Allama Iqbal - (Qistina)

I had reviewed a book on a Muslim scholar named Iqbal, titled Iqbal: The Poet Philosopher of Fifteen Century Hijrah by the author, Muhammad Hamid. Allama Iqbal was born in the last quarter of 19th century when western culture and intellectual traditions were having a control over the minds of the people all around him. This period was 20 years after the tragic year, in 1857, whereby the last emperor of the Indian Muslim had been sent to exile and that year was also a great depression for Muslims all over the subcontinent. The effects from the depression, such as Quran was not used as a main source, civil and criminal codes were enforced by the British, and many more were still taking place when the time of Iqbal. Realizing the sad situation, Iqbal later on raised out a slogan “Back to Quran”. Of course, there were so many objections by the West, and also by the people who had already got used with the West styles before Iqbal came. Few of Iqbal’s teachings or main points of arguments were; opposed mysticism, broke all the idols of inferiority complex, Quran as a reference all times, and many more.
After been reading the book, I had personally come out with my own analyses. In my opinion, Allama Iqbal was extremely conscious about the intellectual crisis of Muslim youth whom had been dominated by the Western ways of thinking. If these youths do not realize this problem and adopt any new path because of the lack of understanding of Islam, it would be a disaster not only for them, but also for the whole Muslim Ummah. The problems that had occurred in Iqbal’s time are almost the same with current situation, whereby Muslims do not take Islam is the way of life. As a poet, Iqbal tried to create a taste for knowledge and various academic movements. To me, it was very unfortunately that Iqbal’s efforts remain hidden or have not been highlighted properly most probably due to his field of interest.