The Reconstruction as a

Commentary on Javīdnāma

Khurram Ali Shafique

Abstract

 The article offers a few observations on the relationship between two major works of Iqbal The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930/34) and Javīdnāma (1932) and explores the question as to whether Iqbal meant Reconstruction to be a form of commentary on his major work Javīdnāma. It is argued that if these two works were read in the light of each other it not only yields deeper insights into Iqbal’s worldview and ideas but some of the problematic areas in Reconstruction can also be resolved with the help of their corresponding passages in Javīdnāma.

The author argues that there are many reasons why Reconstruction should be considered as a commentary on Javīdnāma, and not the other way round. The first is Iqbal’s own insistence that Javīdnāma was his life’s work. Secondly, Javīdnāma is a masterpiece of narrative art whereas Reconstruction is a series of lectures. It is possible to treat a set of lectures as a commentary on a masterpiece of narrative poetry while it would make a very incongruent study if we were to reverse the relationship. Thirdly, the medium of lecture provides more room for discussion and diversions than the confines of a narrative poem, therefore it seems quite proper to derive the more coherent picture of Iqbal’s worldview from Javīdnāma but use the lectures for elaborating its various aspects.

qbal called Javīdnāma (1932) his life’s work. He wrote this great epic poem at the same time when he was also working on the second most important of his books, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930/34). Sadly, it seems that no attempt has ever been made at finding a direct relation between these two books although even a most superficial comparison would yield some striking features and make it a worthy question to consider whether Iqbal meant Reconstruction to be a form of commentary on his major work Javīdnāma.

To begin with, both books have the same number of chapters. In Reconstruction, there are seven lectures whereas in Javīdnāma there are seven stations in the spiritual journey in the search of immortality– Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Beyond the Skies. Each station is designated to a separate chapter and thus the book has seven chapters. Reconstruction has the same number of chapters. If we compare the two books, we find that each chapter of the first book corresponds to the same chapter in the second book.

For instance, the first chapter in Javīdnāma is about the Moon, which stands for intuition, inspiration and revelation– these three being represented in Javīdnāma by, respectively, Vishvamitra, Sarosh and the Valley of the Prophets– and the same topic is restated in the very title of the first chapter of Reconstruction, which is, ‘Knowledge and Religious Experience.’

The second station is Mercury, which has something to do with social change through the application of the revealed guidance as well as about discovering new ideals within the Qur'ān. Correspondingly, the second chapter of Reconstruction is titled, ‘The Philosophical Test of Religious Experience.’

The third station is Venus where Iqbal and Rumi engage in the refutation of the false idols of the ancient days as well as new and old tyrants who claimed to be demigods; and the third chapter in Reconstruction is ‘The Concept of God and the Meaning of Prayer.’

The fourth station is Mars, where an ideal world is presented with individuals who have perfected their egos and attained the strength to survive after death; the fourth chapter in Reconstruction is ‘Human Ego–its Freedom and Immortality.’

The fifth station is Jupiter, where the spirits of Hallāj, Ghālib and Quratul 'Ain Tāhira explain why they have chosen to remain in perpetual movement rather than settling down in paradise; Devil also makes his appearance in the same chapter and yearns for a human being who could defeat him. This station corresponds to the fifth lecture in Reconstruction where ‘The Spirit Muslim Culture’ is defined as anti-classical.

The sixth station is Saturn, where the decadence and inertia of the Eastern world, especially India, is lamented. The sixth lecture in Reconstruction is ‘The Principle of Movement in Islam,’ which offers us Iqbal’s views on ijtihād.

The last chapter of Javīdnāma begins with a description of Nietzsche stranded between the universe and the world beyond– as a representative of the new mindset born in the post-enlightenment era of the modern history. In the climax Iqbal meets God. Compare this with the title of the last chapter in Reconstruction, ‘Is Religion Possible’?

It may be interesting to remember that the last lecture was written and delivered after the completion of Javīdnāma. It seems that Iqbal left an important clue for us by closing this last chapter on a passage from the opening section of Javīdnāma (the terrestrial prologue). Below this passage, at the very end of Reconstruction, is mentioned the name of the source. Hence the very last word in Reconstruction is, quite amazingly, “Javīdnāma.”

One may ask why Reconstruction should be considered as a commentary on Javīdnāma, and not the other way round. There are many reasons for that. The first is Iqbal’s own insistence that Javīdnāma was his life’s work. Secondly, Javīdnāma is a masterpiece of narrative art whereas Reconstruction is a series of lectures. It is possible to treat a set of lectures as a commentary on a masterpiece of narrative poetry while it would make a very incongruent study if we were to reverse the relationship. Thirdly, the medium of lecture provides more room for discussion and diversions than the confines of a narrative poem, therefore it seems quite proper to derive the more coherent picture of Iqbal’s worldview from Javīdnāma but use the lectures for elaborating its various aspects.

This is an initial observation on the relationship between the two books. It would be a great contribution to the study of Iqbal if these two works were read in the light of each other. I am offering these observations to print, hoping that other scholars would take up the task especially to see if some of the problematic areas in Reconstruction can be resolved with the help of their corresponding passages in Javīdnāma.