Muhammad Iqbal, 1877-1938, Urdu poet and philosopher.

The Secrets of the Self is a book-length, philosophical poem rooted in metaphysical thought and ideology, as well as Islamic theology. Originally published in 1915, the poem speaks of the "Self" in relation to the universe, how it is the inner power and soul of each individual human. It instructs on how to improve the Self through Love and willpower, which can then help one control the forces within the universe. The poem includes stories that illustrate its points and promotes the spread of Islamic ideals. MUHAMMAD IQBAL (1877-1938) was a poet, prophet, and politician in British India. Born in Sialkot, Punjab, Iqbal converted to Islam with his family as a child. He studied literature and law at Cambridge, Munich, and Heidelberg before starting his own law practice and concentrating on his scholarly writing, which he authored primarily in Persian. Many of Iqbal's works promote Islamic revival, especially in South Asia, and he was a well-known leader of the All India Muslim League. Today, he is recognized as the official poet of Pakistan, and his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday.

This book reflects upon the political philosophy of Muhammad Iqbal, a towering intellectual figure in South Asian history, revered by many for his poetry and his thought. He lived in India in the twilight years of the British Empire and, apart from a short but significant period studying in the West, he remained in Punjab until his death in 1938. The book studies Iqbal's critique of nationalist ideology and his attempts to chart a path for the development of the 'nation' by liberating it from the centralizing and homogenizing tendencies of the modern state structure. Iqbal frequently clashed with his contemporaries over his view of nationalism as 'the greatest enemy of Islam'. He constructed his own particular interpretation of Islam - forged through an interaction with Muslim thinkers and Western intellectual traditions - that was ahead of its time, and since his death both modernists and Islamists have continued to champion his legacy.

Bringing together a diverse number of prominent and emerging scholars, from backgrounds in political science, philosophy and religious studies, this book offers novel examinations of the philosophical ideas that laid at the heart of Iqbal's own.

À pioneering assessment...a non-conformist approach towards understanding Iqbal.'--World Islamic Times.

Allama Mohammad Iqbal, whom Sarojini Naidu called the ‘Poet laureate of Asia’, remains a controversial figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent. On the one hand, he is considered the ‘Spiritual Father of Pakistan’. On the other, his message of Eastern revivalism places him in the ranks of the twentieth century’s major intellectuals. Iqbal’s tragedy was that after his death, he was made the national poet of Pakistan and largely ignored in India. In his time, he was lauded as much as Tagore, but today India celebrates Tagore while Iqbal has been banished from her consciousness. This meticulously researched biography will redress that erasure. This is the story of Iqbal’s evolution as a poet, philosopher and politician. While his role in the struggle for India’s freedom and the Pakistan movement are well known, not much is known about his personal life. This book highlights some of the least known facets of the poet’s life: how did a nationalist poet transform into a poet of Islamic revivalism and global revolution? How did three years in Europe change Iqbal’s political and philosophical outlook? Why did he start writing in Persian during his stay in Europe? Why did his first marriage fail and how did his romantic relationships affect him? What exactly was the poet’s role in bringing about Partition? Written with the passion of an ardent devotee, Zafar Anjum’s Iqbal answers all of these questions—and many more—in this carefully told biography.