Allama Muhammad Iqbal and the Love of the Prophetﷺ : Marcia Hermansen, PH.D. Sufi Illuminations Journal 1996

When the organizers of the 1995 international Milad an-Nabi ﷺ celebration, Naqshbandiya Foundation suggested this topic to me I gladly accepted, not because I feel that I am an expert on Muhammad Iqbal's poetry and thought, but because I wanted to learn something new in the course of preparing this presentation and I can say that researching this small piece has given me much enjoyment as well as spiritual food for thought. It is in that spirit that I want to offer these brief remarks, to share with you some of things I learned from Allama Iqbal's idea concerning love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ and their relation to broader theme of this gathering, " the spiritual aspects of Islam." For those who may not be familiar withMuhammad Iqbal رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ , he sometime known as the intellectual father of Pakistan because his early call for Muslim homeland in the Indian Sub-continent. Allama Iqbal رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ is considered to have been one of the greatest poets in two Islamic languages, Persian and Urdu. He was born in Sialkot in 1877 and died in Lahore in 1938. He spent sometime studying in Germany where he received his Ph.D. for a thesis on the spiritual metaphysics of Persia, and in England , where he was called to the bar. He later returned to Lahore where he preferred intellectual and literary activities to the practice of law. In his poetry and other writings Allama Iqbal رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ strongly influenced by Sufi thought. He was an initiate of the Qadri Sufi lineage and was influenced by Sufi philosophers whom he studied, Shihabuddin Suhrawardi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ (d.1191) and Ibn al-Arabi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ (d. 1240) as well as the great Persian Sufi poets such as Fakhruddin Iraqi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ and Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ (d. 1273). In fact it is well known that in his later writings he moved from a more philosophical or metaphysical interest in tasawwuf, to a call for Islamic activism based on spiritual principles such as love and spiritual poverty ( faqr ). We find the sources for this activism in his understanding of the meaning of the life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . We find this same sort of understanding of the Prophet ﷺ as an example of one who transforms the world through devoted service in the teachings of great Naqshbandi Sufi, Mujaddid-i Alf Thani, Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ (d.1624) and other great Sufis of the past. Since this Milad celebration has been organized by Naqshbandiya Foundation, let me turn for a moment to the subject of Allama Iqbal's relationship to the Naqshbandis and in particular to the person of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ . Allama Iqbal رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ made several visits to shrine of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ at Sirhind Sharif and mentions him in a number of his poems. His trips to Sirhind are recorded in his letters which mention the spiritual benefits he received there. During his stay in England, he gave a public lecture on Mujaddid-i Alf Thani رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ. Unfortunately the text of this lecture has not been located among the papers. He also composed one section of his famous poem, Asrar-i Khudi ( Secrets of the Self ), under the pseudonym " Mir Najat Naqshbandi". The following poem recounts one of his visits to the shrine of Mujaddid رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ and a spiritual conversation which he had with him. " Poem from Bal-i Jibril ( Gabriel's Wing ) "                       [*"I presented myself at the tomb of Shaykh Mujaddid *That ground which is the rising place of lights under the spheres *The planets are ashamed before the dust of that place * Which shrouds the master of secrets*The one who didn't bow his head before Jahangir* The one from whose energetic spirit comes enthusiasm for true freedom*  He is watching over the honor of the Muslims in India * God sent him at the right time to raise consciousness *  I requested that he bestow on me the gift of spiritual poverty * My eyes see while I am not yet awake *This response came that the transmission of faqr has ended *The people of insight are distressed over the land of Punjab*". ]                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Some have found Allama Iqbal رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ to be critical of Sufism in his poetry and in fact this poem ends with a denunciation of the contemporary system of piri-muridi or feudal master-discipleship in the Subcontinent which allowed material exploitation and misleading of masses. For this reason Allama Iqbal sometime uses the sufi or pir as negative symbol in his poetry in the same way that the mulla is traditionally a negative symbol for a dry, hypocritical form of religious practice. However , in addition to the passive or negative form of Sufism which he criticizes, Allama Iqbal evokes the Sufis as leaders in an educational and reformist movement in Islam, for example , in his poem, " Ay Saqi (" O Cupbearer"), which also refers to Shaykh Mujaddid رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ " Ay Saqi ( " O Cupbearer" )
["*O Saqi, once more bring the same wine and cup,* So that I can once more achieve my station, O Saqi, *The taverns of Hindustan have been closed for three hundred years, *Now is the right time for your blessed influence to spread everywhere, O Saqi!"]
