Iqbal. His Art and Thought by Syed Abdul VahidReview by: Annemarie SchimmelDie Welt des Islams, New Series, Vol. 6, Issue 3/4 (1961), pp. 318-319Published by: BRILLStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1569476 .

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LITERATUR LITERATUR

tiations, both agreed that there should be a single centre for foreign affairs, defense and communications; that provinces should be given autonomy for all the rest, and that certain statutory guarantees should be given to minorities, to Muslims in particular. Soon after Mr Nehru, then president of the Congress, declared in a public speech that the Constituent Assembly was sovereign, and was bound with no restrictions: it may decide (by majority) whatever it liked. Later on when a transitory government was formed, the Muslim Finance Minister did not concede to certain demands of the Hindu Minister of Interior (Patel). Thereupon this latter took the initiative of proposing partition, and rallied both Nehru and Gandhi to his opinion, in spite of the great opposition of Azad. One can read between the lines, or one can guess, the argument of Patel: Muslims already constitue a third of the population in the country, and owing to conversions etc. their rate of growth is so high that in a generation or two they "menace" to become the absolute majority in the sub-continent. Through partition (and later forced ,,exchange" of the population of West Pakistan), Bharat has reduced the number of its Muslim population tc only 40 millions, that is io % of the whole, and for long years there is no more fear of Hindus becoming minolity in their home. Another cause, which Abul Kaliam expressly deplores, is the charming, i.e, pernicious, influence of Lady Mount-Batten (wife of the then governor general) on Nehru. - After the publication of these memoirs in January 1959, Nehru was asked about the authenticity of these allegations in a press conference, but he evaded the reply by saying that he no more remembers the details of those troubled days. The book constitutes an important source for the comtemporary history of the Sub-Himalayan Continent.

M. Hamidullah (Paris)

Syed Abdul Vahid: I q b al. His Art and Thought. London: John Murray, I959. XIV + 254 pp. 30 s.

The book of S. A. Vahid is wellknown to every student of Iqbal since it has appeared first in 1944 1, in Hyderabad (Deccan), than, somewhat enlarged, in 1948 in Lahore. Now it has been published, after having undergone a new revision, with two additional chapters, and can hope for a wider circle of readers who are interested in the history of modern Muslim thought in general, and in the most important representative of this thought, Sir Muhammad Iqbal, in particular. The book reflects in every line the author's love and admiration of his subject. After a short biographical sketch the author treats with "Iqbal's Philosophy of the Ego"; it follow chapters on "Iqbal and Eastern Thought", "Iqbal and Western Thought"; then, after a general survey of "Iqbal's Poetic Art" respective chapters are devoted to "lyric Poetry", "Mathnawis", "Satire", "Elegies", "Chronogramms", and "Quatrains"; the next chapter compares in a fine analysis "Iqbal and Milton", and the last one is dedicated to his "Prose Writing" in Urdu and English, a subject mostly neglected by those who study Iqbal's art.

S. A. Vahid who has, some years ago, given an extract from his Iqbal studies in the most useful booklet "Introduction to Iqbal", and has also collected the yet unpublished poetry of Iqbal (bdqiydt-i Iqbtl) shows in the present book his delicate poetical taste. So his expo- sition of Iqbal's philosophy of the Ego which forms the cornerstone of his thought, and the pages dedicated to the forces which fortify the personality are illustrated not so much by highly philosophical and abstract passages from the "Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam" 2 but by poems from different periods of the poet-philospher's life. In the analysis of Iqbal's poetical art-which is composed itself in beautiful emotional and expressive style-the newly added chapter on the Elegies deserves special mention; the author's wide knowledge of European, esp. English poetry is proved by the striking comparisons between Iqbal's way of writing poetry and pieces from the pen of Shelley, Wordsworth, Gray and others (though we must not forget that Iqbal's style is to a great extent dependent on his Oriental forerunners.). In the chapter on the Eastern ideas which formed Iqbal's philosophy the deep influence of Koranic ideas (sometimes rather freely interpreted by the poet),

