3-6pm at Ahsan Memorial

Khurram Ali Shafique presents the hidden aspects of Iqbal's concept of Pakistan as given in his speech of 1930. There seems to be a deliberate attempt to neglect the issues raised in that speech. This appears to be an attempt by the liberal elite that could not and have not yet been able to fully digest the import of Iqbal's conception.

Summary of Iqbal's Philosophy presented by Khurram Ali Shaffique. There has been so much material written on Iqbal from so many different perspectives. Some of these have even distorted the message of Iqbal and in some cases is diametrically opposite to what Iqbal was propounding. This session would attempt to unravel the layers of such meanings from the actual Iqbal's philosophy.

Khurram Ali Shafique presented a selection from zaboor e ajm followed by the discussion in the light of the translation given here in the attachments.
A very interesting arrangements of the 75 nazms of Zaboor e Ajm was presented in groups of five. There relationship with the basic themes as discussed in the session of Baange Dara were presented. These themes were then tied with our history divided in to segments of consisting a score years in each.
2007-2026
1987-2006
1967-1986
1947-1966
1927-1946
1907-1926 etc.
Distinctive features of each of the above eras was correlated with the themes as evident in Zaboor e Ajm.

3-6pm at Ahsan Memorial

Society of Iqbal Studies (SoIS) Workshop on "Ata Turk-Good or Evil". An analysis of the times, ethos and aspirations of the Muslims of the Sub Continent during the early part of the 20th century. How was Turkey perceived at that time, what were the longings and feelings of the Muslims. How did Iqbal saw and interpreted the mood of the times and the aspirations of the Muslims. Linkages with the important personalities of the time, khilafat movement, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Malauna Shaukat Ali, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Khalida Adeeb Khanum, Sajjad Hyder Yeldrum etc.

Detailed analysis of excerpts of Iqbal's 1936 paper on Islam and Ahmedism related to Mustafa Kamal's policies and their implications for Turkey. Relationship of mistakes committed by AtaTurk in the long term context of time and when viewed from a higher level reveal a different picture. This paper was written much after the major policy shift undertaken by Turkey banning traditional dress, calling of azan from minarets, secularism.

Iqbal's exception to the suggestion of Pandit Nehru that the changes brought by Mustafa Kamal are anti Islam. Why Pandit Nehru was worried about what is Islamic or not.

Qualitative difference between the West's conception of Secularism which emanates from the womb of Christianity itself in the form of duality between the spirit and matter, and Islamic experience where it is defined as separation of functions. Tendency of separation of state and religion as found in Islamic history represents to a great extent the practical side of separating certain functions and their implementations. All such functions are actually derived from the common source of Quran and Sunnah and thus could never be divorced from one another as could happen in the West due to the deeper metaphysical theories regarding the duality of spirit and matter.

It is therefore that many of the Western inspired attempts of introducing in to Islamic thoughts the traits of the Christian version of duality of spirit and matter through sufistic thought as evident in the writings of Frithjof Schuon, Syed Hosain Nasr and others who are primarily funded from the Western Sources.

It is remarkable to see a very different definition of Khilafat Movement in the wikipedia where Khilafat Movement has been portrayed as a movement that was against AtaTurk which is contrary to the 6 points as highlighted by the leaders of Khilafat Movement. Also, the writing, poetry and speeches of major Khilafat leaders such as Mohammad Ali Jauhar. Anti Kamalism was first projected in Subcontinent through the "funded" visits of Khalida Adeeb Khanum and then later by the Pandit Nehru himself. 

3pm-6pm at Ahsan Memorial.

Khurram Ali Shafique discussed the mysteries of Iqbal and shed new light based on his research on the two popular poems of Baang-e-Darra; Khizar-e-Raah and Tuloo-e-Islam in this session. This session explores a fresh insight for analyzing the poems of Iqbal and continues the exploration of the themes running through the various pieces of poetry in Baange Dara. Exploration of these themes indicates that there is an inter link which may be missed by considering each piece as different. The themes get reemphasized repeatedly through the poetry.

Khizr-e-Raah is a long poem in Baang-e-Daraa, in the form of a dialogue between the poet and Khizr, in which poet at the time of night when came to know that Khizr is in a pleasant mood and is ready to answer his questions then asks few important questions about Khizr’s desert life, life, empire, revenue and labor, and the Islamic world.

Khizr then answers these all questions in detail one by one. About his desert life he says that the change that comes in life is very necessary in order to strengthen the fountain of life and the secret of eternal life is being hidden in this revolution of time and space.

For the life, Khizr states that life is nothing in slavery but is an Ocean in freedom and thus one should have the enough courage to create his own life as life is defined in three words, a goal, the tool to reach the goal and the resistance to reach the goal and one has to be through all these in order to get the real meanings of life.

Describing the government or empire, Khizr actually describes that the modern western nations are actually trying to induce the sleep to their people by changing the standards of democracy.

At this point, one has to understand the ideology of Iqbal about the democracy. Iqbal strongly believed that Islam presents the model of spiritual democracy and praised the British for bringing back the democracy to India, which was initially under the rule of kings but then Iqbal also clarified it through his writings that after the first world war, the western nations are not further following the model of democracy and they have changed the real meanings of democracy. The fourteen point documents by President Johnson in which he had favored the Turks for their right of sovereignty was classified and just came out after a year. That year between 1922 and 1923 the literature in the western countries was brought to another standard which could be understood by the termination of Toin. B. from the King’s college of London just due to a reason that he wrote a paper in which he presented the idea that Turks were somehow right in their claims and Greeks shouldn’t have done what they did, and the college was sponsored by Greeks.