The verse about the lapsing of three hundred years was explained by Allama Iqbal himself to be a reference to the activities of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ , who died in 1624, and his disciples as positive role model for the contemporary Muslims. Allama Iqbal رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ was also close to the Chishti Sufi lineage and carried out a long spiritual correspondence with Khwaja Hasan Nizami رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ , the sajjadanishin of the shrine of Nizamuddin Awliya in Delhi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ .In his work written in English, " The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam", he quotes the Indian Chishti, ' Abdulquddus Gangohi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ ( d.1537), who said , "Muhammad of Arabia ﷺ reached the highest heaven and returned, I swear by God that if I had reached that point I should never have returned." Here we see Allama Iqbal's inclination to the Naqshbandi position of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ , who emphasized the Prophet's ﷺ station of baqa in returning to the world with the insights he had gained at the highest levels of realization, in order to work for the material and spiritual upliftment of his community. We see this idea echoed in Allama Iqbal's poetry: [*"Although the Holy Prophet ﷺ , saw the divine essence without a veil *Still the words" May God increase me in knowledge" issued from his lips". *] Allama Iqbal sought for a spiritual teaching in Sufism which was both profound and relevant to the problems facing the modern Muslims. He lamented the decline of Muslim energy and political power in his poems " Shakwa" and " jawab-i shakwa" as well as his famous poem, " Mosque of Cordoba". Allama Iqbal's thought has been studied by great Eastern and Western scholars including Nicholson, Arberry, and Annemarie Schimmel. In preparing my presentation I made use of the original poems and writings of Allama Iqbal but also benefited from two Urdu works, Iqbal awr muhabbat-i rasul ﷺ by Muhammad Tahir Faruqi and Hadrat Mujaddid-i Alf Sani awr Daktar Muhammad Iqbal by Muhammad Masud Ahmad.
Iqbal and Love for Prophet ﷺ : Schimmel notes that there are two currents in Allama Iqbal's thoughts on the Prophet ﷺ , the mystical veneration of the Prophet ﷺ , and the investigation into his life to show Muslims that they should live in harmony with his sunna and way of life. While Allama Iqbal remained devoted and preoccupied with the Prophet ﷺ as a guide throughout his life, in his last days he especially longed to perform the pilgrimage and have the honor of visiting the tomb of the Holy Prophetﷺ in Madina. He wrote in one of his final letters, " What other place is there for sinners like me but the threshold of the Prophet ﷺ ". Unfortunately he was unable to fulfill this dream but his final collection of poems, composed during this period is known as Armaghan-i Hijaz or The Rare Gifts of the Hijaz, one section of this work is called " In the presence of the Prophet ﷺ". The person of Holy Prophet ﷺ and devotion to him as a guide and role model for Muslims figures prominently in Allama Iqbal's poetry. Here are some well-known examples: From " Jawwab-i shakwa" ( The Answer to the Complaint" )                    [*" Reason is your shield, love is your sword * O my darvish, the khilafat is your mandate to rule *Your takbir destroys the claim of all others besides Allah *You are a Muslim and destiny is under your management *Be faithful to Muhammad ﷺ then We too belong to you,*  Not only this world--but the Tablet and Pen will belong to you"* ]  Allama Iqbal links the teachings of the Holy Prophetﷺ about original sense of spiritual poverty (faqr), to the teachings of the Sufis. In his Mathnawi, " What is to be done, O people of the East, " Allama Iqbal presents Islam in terms of faqr and darwishi and again refers to the life of the Mujaddid رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ the sense that for three centuries the umma has been wretched and helpless. This state of spiritual poverty ( faqr ) was something which he himself sought and held in high esteem as evident from his advice to his son Javid in the Darb-i Kalim: [*"The threshold of the men of God *Is more dear than the king's court. *If you have spiritual zeal, then seek out that state of spiritual poverty ( faqr ) *The faqr whose origin is in the Hijaz * Through this spiritual poverty one finds in humans *The aspect of God's divine independence. *"]                                                                                  Allama Iqbal emphasizes that following the example the Prophet ﷺ includes practicing the shari'a and following the sunna. [*"Now God has perfected for us the Divine Law *And has completed with our Prophetﷺ , prophethood* Now the service of the cupbearer was transferred to us *He gave us the last cup he possessed"*] This is also evident in following couplet: [*"The knowledge of God is nothing other than shari'a *The basis of the sunna is nothing other than love.