, convictionless, in dark despair,
In the
whole world their eyes fail to see anything worth while."
"Unless
knowledge received a fire and a burning from life. The heart can derive no joy
from experience."
"Well thou
mayest study a hundred books with the experts;
But the
best lesson for thee is the one thine own eyes would teach."
"In the
eyes of the Mullah the denier of God is a Kafir; But in my eyes the real Kafir
is one who denies himself."
"Take firm
hold of a perfect sincerity in thy ways;
And wash
thyself clean of the fear of Rulers and Rich."
"Both in
moments of anger, and of pleasure, Take care never to fall short of justice."
"For a
proper protection of Soul is needed Zikr and Fikr without measure
For a
protection of the Body the needed thing is self control and discipline in
youth."
"Authority
and the right to rule over others, both in the higher and the lower worlds,
Never comes
to hand except after a proper protection of the Body and Soul has been fully
achieved."
"The
sustenance of the raven and the vulture lies in the carcasses consigned to the
dust;
But the
sustenance of food of the eagle lies in the Sun and the Moon."
"The secret
of Religion is truthfulness in speech; and that thou partake of nothing except
what is lawful, duly earned,
And both in
private and in public to concentrate one's gaze on the Eternal Excellence."
"The worth
of a flower lies in its colour and fragrance; And where a man is alien to
discipline and reverence he has neither colour nor fragrance."
"When I see
a youngman with no sense of reverence and discipline,
It pains me
to such an extent that the light of day for me turns into the darkness of
night."
"The
essence of humanity is respect for man,
And thou
shall do well to make careful note of this important point."
"For
blessings and boons look only to the Almighty God: never look
Nor these
things to any earthly potentate."
"Abundance
of wealth deprives the heart of its melting quality;
It takes
humility away, and places there an overbearing pride instead."
"If thou
fail to find the companionship of some man of real knowledge,
Then take
thou from me what I have received from my ancestors."
"As long as
the heart continues to burn in the fire of greed and worldly griefs,
The soul
never feels the urge to dance."
"And
remember, 0 ye of the younger Generation,
that to be
overcome by grief is prematurely to grow old."
"Dost thou
realize that at the present day it is greed which masquerades as Faqr:
And as for
me I bend my knee to him who has the fullest control over his baser self!'
"O thou the
only comfort of my impatient soul —
Only if
thou too, could manage to take a share of this Dance of the Soul!"
"To thee I
have revealed the whole Seeret of the Religion of Mustafa;
And even
when I am in my grave I shall be sending up this prayer for thee."
What we get
from this poem is that a human being can rise to the heights of real manhood
only if he believes in Allah the One Lord Almighty Who created the whole
universe and breathed into man's frame the essence of His attributes. Without
sincere belief in Allah man falls to the level of animality. Man must unfold his
hidden potentialities by hard work and by putting trust in Allah. He who depends
on others and is bereft of self-confidence is worse than one who rejects faith
in Allah. To soar high is possible only if the aims and ideals to be achieved
are spiritual. If ideals are based on mundane lust only then the person
concerned is a greedy animal who grows in callousness along with his
materialistic achievements. West stood for material gains only hence a Muslim
had to be careful in following it. A Muslim could get true guidance only from
the Qur'an and the teachings of the Holy Prophet. A genuine Man could not be but
truthful, sincere, reliable and steadfast in respect of all which is positive..
Such a Man can never play a traitor to his society and nation. He wants to lead
a soulful life. His pleasure lies in the dance of his soul, not in the dance of
his body. Such a dance of the soul can be performed by those persons only who
bestow discipline on their instinctive lusts, ambitions and desires in
accordance with the Shari 'at. Such a conqueror is a real Darvish
and Faqir. Darvish or a Faqir is not one who forsakes the world
and leads a secluded life at a monastry or in the hujra (side room) of a
mosque. A Faqir, according to Allama Iqbal is a person who works hard,
earns with the sweat of his brow, makes sacrifices for others, never stoops to
begging, rejects all what is unlawful and prohibited and can never be a slave to
his wealth, can never be possessed by his possessions. In him mental and
spiritual go together, spiritual having the upper hand. Such a person will be an
earnestly free person who would never bow, on account of greed, before any ruler
or potentate nor would he be afraid of materially big persons.
