Iqbal’s Inferences from the Qur’an: Objectives of Education for Developing the Individual Self :

 Muhammad Abid Ali Institute of Business Management, Pakistan dr.abid@iobm.edu.pk Suhailah Hussien International Islamic University, Malaysia suhailah@iium.edu.my- Journal of Education and Educational Development

Abstract The Islamic Republic of Pakistan won its independence seventy years ago, yet its education system continues to be secular. If one of the main aims of education is to prepare the young generation for achieving national objectives, it is but imperative for Pakistan to design an education system from the Islamic perspective. Since Muhammad Iqbal is considered to be the ideologue of Pakistan and we find quite inclusive guidelines for developing a framework for an Islamic education system in Iqbal’s writing, it is imperative to explore his literature dealing with education. Two of his analogies Asrar e Khudi and Ramuz e Bikhudi are such works where we find Iqbal providing us with exhaustive recommendations for the same. The aims and directives for achieving goals of education were extracted from these two anthologies by employing qualitative method analysis and using hermeneutics approach under the supervision of a specialist on Iqbal. The results reveal that Iqbal’s concept and methodology of the development of self or individuality conformed to the approach of modern critics of contemporary education, who claim that the prevalent system is at odds with the natural human faculty of creativity.

Introduction :At the dawn of the last century, Muhammad Iqbal was among the Muslim intellectuals who tried to bulwark the infiltration of Western secular ideas, which he realized were corrupting Muslim ideological psyche. He not only exposed the incongruity between Western philosophy of life and Islamic precepts but also presented effective solutions to the plights of corrupted Muslim thought. Ali (2016) reminds us that, “Iqbal’s dream was the renaissance of the Muslims of India in particular and Muslim Ummah in general” (p. 80). Has Iqbal given us clear directives for an education system from Islamic perspective? Our research findings affirm this assertion, which we can discover in his two Persian anthologies of Asrar-ikhudi (Secrets of the Self), and Ramooz-i-bikhudi (Mysteries of Selflessness), which were first compiled and published in 1915 and 1918 and were translated into English in 1944 and 1953 respectively. The anthology of nineteen poems in Asrar-i-khudi is concerned with developing the selfhood of the individual, and thirty poems in Rumuz-i-bikhudi deals with the development of this individual to effectively serve the Muslim community (Ummah). According to Mir (2006), “Individuals in Iqbal’s view, can develop their full potential only within society and only when they contributeto the larger objectives of the community to which they belong” (p. 17). The Iranian leader Khamane’i (1986) elaborates that, “On the whole, the problems elucidated in Rumuz-i-bikhudi are among the issues relevant to the establishment of an Islamic society and ought to be taken into consideration” (p. 144) and stresses that they are as relevant in the Islamic society today, as they were during his lifetime. Qadir (1988) expounds that Rumuz-i-bikhudi consists of ideal principles on which an ideal society can be developed. According to Tufail (1966), “While Asrar-i khudi deals with the problem of individual in relation to its internal integration and development, Rumuz-i-bikhudi deals with individual in relation to society… its basis, its aims, ideals and ways and means of attaining them” (p. 32). The rationale behind selecting Iqbal’s philosophical implication to education from Islamic perspective is multidimensional. The most important dimension is his being the ideologue and the originator of the idea for the establishment of the Islamic State of Pakistan. Iqbal is unanimously considered as its ideological father by the masses (Mir, 2006; Moten, 2002; Nadvi, 1979). It is observed that irrespective of most of the Islamic countries gaining independence since more than sixty years, they have yet to design their education system in accordance with their local context, and are very dependent upon western designed education system (Herrerra, 2004). Iqbal presents an education theory which can be converted into an educational model from Islamic perspective. Nadvi (1972), a religious scholar of repute and a contemporaryof Iqbal, proclaims that Iqbal had an extensive influence on Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, which led to the demand for a separate Islamic state for Muslims of united India. Iqbal initiated a movement and generated a motivation that led to the formation of the largest Islamic nation of that time and the only Muslim country acquired on the basis of Islamic ideology. This feat is unparalleled in history for any poet (Nadvi, 1979). To the people of Pakistan, he remains the architect of ideology of the state and a fatherly figure. Iqbal’s efforts led Muslims of the subcontinent to realize the need and demand for the creation of a separate state for Muslims, where they would be able to live as per the principles of the Quran and their own traditions (Alam, 1997). Iqbal held conviction that the Muslim Ummah will be called to lead the nations of the world and encouraged Muslims to imbibe courage, truth and justice required of the world leaders (Mir, 2006). Junid (2002) proclaims that “His message was the message of Islam” (p. 121) and his vision was the establishment of world order under the leadership of Ummah to the advantage of the world itself (Iqbal, 1953). Iqbal’s teachings enjoy global acceptance by all segments of society and he is respected by all Islamic intellectual leaders. If Jinnah is considered as the political father of Pakistan, Iqbal is regarded as its ideological father. He has been bestowed with the title of Muffakir-e-Pakistan (the thinker of Pakistan) (Nadvi, 1979). Iqbal (1983) experienced resistance from his contemporaries in the acceptance of his Islamic concepts and complained: Because the lute of my genius hath a rare melody: Even to comrades my song is strange (p. 2)However, he indicates his hope for the future in the following words: I am waiting for the votaries that rise at dawn; Oh, happy they who shall worship my fire! I have no need of the ear of Today, I am the voice of the poet of Tomorrow My own age does not understand my deep meanings, My Joseph is not for this market (p. 3-4). To my understanding, the word ‘Joseph’ depicts a prized and valuable product, which can change destiny. Iqbal was hopeful that though his own people were failing to understand the deep meanings of his call, in times to come, his call would finally develop people who would be eager for the change, which Iqbal had envisioned. He was confident upon the strength of his message and claimed: My tears washed away sleep from the eye of the narcissus, My passion wakened the grass and made it grow. The Gardener tried the power of my song, He sowed my verse and reaped a sword (p. 1). Due to the extensiveness of presenting the whole work on aims and objectives of education from Iqbal’s educational thought, the work has been divided in two articles, each covering one anthology. The analysis of the first anthology, Asrar-i-khudi has been presented in this article as Part 1, which deals with the development of individual self. The analysis of Ramoozi-bikhudi will be presented as Part 2 in one of the following journal issues, which will focus on how an individual can be developed from the perspective of effectively serving the Ummah.

Full Paper PDF :https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1161484.pdf