tiations, both agreed that there should be a single centre for foreign affairs, defense and communications; that provinces should be given autonomy for all the rest, and that certain statutory guarantees should be given to minorities, to Muslims in particular. Soon after Mr Nehru, then president of the Congress, declared in a public speech that the Constituent Assembly was sovereign, and was bound with no restrictions: it may decide (by majority) whatever it liked. Later on when a transitory government was formed, the Muslim Finance Minister did not concede to certain demands of the Hindu Minister of Interior (Patel). Thereupon this latter took the initiative of proposing partition, and rallied both Nehru and Gandhi to his opinion, in spite of the great opposition of Azad. One can read between the lines, or one can guess, the argument of Patel: Muslims already constitue a third of the population in the country, and owing to conversions etc. their rate of growth is so high that in a generation or two they "menace" to become the absolute majority in the sub-continent. Through partition (and later forced ,,exchange" of the population of West Pakistan), Bharat has reduced the number of its Muslim population tc only 40 millions, that is io % of the whole, and for long years there is no more fear of Hindus becoming minolity in their home. Another cause, which Abul Kaliam expressly deplores, is the charming, i.e, pernicious, influence of Lady Mount-Batten (wife of the then governor general) on Nehru. - After the publication of these memoirs in January 1959, Nehru was asked about the authenticity of these allegations in a press conference, but he evaded the reply by saying that he no more remembers the details of those troubled days. The book constitutes an important source for the comtemporary history of the Sub-Himalayan Continent.

M. Hamidullah (Paris)

Syed Abdul Vahid: I q b al. His Art and Thought. London: John Murray, I959. XIV + 254 pp. 30 s.

The book of S. A. Vahid is wellknown to every student of Iqbal since it has appeared first in 1944 1, in Hyderabad (Deccan), than, somewhat enlarged, in 1948 in Lahore. Now it has been published, after having undergone a new revision, with two additional chapters, and can hope for a wider circle of readers who are interested in the history of modern Muslim thought in general, and in the most important representative of this thought, Sir Muhammad Iqbal, in particular. The book reflects in every line the author's love and admiration of his subject. After a short biographical sketch the author treats with "Iqbal's Philosophy of the Ego"; it follow chapters on "Iqbal and Eastern Thought", "Iqbal and Western Thought"; then, after a general survey of "Iqbal's Poetic Art" respective chapters are devoted to "lyric Poetry", "Mathnawis", "Satire", "Elegies", "Chronogramms", and "Quatrains"; the next chapter compares in a fine analysis "Iqbal and Milton", and the last one is dedicated to his "Prose Writing" in Urdu and English, a subject mostly neglected by those who study Iqbal's art.

S. A. Vahid who has, some years ago, given an extract from his Iqbal studies in the most useful booklet "Introduction to Iqbal", and has also collected the yet unpublished poetry of Iqbal (bdqiydt-i Iqbtl) shows in the present book his delicate poetical taste. So his expo- sition of Iqbal's philosophy of the Ego which forms the cornerstone of his thought, and the pages dedicated to the forces which fortify the personality are illustrated not so much by highly philosophical and abstract passages from the "Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam" 2 but by poems from different periods of the poet-philospher's life. In the analysis of Iqbal's poetical art-which is composed itself in beautiful emotional and expressive style-the newly added chapter on the Elegies deserves special mention; the author's wide knowledge of European, esp. English poetry is proved by the striking comparisons between Iqbal's way of writing poetry and pieces from the pen of Shelley, Wordsworth, Gray and others (though we must not forget that Iqbal's style is to a great extent dependent on his Oriental forerunners.). In the chapter on the Eastern ideas which formed Iqbal's philosophy the deep influence of Koranic ideas (sometimes rather freely interpreted by the poet),

