There is a tendency of understanding Iqbal and his writings from a narrow perspective. He is usually lamented as the person who gave the concept of Pakistan. But we fail to acknowledge his contributions as a great poet-philosopher who has something to offer to both Philosophy of Science as well as Philosophy of Religion. Many scholars like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan have enquired on the question of faith and reason in Islam. But among them, Allama Iqbal’s contribution is unique in the sense that he has set the new benchmarks for understanding the relationship between faith and reason. He is responding to the question of faith and reason in Islam not from the dominant understanding of the two, but altogether from a different perspective. The dominant understanding is that Religion/faith is usually understood as a leap in to the things that can’t be seen, whereas science/reason is a leap into the things that can be seen. Contrary to that, Iqbal is of the opinion that both faith and reason needs to be seen together and not separate from each other. Although, the approaches of both may be different but the purpose of both faith and reason is to cater the important questions of Universe such as “What is the nature and general framework of the Universe in which we all live? Is there any fixed element in the formation of the universe? How are we related to it? These kinds of question are common to both religion as well as philosophy of science. If the questions of Universe are common to both religion and science, then the question that becomes important is that what is the difference between religion as well as philosophy of science? According to Whitehead, “religion is a system of general truths that have the capacity of transforming character when sincerely held and properly comprehended”. As to guide the life of a man is the foremost task of religion, it is then necessary that the general truths that the religion carries with it must be settled. Our actions should not be flowed from the doubtful principles of conduct. The things that remain unsettled are doubtful, and the things that are doubtful are at some level unimportant. Iqbal says, “We avoid guiding our actions by general principles which are not settled. If we do not know what number is the product of 69 and 67, we defer any action presupposing the answer, till we have found out. This little arithmetical puzzle can be put aside till it is settled but things are not equal between religion and arithmetic. We use arithmetic, but we are religious. Arithmetic enters into our nature, so far as that nature involves a multiplicity of things and it is there as a necessary condition, not as a transforming agency” Our character gets developed according to our belief. This is the most important religious truth from which it is not possible to escape. As a result of which, religion stands in greater requirement of a rational foundation of its principles because it is not possible to settle the general truths without reasoning
For Iqbal philosophy of science is important to unravel the truths that it carries with it; But does that mean that science needs to be prioritized over religion as happened in the West? Rationalizing faith does not mean that one should accept the dominance of science over religion, as Iqbal believes that there is no doubt that the philosophy of Science can judge the religion as it comes under its jurisdiction; but what is to be judged is of such a nature that it will not be submitted itself to the jurisdiction of philosophy except on its own conditions. Religion is not mere an action but it is an expression of the whole man. We use religion from cradle to grave and hence, have the effect of transforming our character. Therefore, philosophy of science must recognize the central position of religion in the process of evaluation of it and religion must understand the requirement of reason.
As it is not possible to deal with the new questions and provide solutions to the constant emerging problems of the changing times through literal understanding of Quran, Iqbal believes that it becomes important to use reason. Also, as Iqbal believes that it is important to rationalize faith in order to understand and unfold the general truths of nature. But the question that becomes important is what kind of reason? As the dominant understanding of reasoning is the kind of reasoning that is based on the notion of observation, experimentation as well as mathematical rules, and can’t fit together with the notion of faith, Iqbal makes an attempt to reconcile faith with reason by proposing his unique concept of Ijtihad in his work, ‘The Reconstruction of Religious Thoughts in Islam’. Ijtihad, he explains, means to exert and form an independent judgment on the legal questions related to religion. In the olden times, Ijtihad meant to give preference to one opinion or the fiqh over the other. But Iqbal transformed its meaning considering its importance as a principle of movement in the structure of Islam through giving the power of performing Ijtihad to a democratic assembly comprises of both Ulema as well as Modern Jurists. Ijtihad according to Iqbal means movement. He believes that Muslims have to adopt their life in terms of principles of permanence and change. While there are some principles that can’t be changed like praying namaz five times a day, there are some that requires a critical enquiry over time. As Qur’an recognizes the dynamic outlook on life and also recognizes the fact that with time, new conditions and situations may arise. He further believes that there may be many new problems and questions whose answers are not directly covered by Qur’an or Sharia. One of those issues according to Iqbal is the issue of women. Iqbal became aware of this problem very early in his career. In his article ‘Quami Zindagi’, Iqbal says, “The most sensitive issue in the reformation of social life is the rights of woman. The criticism applies in fact not to Islam….but to those legal opinions of the Muslim jurists which they have derived from the more general principles of Qur’an. It may be rightly said that these individual opinions are not the essential components of the religion” The problem is not just about the change in the already existing laws but also of the need of the new laws because the conditions of the world don’t remain same according to any specific pattern; there is always a change from one time to another, one condition to another. The possible way to deal with the new questions of the changing times is through ‘Ijtihad’. In the wider sense, it means the use of analogical reasoning in the explanation of Shariah law. An analogical reasoning can be deduced from an Islamic judgment that is known and then applied to the problem that is unknown within the Islamic model of the Qur’an, Hadith and the Islamic consensus. So, it’s a kind of reasoning that is not based on sidelining the religion but goes very well with religion.
Therefore, rather than restricting Iqbal to the politician who gave the concept of Pakistan, we need to broaden our approach towards understanding Iqbal’s Philosophy. Iqbal has something to offer to not just to philosophy of science but to religion; to repair the ills in their individual fields by tapping at the sources of knowledge offered by tradition.
As we are celebrating 141st birth anniversary of the Poet of East, we should revisit and ponder upon his intellectual endeavors. Iqbal has deeply dealt with the moral and philosophical questions which are becoming more important now keeping in view the emerging crisis of modern societies all across the globe.
Mehak Sharma is a doctoral candidate at JNU. She works in the area of political philosophy.
mehak.heretic@protonmail.com