Reasons
for Iqbal’s Professed Attitude towards Western Civilization
Iqbal
was a visionary. He had studied in depth, the ancient and modern
philosophies. Comparison of different religions with Islam was his
favorite subject. From these religious readings, he arrived at the
conclusion that any religion that advocates only materialism will
never be able to give a complete solution to man’s problems. He
accepted that Europe has advanced in the technological field because
scientific knowledge has opened new vistas for human advancements,.
Iqbal felt that the Western civilization did fulfill man’s
material needs but this thrust for spiritual fulfillment was not
quenched. Iqbal believed that if the western civilization had been
aware of the meaning of faith, their spiritual and material circle
would have been complete. On the contrary, Islam presents a balance
between religious practices and worldly duties. It is because of
this that Iqbal warns the Muslims against blindly following the west
in their progress. In one of his verses he says:
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