Iqbal’s Concept of Quranic Knowledge - English Essay

Iqbal’s Concept of Quranic Knowledge

English Essay on "Iqbal’s Concept of Quranic Knowledge"

Allama Iqbal has devoted his fifth lecture to the import ant issue of the spirit of Muslim culture. In this respect he has discussed his concept of the Quranic knowledge. He after accepting nature as one of the important sources of knowledge, has discussed its Quranic concept in the light of the classical world, which led him to believe in intuition as a third source of human knowledge. Actually the Quranic concept of nature is totally different from the classical one. Islam does not regard the natural as in any way holier than what is human or capable of, setting moral standards. Though constituted of matter, nature is not hostile to man or Allah Almighty as was the belief in the classical world. In a way, the natural and the material both are divinely constituted because Almighty Allah Himself creates them. The Holy Quran directs its followers to observe the natural phenomena for they are the signs or portents of Allah.

The Holy Quran does not confine this knowledge to mere observation of the natural phenomena. It also stresses upon the believers the need of employing the senses with which Allah has gifted them in order to look around and appreciate the phenomena of nature, which serve them in various ways. It says: “And Allah has made for you what He has created, shelters and He has given you in the mountains, places of retreat and he was given you garments to save you from the heat and coats of nail to save you in your fighting. Thus does He complete His favor to you that you may submit. (Surah Al- Narnal, 78-8 1).educationsight.blogspot.com The Holy Quran is full of such verses. In all these verses the human beings have been asked to study the natural penomena and sharpen their faculty of observation. The necessary effect of this kind of teachings was that the human beings powers of observation were brought into play and the scientific spirit was roused in them. It awakened a feeling in the minds of the Muslims that nature was their servant; which can be utilized for the benefit of humanity. It wait the master of man, as was believed in the classical world.

This keen observation of the natural phenomena awakened the scientific spirit in the believers and a large number of the Muslim scholars devoted themselves to scientific research. Islam with the help of this knowledge put an end to all useless speculations about the nature and Allah and His relation to the world. The Holy Quran has given a clear and satisfactory concept of Allah and His connection with the Universe. Therefore, the true Muslim never felt a need to speculate on this subject and Allama Iqbal claims resort to intuition, as in this lecture. It helped the Muslim scholars to start a scientific movement in Islam, which continued, in full vigor for many centuries. Allama Iqbal appreciates this contribution of Islam and rightly claims that the birth of Islam was the birth of inductive intellect. Similarly, he appreciates the Quranic concept of History. He observes that it is one of the most essential teachings of the Holy Quran that nations are collectively judged and suffer for their misdeeds here. In order to establish this proposition, the Holy Quran constantly cites historical instances and urges upon the readers to reflect on the past and the present experiences of the mankind. In this respect, the Allama has inferred from the following verses of the Holy Quran:

“Already before your time have precedents been made. Traverse the earth then and see what, hath been the end of those who falsify the signs of Al1ah (Surah Al Imran- 137)” “If a wound hath befallen you, a wound like it hath already befallen others; We alternate the days of success and reverses among people (111-140). In the light of these verses, the Allam maintain that the whole spirit of the Prolegomena of Ibn-e-Khaldun appears to have been mainly due to the inspiration, which the author must have received from the Quran. He rightly concludes that the interest of the Quran in history, regarded as a source of human knowledge, extends further than mere indication of historical generalization. It has given us one of the most fundamental principles of historical criticism. (Lectures-139). The Allama after appreciating nature and history as the two sources of the Quranic knowledge obsrves that it is the tapping of these sources of knowledge that the spirit of Islam is seen at its best (Ibid-127).

But it is strange that in addition to these two sources, he refers to a third source also and that is the inner experience of the human beings. After discussing the concept of finality of the prophet hood in Islam, he maintains that the idea, however, does not mean that the mystic experience which qualitatively does not differ from the experience of the prophets has now ceased to exist as a vital fact. (Ibid, p-l27). The intuitional knowledge had always been considered .a highly debatable faculty in every society. The reason being that it can serve an individual only and not the whole society. However it can be treated as a source of knowledge if it is’ made public through intelligent expression in an arguable form. But nobody ever brought his intuition into the realm of reason and understanding.

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