QUESTION 9
Explanatory Note
This Question corresponds to Question 5 of Shabistari. It deals with the so-called -mystery of the union" and determination of a true gnostic.
According to Shabistari, the true gnostic is one who purges himself of all alloys of selfhood, who gambles away himself before God. He alone then is able to understand the mystery of union; he alone attains unity with the Lord and realises the truth of Unity of Being.
To Iqbal, the true gnosis lies in believing that this world is transitory and is subject to decay and decline. But amidst this universal phenomenon of death, the human ego alone is above dissolution and decay. As we have seen, according to Iqbal, at the final stage the egos do not merge into the Absolute but remain distinct and retain their individuality. Discussing McTaggart's philosophy of the differentiations of the Absolute, Iqbal views the life of egos after death as a society of egos presided over by the Highest Ego.