The Khalidiya Psalm testament: The analytical & scholarly study of Sir Muhammad Iqbal

Khalid Lateef

This series is based on the German title, ‘Corporum Philosophicum Iqbalicum, das analytische Studium der Abhandlungen und Korpora von Sir Muhammad Iqbal’, which translates to ‘Corporum Philosophicum Iqbalicum: the analytical investigation and scholarly study of the treatises and corpora of Sir Muhammad Iqbal.’

This new series on Sir Muhammad Iqbal is an investigative and scholarly study of the philosopher and his time.it will explore the ideas and notions of Iqbal starting from the 1890’s, when he first began contemplating various aspects of poetry, linguistics, philosophy, metaphysics, logic, reasoning, oriental and occidental though, Eastern and Western Wisdom, culture and civilisations, political thought and the glory of the Islamic era. The series also includes comparative studies of other figures and treasures of knowledge and wisdom.

Keywords: Sir Muhammad Iqbal and his era of wisdom (1890-1938), Philosophy, History, Logic, Reasoning, Metaphysics, Culture and Civilisation, Knowledge, and Wisdom.

About Pre-8 Safar 1447 (8/2/1447)

Since March 2022, I have been occupied with various assignments, so I have not written a column for three years. Alhumdulillah, this newspaper and many journals & newspapers have given me space on the Op-Ed pages to share my views. I am grateful to all my editors and syndics of various universities, who have provided a platform for my opinions. Without their support, it was impossible to publish the ninety-part (90) series on ‘Encyclopaedia Iqbalica Muffakirre Allama Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal’ in 2018, 2019, 2020 respectively. Similarly, the University Syndics allowed the expansion of the study of Antiquity, Biblical History and and Later Archaeology of Palestine & Israel in the light of the Hebrew Bible, in a thirty-eight-part (38) series. This series, titled ‘History of Palestine and Israel in the light of Hebrew Bible’ was published in 2019, 2020.

Now, Post 8 Safar, 1447 Hijri (2 August 2025)

Finally, the silent tongue of Hijaz has proclaimed to the earnest ear the news:

That the covenant given to the desert people is about to be renewed strongly:

The lion who emerged from the desert and overthrew the Roman Empire is

As I have been told by the angels, about to rise again from his slumber.

You, the people of the West, should know that the world of God is not your shop.

Your imagined pure gold is about to lose its value as you have set it.

Your civilization will destroy itself with its own weapons.

For a house built on a fragile piece of wood cannot last long. Quoted from Sir Muhammad Iqbal’s Poetry

This series of analytical writings will focus on the analytical study of the works and contributions of Sir Muhammad Iqbal. I have selected the German title, ‘Corporum Philosophicum Iqbalicum, das analytische Studium der Abhandlungen und Korpora Von Sir Muhammad Iqbal’, which can be translated as ‘Corporum Philosophicum Iqbalicum: the analytical investigation and scholarly study of the treatises and corpora of Sir Muhammad Iqbal’. Simply this series will examine the philosophical works of this great philosopher of east and west. The erudite philosopher has made many great contributions and works to his credit. He was a philosopher, scholar, politician, Urdu and Persian poet, writer and a great researcher of Islam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Iqbal is also renowned for his more than 1500 letters written in English, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, and German, making him one of the greatest letter writers (Khutoot Nawees), like Persian poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1796-1869). The world knows this great poet of the East and West by many famous titles: Hakeemul Ummat (The Sage of then Ummah, Muslim Brotherhood), Lisanul Asar (Peer of his Age), Shai ‘ire Mashriq (Poet of the East), Tarjam

Tarjamanul Haq (Sponsor of the Truth), and *Eghbal-e-Lahori* (The Iqbal of Lahore), among others. Iqbal is one of the pioneers of commentary writers of the Holy Quran in the language of Pahlavi (early Persian). Like his master, Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, whose flute brings his lovers closer to the light of knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment, Iqbal is the final collector of the wisdom of the 20th century, preserving early philosophical wisdom through his contributions. His synthesis of the nature of philosophy freed the Islamic world from the Greek panorama and non-Islamic mysticism. The throne of philosophy of Sir Muhammad Iqbal, with the teachings of Mawlayi and Murshid Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, turned eastward, balancing eastern and western teachings. The breaking of Western ideals and the dangers of dead cultures threatened Islam and its ideals. Therefore, in 1921, the Atheneum declared Sir Muhammad Iqbal’s philosophy a danger to British imperial rule. Even after the translation of his *Annus Mirabilis* as *Israr-e-Khudi* (Secrets of the Self), E M Forster wrote against him. This series on Allama Iqbal will begin with Iqbal’s early years up to 1938. The series will cover all aspects related to Allama Iqbal.

Sir Muhammad Iqbal’s Life

‘Born on 9 November 1877 (officially recognized date of birth globally).

He was the eldest of five children in a Kashmiri family in Sialkot from the Sheikh Nur Muhammad family. Although there are many discrepancies regarding the date of 9 November 1877, we will revisit the actual date of birth in the second episode of this series, based on research, materials, and Iqbal’s personal notes. We will highlight the works of several prominent scholars, including Professor Yusuf Saleem Chisti (Iqbal scholar and friend), Abdul Majeed Salik (Iqbal scholar and friend), Mr. Hobohm (German scholar and convert to Islam), Dr. Syed Akhtar Durrani (nuclear physicist, scientist, and Iqbal and Urdu scholar), Mr. Ian Stephens (former editor of The Statesman, Calcutta, 1947), Abdullah Anwar Baig (Iqbal scholar and friend), Barrister Chief Justice Dr. Javed Iqbal (son of the philosopher), Khalid Lateef Kashmiri (in the Encyclopaedia Iqbalica series), and other scholars of high repute.

Chalid Saleh Quilliam (Born 1998) is an Iqbal Scholar (Iqbalist), Independent  Researcher, Expert of Indo-Asian, Kashmir, World Studies, Palestine and Israel, Comparative Studies of Religions, Hebrew and Greek Bible, Albert Einstein Studies, Social Scientist, Historian, Writer, and Columnist. His works also include History of Sciences, and Iqbal Study in reference to the Reunification of Philosophy, Peripatetic School of thought, Mathematics, Physics, Logic, Reasoning, Sciences (Natural), History, Archeology and Humanities.

Mubash’shir Ahmad is a scholar of Philosophy and Peripatetic School. He is by profession an Engineer. His researches on Philosophy have been included & published in Scopus based Journals.