*]  The Prophet ﷺ as the Perfect Man and the Best Example : The creative force of the life of the Prophet ﷺ as an example to the Muslims of today is alluded to in these verses :[* "The man of faith renews himself, *He looks at himself only in the Light of God,* He measures himself by the standard set by Mustafa ﷺ,* In order to create a new world."*] In the " answer" portion of his poem " Complaint and Answer," Allama Iqbal exhorts Muslims with following verses: [*"Raise high all that is low with strength of love, *Illuminate the word with Muhammad's name ﷺ,* Maulana Rum spoke so well when he said,* An ocean can be contained in one drop of him,* Don't break your connection to the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ,* And depend too much on your own skills,* Instead follow the Best Example ﷺ,* O Bud on the branch of Mustafaﷺ, * Blossom as a flower through the spring breeze of Mustafa ﷺ, " *] The light of Muhammad ﷺ is an idea related to the role of the Prophet ﷺ as the Perfect Man. Allama Iqbal refers to this light as follows: [*" One is either shining with the light of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, * or still searching for him.*] Problems of Contemporary Umma: In his time Allama Iqbal faced many of the same problems which Muslims are facing today. In some poems he commented on this in terms of love the Prophet ﷺ as a means of uniting Muslims and in helping them overcome a sense of inferiority which leads them to downplay their identity. Some Muslim groups in recent times have sought to de-emphasize the aspect of devotion to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Allama Iqbal, perceiving the error of this tendency, cautions: [*"Make yourself reach Mustafa ﷺ din is only him,* If you don't know him ,then everything will be like Abu Lahab". *]The insight that it was the negative influence of the modern age which had led some Muslim writers and their supporters to try to remove from Muslim practice the benefits of devotion to the Prophet ﷺ and the great spiritual teachers and saints of the past led Allama Iqbal to remark: [*"The age we live has alienated us from ourselves,* And estranged us from the beauty of the Holy Prophet ﷺ,"*] Prophet ﷺ and Unity of Muslims:  Allama Iqbal saw the person of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the love of him as being a major factor capable of uniting Muslims. He wrote in a personal letter, "In order to bind together the Islamic nations of India the most holy personality of the honored Prophetﷺ can constitute our greatness and most efficient power". The theme of the unifying effect of devotion to the Prophet ﷺ is evident in this poem in Rumuz-i Khudi:[*" In this world our foundation from prophecy drives, *The law of our religion from prophecy derives, *Because of prophecy hundreds of thousands of us have become one, * Each part cannot be separated from the other, * From prophecy we draw one voice, one breath, one aim".*] Conclusion: The love of the Prophet ﷺ and the need to follow him as the best example is a constant theme in Allama Iqbal's Poetry. Among the many verses which he composed along this line are the following famous verses: [*"There is a beloved hidden within your heart, * If you have the capacity to see him, come and let me show you,* His lovers are the best, the happiest, the most beautiful, the most beloved, * The heart became powerful because him,* Dust became higher than the stars because of him,* The dust of Nejd came to life because of him,* It went into ecstasy and reached the heavens,* The Muslim's heart is the home of Muhammad ﷺ,* All of our glory is due to the name of Muhammad ﷺ. "] Let me conclude with Allama Iqbal's assertion that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is the goal and ultimate point of our striving, The " Mercy to the Worlds" reference is to the Qur'anic verse (21:107) which formed the theme of the first Milad Conference held in Chicago in 1994. [*"Creation, destiny, and guidance was the beginning,* The " Mercy to the Worlds" is the final goal". *         *** Notes not included ***                 Source: Risala-yi Anwar as-Sufiyya Sufi Illuminations , A journal dedicated to Islam and Tasawwuf Special Milad an-Nabi ﷺ Edition , Proceedings of Second Annual International Milad an-Nabi ﷺ Conference, Chicago, 1995, Vol 1: August, 1996, Part 1. Edited by Arthur Buehler Ph.D. Published by Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE)

YouTube Video: NFIE Mawlid 1994 " Allama Muhammad Iqbal (r.a) and Love of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ" A Lecture by Dr. Marcia Hermansen, Director, Islamic World Studies Program, Loyola University, Chicago https://youtu.be/bFv2XeR4LVc?si=bmelD_NwBnub7Jvw