Critique: Knowledge and Religious Experience (Part 1)

Excerpt:

Ghazali’s chief opponent, Ibn Rushd, who defended Greek philosophy against the 
rebels, was led, through Aristotle, to what is known as the doctrine of Immortality of Active 
Intellect, a doctrine which once wielded enormous influence on the intellectual life of 
France and Italy, but which, to my mind, is entirely opposed to the view that the Qur’«n 
takes of the value and destiny of the human ego. Thus Ibn Rushd lost sight of a great and 
fruitful idea in Islam and unwittingly helped the growth of that enervating philosophy of life 
which obscures man’s vision of himself, his God, and his world.  [Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, Allama Iqbal]

Ibn Rushd is seen as having failed and blighted the light of religion by concurring and advancing the thought that originally is said to have emerged out of Greek minds.  This certificate of rejection by Allama Iqbal for Ibn Rushd, one of the greatest legal and intellectual minds of Arab-Muslim Andalusia, painfully reveals how Allama Iqbal has unwittingly demonstrated the lack of understanding of history and historical evolution of the mind.  That is unless Iqbal practiced intellectual dishonesty by choice.

Recall how the painting that describes the rise of western civilization, 'School of Athens', by Raphael, showcases Ibn-Rushd (Averros), engrossed in thought with the likes of Aristotle and his Greek predecessors.  While Allama Iqbal recognizes that Ibn-e-Rushd's carrying the torch of Greek thought enlightened the realms of Europe, but Iqbal goes to term this as a travesty as Rushd's rationalist approach, in Iqbal's view negating Quranic visions of the world as seen by Iqbal.

Allama Iqbal not only demeans the contributions recognized by the world of Ibn-e-Rushd, but states that the light people like Ibn-e-Rushd left for Medieval Europe was not worth emulating.

While throughout his lectures Allama Iqbal desperately wishes to give credence to religion by showing it as something comprehensive - an amalgamation of intuitive feeling, thought and action - reading passages such as the above reveal Allama Iqbal was perhaps more interested in promoting the idea that: real Islam has never been practiced in its entirety.

By promoting this idea, the present day jahalat of Muslims that surrounded Iqbal could be explained with simplistic solutions.  By ensuring through passages such as there, where even the best of Muslim scientists is seen as a delusional fool, Allama Iqbal could comfortably declare that the world has never given 'true Islam' a chance to show itself.

Whereas the fact is, the first 500-600 years of Islamic civilization negate Allama Iqbal.  Muslims were showcasing themselves as the sole global superpowers.  Iqbal and Iqbaliat cannot stomach these initial 6 centuries as within them science had begun to take root and uprooted the dogmas of faith, ways of life, deen, and akharat.  Only by denying, negating and demeaning the efforts of the scientists of the golden period of Muslim rule can Iqbaliat inspired ideologies promote a conceptually perfect vision of the world that can be self-conveniently compared with the flawed realities of witnessed in various global socio-political and economic systems.  By comparing perfect conceptions with flawed realities, Iqbaliat ideologies can continue to receive oxygen.  However, unfortunately before you can promote such a joke, you have to tarnish and truncate Islamic history as well.

Note on the project Critique of Iqbaliat and Other Myths

Allama Iqbal's first lecture, "Knowledge and Religious Experience", from the compiled 6 lectures "Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam", reveals several sides of the man.  The next series of blogs would primarily be an attempt to critique what is known as the man's philosophy based on these lectures.  All authors who make these critiques should also be presented with counter-arguments so that a debate can occur.  Allama Iqbal, more than anyone else needs to be scrutinized instead of turned into a holy cow - although the rest of the world refuses to give his philosophy any credit.  However, the objective should be to press the debate, the ideas and quest for knowledge forward rather than accept the pungent stagnancy that now defines Iqbaliat.

Iqbal inspires Mussolini's Fascism

When Iqbal went to England to attend the second round table conference in September 1931, Italian Government sent its emissaries to request Iqbal to visit Italy. While in Italy during November 1931, Iqbal received a message through Dr. Scorpa, the Italian Councilor in Mumbai that Mussolini wanted to meet him. Dr. Iqbal accepted his invitation and met the Italian Dictator on November 27 in his famous hall.

During the course of the meeting Mussolini asked Iqbal, “What you except we Italians to do?” Dr. Iqbal replied, “Europe has left with no moral values. Stop blindly following Europe and learn lessons from the East.”

When Mussolini requested Dr. Iqbal to give some exceptional suggestion for him, Iqbal advised, “Don’t allow overcrowding of the cities. Limit the size of the population of a city and after that limit instead of allowing them to settle there, create new settlements and cities for them.”

Bemused, Mussolini requested Iqbal to elaborate further. Iqbal said, “As population of a city increases, its moral values and economic power start waning. Worst, immoral activities start challenging the cultural strength.”

Mussolini looked towards the Indian Great in disbelief for a moment but in the next moment stood from his chair and shouted with excitement, “What an excellent idea!”