1 Cf. WI, N.S., III I45. (Ed.) 2 Reviewed in WI 15, 1933, 122. (Ed.)

1 Cf. WI, N.S., III I45. (Ed.) 2 Reviewed in WI 15, 1933, 122. (Ed.)

3i8 3i8

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LITERATUR 319

of Maulana Rumi, and especially of Ahmad Sirhindi who tried to defend the vahdat-i shuhkd (testimonial Monism) against Ibn Arabi's concept of va&dat-i vujid are duly shown: from the satirical poems is fairly clear how deeply Iqbal despised the monism of Ibn Arabi which seemed, for him, to form the greatest danger for Islamic life besides the old-fashioned and narrow-minded Molla. It would be a special task to show the outward influences of the poetical technique of Indo-Persian, and Urdu poets like Bedil, Galib, Hali etc. on Iqbal; and it it is worth mentioning that already Shibli NuCmani in his book on Maulana Rumi has stressed the idea of his "dynamism". In the chapter about Western Thought S. A. Vahid maintains-as I think quite correctly-that the influence of Nietzsche on the Indian philosopher which had been overestimated by some scholars was not as deep as one should think in the first moment; he stresses the differences between the two thinkers emphazising the religious background of the philosophy of Iqbal who never would have accepted a Superman without relation to the Divine Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Since S. A. Vahid has inserted many verses in both Urdu and Persian into his book, and has translated them though not in poetry but in poetical style, the book forms, besides being an introduction to Iqbal's art and thought, also a small but representative anthology. We only should want that in the next edition the sources of the verses will be quoted so that the curious reader may follow the chronological development of Iqbal's ideas and technique. To give a bibliography of Iqbal is, the articles and books written about him increasing daily, rather difficult 1; however we hope to find, in the next edition, at least a selected bibliography which might lead the European readei to the most impoitant pub- lications on Iqbal. The most informative, sympathetic and learned book which is ple- sented by the publishers in a very tasteful dustcover with Persian inscription will, as we hope, attract many readers in the English speaking world are interested in the problem of Weltliteratur, and it will surely help them to understand the spiritual forces which have given birth to a new nation.

Annemarie Schimmel (Marburg/Lahn)

Geoffrey Wheeler: Racial Problems in Soviet Muslim Asia. The Institute of Race Relations, London-NewYork-Bombay. Oxford University Press, I960, XII, 66 p., 2 cartes. 6.- s.

Dans ce petit ouvrage bien documente le directeur du Central Asian Research Center de Londres pr6sente le bilan des quarante dernibres ann6es d'impact de la civilisation russe dans sa forme sovi6tique, sur les musulmans d'Asie Centrale. L'auteur analyse dans les deux premiers chapitres le background historique: cinq siecles de cohabitation entre russes et musulmans et ses cons6quences: absence de sentiment de superiorite bio- logique ou sociale chez les russes, leur liberalisme racial, absence aussi de ,,complexe de vaincus" chez les musulmans. Longtemps le Gouvernement Russe n'accorda a ses allogbnes musulmans qu'un interet occasionnel. I1 n'avait pas envers eux de ligne politique bien definie, les aspirations politiques des inorodtzy restaient ignorees et leurs revendications culturelles continuellement repoussees. C'est en 1905 seulement que le grand mouvement r6formiste du diadidisme eveilla les musulmans a la vie politique. L'essor du sentiment national date de cette epoque et loin d'etre freine par la R6volution d'Octobre, il ne fera que croitre, d'abord favoris6, puis combattu par los autorit6s sovietiques, jusqu'a la grande crise de I937. L'6tude de la politique sovi6tique des nationalit6s occupe le Chapitre III dans lequel l'auteur s'efforce objectivement d'eviter les exag6rations des propagandes sovietique et anti-sovi6tique et degage le r61e primordial du Parti Communiste, element centralisateur qui assure la cohesion de la Federation plurinationale. La partie essentielle de l'ouvrage (Chapitres IV a VII) est constitu6e par l'analyse des rapports politiques, sociaux et surtout culturels entre les communautbs russe et musulmane. A l'oppose de l'indiff6rence qui caract6risait l'6poque tzariste, les autorites sovietiques s'efforcent d6s les

1 For a first attempt see REI XIV, I940, 83-88: Liste chronologique des oeuvres d'Iqbal par Rahmat Ai, as well as: Abdul Ghani and Khwaja Nur Ilahi, Bibliography of Iqbal, Lahore s.d. (after 1954).