Allama
Iqbal wanted the younger generation to consist of free persons according to
his description of them. We know laved Nama was published in 1930.
Bal-i-Jibril came out in 1935. In Bal-i-Jibril too, there is a poem
entitled "Javed Ke Nam" consisting of five verses only, but containing the same
strain. Here also Javed Iqbal is advised to create his own world for him and
should never look up to others for help. The fifth and last verse of the said
poem is
|
مرا طریق امیری نہیں فقیری ہے
خودی نہ بیچ، غریبی میں نام پیدا کر |
"My way of
life is that of a Darvish and not that of an aristocrat,
Do not give
away your self (in exchange for riches) Try to become celebrity while living in
poverty."[9]
Allama
Iqbal in yet another poem "To Javed" has again stressed the same points. The
poem begins with verses as under:
|
غارت گر دیں ہے یہ زمانہ
ہے اس کی نہاد کا فرانہ |
|
درطار شہنشہی سے خوشتر
مردان خدا کا آستانہ! |
"Contemporary era is out to do away with religion because it is based on atheism
and denial of God."
"The
threshold of Godly persons is much better than the courts of emperors."[10]
Here Javed
hag been instructed to stick to his belief in one God and strengthen his self
(ego). It has been made clear that the potentialities of human beings are
boundless but hard work is the precondition for these possibilities to unfold.
|
وہ بحر ہے آدمی
کہ جس کا
ہر قطرہ ہے بحر بیکرانہ |
|
دہقان اگر نہ ہو تن آساں
ہر دانہ ہے صد ہزار دانہ |
"Man is
such an ocean that every drop of it is a limitless sea in itself."
"If the
farmer be not given to ease and comfort then one seed of grain is to grow into
one hundred thousand seeds."[11]
And then,
proceeding further Allama Iqbal brings home to Javed, a point of great import
|
اللہ کی دین ہے جسے دے
میراث نہیں بلندی نامی |
|
اپنے نور نظر سے کیا خوب
فرماتے ہیں حضرت نظامی |
|
جائے کہ بزرگ بایدت بود
فرزندی من نداردت سود!" |
"It is the
Grace of God and He bestows it on whom He desires. Fame is not something given
in heritage."
"What a
fine thing it was that Nizami (renowned poet of Persian language) made manifest
to his beloved son."
"Where you
wish greatness be yours, there the fact of being my son is not going to pay you
any dividends." (You will not become famous only because you are my
son)[12]
And
then
Allama Iqbal again comes to Faqr (to lead a Darvish‑like life) and
explains its meanings for Javed;
|
ہمت ہو اگر تو ڈھونڈ وہ فقر
جس فقر کی اصل ہے حجازی |
|
اس فقر سے آدمی
میں پیدا
اللہ کی شان بے نیازی |
|
یہ فقر غیور جس نے پایا
بے تیغ وسناں ہے مرد غازی |
|
مومن کی اسی میں ہے امیری
اللہ سے مانگ یہ فقیری! |
"If you
can forbear then search for the Faqr which originated in Hijaz."
"That
Faqr creates in man the Godly virtue of being free
from all
wants."
"Whosoever
is in possession of this self-honouring Faqr is a Ghazi without a sword
and a spear."
"In it lies
the real wealth of the faithful. Beseech the Lord to grant you this Faqr."[13]
Hope had
not to come from outside, it had to surge out from within. A state of constant
challenge adds to the power of determination and strengthens resolution. Allama
Iqbal generalised the. meanings of tension and eulogised all kinds of
challenges focussed on self-conscious and resolute persons. He
relates the story of a youth from Merv ( ) who had come to Sayyed Ali
Hujwairi (Data Ganjbakhsh) and complained of high-handedness of his enemies. In
Sheikh Hujwairi's reply lies the point Allama Iqbal wished to make;
|
راست می گویم عدوہم یار تست
ہستی او رونق بازار تست |
|
ہر کہ دانائے مقامات خودی است
فضل حق دانداگر دشمن قوی است |
|
سنگ رہ گرد و فساں تیغ عزم
قطع منزل امتحان تیغ عزم |
|
چیست مردن از خودی غافل شدن
توچہ پنداری فراق جان و تن |
"I tell you
the truth, your enemy too is your friend. His existence adds to your glory."
"Whosoever
knows the stations of the self considers a powerful enemy to be a blessing from
Allah."
"The sword
of resolution is whetted by the stones that block the path.
Traversing
stage after stage is the test of the sword of resolution."
"What is
death? — it is to be oblivious to the self. Do you imagine it is parting of soul
and body?"[14]
Through
this story the message is broadcast to all youngmen who are alive in the real
sense of the word. This significance of tension created by various challenges of
life is explained by Allama Iqbal while writing to Professor R. A. Nicholson on
the meaning of the self and his philosophy aimed at it:
"In man the
centre of life becomes an Ego or Person. Personality is a state of tension and
can continue only if that state is maintained. If the state of tension is not
maintained relaxation will ensure. Since personality or the state of tension, is
the most valuable achievement of man, he should see that he does not revert to a
state of relaxation. That which tends to maintain the state of tension tends to
make us immortal. Thus the idea of personality gives us a standard of value: it
settles the problem of good and evil. That which fortifies personality is good,
that which weakens is bad."
This being
his creed about good and evil, made him naturally feel disgusted, rather
distressed if he found a youth given to comfort and easy living which inevitably
had to result in weakening the ego and then personality.
|
ترے صوفے ہیں افرنگی، ترے قالیں ہیں ایرانی
لہو مجھ کو رلاتی ہے جوانوں کی تن آسانی! |
"Your sofas
come from Europe and your rugs are Persian.
I shed
tears of blood when I find youngmen ease-loving."[15]
Allama
Iqbal wanted youngmen to be efficient, up and doing, tough and resolute. He was
despaired of the old generation as has been mentioned in the beginning of this
article. He impinged his hopes on the young generation who could be made to
unlearn as well as learn afresh. And this is why he prayed to God Almighty with
utmost sincerity and tenderness of feeling in a couplet.
|
جوانوں کو مری آہ
سحر دے
پھر ان شاہین بچوں کو بال و پر دے خدایا آرزو مری یہی ہے مرا نور بصیرت عام کر دے! |
"Grant the
youth my plaints of early morn. Furnish again these eaglets with strong wings.
My only prayer to you, my Lord, is that the Light of my vision be diffused
amongst all."[16]
In his
celebrated poem, "Saqi Nama" (ساقی
نامہ)
he repeated the same theme
|
جوانوں کو سوز جگر بخش دے
مرا عشق، مری نظر بخش دے! |
(O God)
Bestow on the youth my warmth of feeling. My unbounded love, and my vision.[17]
And no
doubt it were 'the Youngman of his nation of Islam who Droved harbingers as well
as the most untiring and determined fighters for the achievement of Pakistan,
their cherished homeland. Allama Iqbal who around 1910 had addressed the Muslim
youth
|
کبھی اے نوجواں مسلم! تدبر بھی کیا تو نے
وہ کیا گردوں تھا تو جس کا ہے اک ٹوٹا ہوا تارا! |
Muslim
youngman have you ever pondered over the fact that you are a fallen star of a
magnificent firmament."[18]
Was in
October 1937 issuing a message to a gathering of the Muslim Students Federation
held at Calcutta in which these words stand out 'I hope the young generation is
fully aware of the delicate political situation through which the Indian Muslims
are passing. Be not afraid of the opposing forces. Continue your struggle. In
struggle lies hidden the secret of life."
The young
generation under the august and wise guidance of the Quaid-e-Azam did their job
well. The youth belonging to the present generation are also aware of the
circumstances in which they have now been placed. They are determined. They know
their job. They will do well. Insha Allah.
NOTES AND REFERENCES
No comments:
Post a Comment