So, according to Iqbal this was the beginning of another type of colonialism and western nations were not further able to provide a real democracy.

About the revenue and labor, Iqbal had given an indication about the Russian revolution in the voice of Khizr however he was himself wasn’t in the favor of that revolution. When Khizr answers the poet that the whole efforts of labors are ruined when they are just paid like a charity and the time for change has been arrived. One has to come out of the slavery and discover himself.

About the Islamic world, Khizr states that Muslims have to stand together for their sake and there, Iqbal gives another indication that Muslim civilization is going to be born from its ashes again and one has to believe on fate as we believe “La Yukhlif-ul Miaad”.

Tuloo-e-Islam which is a very next poem starts from the ending point of Khizr-e-Raah and it seems that the Sun of the morning of that night where poet was talking to Khizr, has been risen. There are nine stanzas in this poem and at the end of each stanza, there is a separate couplet, in this way these nine couplets represent the nine stanzas and these nine couplets when are being compared with the nine couplets of Tarana-e-Hindi then a parallel imagery is seemed to be followed in both of them where in one poem he is giving this imagery for the country and in other one the same imagery is for Islamic nation.   

Series of Workshops based on Iqbal’s book “Asrar-o-Rumuz ended on 20^th February 2011

Asrar-e-Khudi and Rumuz-e-Bekhudi are the first two works of Allama Mohammad Iqbal that were published first separately and later on collectively with the title Asrar-o-Rumuz.

Iqbal had kept the foundations for a new “Ilm-ul-Kalam” and presented the Idealistic History of Islam in Asrar-o-Rumuz. Guiding principles are History, Literature, Politics, Religion and Education.

In Asrar-e-Khudi, Iqbal explains different principles and values that help an individual to develop his ego or self, here he describes about desire, Love and power and reveals the stages through which an individual develops the self. He says, “Time is a cutting sword” and then while praying to God ends Asrar-e-Khudi.

In Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, the connection between an individual and his nation is described and then it is depicted that Nation and Individual are necessary for each other. Nation can provide the discipline, roots and Love to an individual and so an individual can’t achieve valuable goals without being connected to his Nation. The building of Muslim Nation is based on five basic principles; Tauheed, Risalat, Unity, Equality and Freedom. Quran is the only constitution for Muslim Nation. Muslim Nation is one and Surah-e-Ikhlaas explains Its Oneness.

In this series of Workshops, during last few weeks, the speaker and the participants discussed both of the portions Asrar-e-Khudi and Rumuz-e-Bekhudi first separately and then in comparison where in Asrar-e-Khudi an individual and then in Rumuz-e-Bekhudi the association of an individual with his Nation was the focal point.

Self or Ego can be described in three different ways: First is God and which is Absolute Ego, Second is the Nation and which is Collective Ego, Third is the person and which is individual Ego.

Note: The coming Sessions of Society of Iqbal Studies will be based on Iqbal’s second book “Pyam-e-Mashrique” or “A message from the east.”

Khurram Ali Shafique continues Iqbal's personal journey of Iqbal through the poetry in Baange Dara. Specially the recurrence of the themes identified in Mar 20 session in the other pieces in Baange Dara.

“Baang-e-Darra: A personal journey of Iqbal” Session held on 27^th of March, 2011

There are three parts of Baang-e-Darra and each of them has poems from different periods of Iqbal’s early life as a poet. The speciality of the sequence of each poem in Baang-e-Darra is that the idea or thought which is the ending point of one poem, the same idea or thought in some other way is the starting point of the next poem. In first part, specifically along the seven poems for children, other poems reflect the perception and thinking of people about Iqbal in that era. This is best reflected in the poem “Zohad aur Rindi” and continues in other poems as well. Aashiq-e-Harjai is a special poem in this context that it not only reflects the perception of people about Iqbal in that specific era but also it helps to understand how Iqbal had seen himself at that time. The ghazal at the end of second part entitled “March 1907”, and which provides great evidence about the point of view of Iqbal about present and future.

Other great poems including Shikwah, Shama aur Shair, Jawab-e-Shikwah, and Duaa (Ya rab dil-e-Muslim ko) strengthen the clear understanding that for Iqbal, the time of Rise of Muslim Nation was arrived in earlier twentieth century.

Note: The last two poems of Baang-e-Darra, Khizar-e-Raah and Tuloo-e-Islam will be discussed in the coming session.

A discussion session by Khurram Ali Shafique on his new book “Psycho Mansion”  which is based on excerpts from the renowned Urdu mystery writer Ibne Safi, will be held on Sunday 13^thFebruary at Ahsan Memorial Library (201/O Block 2, PECHS near Ghausia Masjid.) Excerpts from Ibne Safi’s books would be presented in support of the fact that he was a “Consensus Writer” – Consensus Literature is a term introduced by Khurram Shafique. Besides Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Allama Iqbal, he counts Ibne Safi as one of the Consensus writers as well. A rare opportunity towards understanding the mysteries and messages hidden in the novels of Ibne Safi.