LITERATUR 319

of Maulana Rumi, and especially of Ahmad Sirhindi who tried to defend the vahdat-i shuhkd (testimonial Monism) against Ibn Arabi's concept of va&dat-i vujid are duly shown: from the satirical poems is fairly clear how deeply Iqbal despised the monism of Ibn Arabi which seemed, for him, to form the greatest danger for Islamic life besides the old-fashioned and narrow-minded Molla. It would be a special task to show the outward influences of the poetical technique of Indo-Persian, and Urdu poets like Bedil, Galib, Hali etc. on Iqbal; and it it is worth mentioning that already Shibli NuCmani in his book on Maulana Rumi has stressed the idea of his "dynamism". In the chapter about Western Thought S. A. Vahid maintains-as I think quite correctly-that the influence of Nietzsche on the Indian philosopher which had been overestimated by some scholars was not as deep as one should think in the first moment; he stresses the differences between the two thinkers emphazising the religious background of the philosophy of Iqbal who never would have accepted a Superman without relation to the Divine Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Since S. A. Vahid has inserted many verses in both Urdu and Persian into his book, and has translated them though not in poetry but in poetical style, the book forms, besides being an introduction to Iqbal's art and thought, also a small but representative anthology. We only should want that in the next edition the sources of the verses will be quoted so that the curious reader may follow the chronological development of Iqbal's ideas and technique. To give a bibliography of Iqbal is, the articles and books written about him increasing daily, rather difficult 1; however we hope to find, in the next edition, at least a selected bibliography which might lead the European readei to the most impoitant pub- lications on Iqbal. The most informative, sympathetic and learned book which is ple- sented by the publishers in a very tasteful dustcover with Persian inscription will, as we hope, attract many readers in the English speaking world are interested in the problem of Weltliteratur, and it will surely help them to understand the spiritual forces which have given birth to a new nation.

Annemarie Schimmel (Marburg/Lahn)

Geoffrey Wheeler: Racial Problems in Soviet Muslim Asia. The Institute of Race Relations, London-NewYork-Bombay. Oxford University Press, I960, XII, 66 p., 2 cartes. 6.- s.

Dans ce petit ouvrage bien documente le directeur du Central Asian Research Center de Londres pr6sente le bilan des quarante dernibres ann6es d'impact de la civilisation russe dans sa forme sovi6tique, sur les musulmans d'Asie Centrale. L'auteur analyse dans les deux premiers chapitres le background historique: cinq siecles de cohabitation entre russes et musulmans et ses cons6quences: absence de sentiment de superiorite bio- logique ou sociale chez les russes, leur liberalisme racial, absence aussi de ,,complexe de vaincus" chez les musulmans. Longtemps le Gouvernement Russe n'accorda a ses allogbnes musulmans qu'un interet occasionnel. I1 n'avait pas envers eux de ligne politique bien definie, les aspirations politiques des inorodtzy restaient ignorees et leurs revendications culturelles continuellement repoussees. C'est en 1905 seulement que le grand mouvement r6formiste du diadidisme eveilla les musulmans a la vie politique. L'essor du sentiment national date de cette epoque et loin d'etre freine par la R6volution d'Octobre, il ne fera que croitre, d'abord favoris6, puis combattu par los autorit6s sovietiques, jusqu'a la grande crise de I937. L'6tude de la politique sovi6tique des nationalit6s occupe le Chapitre III dans lequel l'auteur s'efforce objectivement d'eviter les exag6rations des propagandes sovietique et anti-sovi6tique et degage le r61e primordial du Parti Communiste, element centralisateur qui assure la cohesion de la Federation plurinationale. La partie essentielle de l'ouvrage (Chapitres IV a VII) est constitu6e par l'analyse des rapports politiques, sociaux et surtout culturels entre les communautbs russe et musulmane. A l'oppose de l'indiff6rence qui caract6risait l'6poque tzariste, les autorites sovietiques s'efforcent d6s les

1 For a first attempt see REI XIV, I940, 83-88: Liste chronologique des oeuvres d'Iqbal par Rahmat Ai, as well as: Abdul Ghani and Khwaja Nur Ilahi, Bibliography of Iqbal, Lahore s.d. (after 1954).

This content downloaded from 160.94.45.157 on Sun, 1 Sep 2013 05:03:19 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions