The explosion was a deafening array of horrific sounds that reverberated through the khayaban-e-Iqbal₁. Blood, dust and an assortment of broken junk littered the once busy yet peaceful road. Through the dust, two figures, one wearing white robes and the other adorned in a patched heavily-mended tunic materialized, as if by magic. They seemed to be attracted towards the source of the disaster and glided over all the dust and the blood and the assortment of broken junk littered everywhere. They looked strangely out of place. The one in the patched tunic looked mockingly at the elegant white robed man and called out in heavy voice:
Al-Arabi:
World of soul - a world of fire, ecstasy and longing;
World of body - a world of gain, fraud and cunning;
Iqbal:
Get over with it already, Arabi! It is insolence that you answer me in my own words which remind me of my past. I am done with you and your arguments. WHY have you brought me here now? I know there is misery and hopelessness and destruction, but that has nothing to do with our prime argument of knowledge.
Al-Arabi:
You are mistaken, Iqbal, for our prime argument lies in gnosis rather than in such superficial things as knowledge. You talk of knowledge, you talk of rationality. Where is your nation going today? It has knowledge, and established mosques and schools. There are valid hadiths. And on top of everything else, THE KORAN. There are dozens of Madrassas within a 5 mile radius where thousands of people pray. They are hafiz and ulemas. Despite all this, where is your nation going today? If only they could have seen past these worldly distractions, they would have been much closer to God and would have been in peace.
Iqbal:
Arabi for the love of God. Islam is NOT a religion for hermits. We both know that Islam never asks you to give up world and seek refuge in mountains and forests. Islam is a way of life and life exists with the world. The world of body, as opposed to the world of soul, is a reality. You expect God to make a world and then ask you to give it up?
1 Previously known as Margallah Road in Islamabad now has been renamed as "Khayaban-e-Iqbal.
The first two verses are a translation of Iqbal’s “The world of body vs. The world of soul”
Al-Arabi:
It’s a test. The path to Allah is clear. If you want to achieve the highest level in religion you have to sever all your mundane earthly ties.
Iqbal:
My argument remains the same. Islam is a way of life; it’s a zaabat-e-hayat. After seeing so much I have to say that if you give up the world you give up everything. For with the appropriate knowledge of the religion and a rational mind you can achieve any level of religious scholarship you aspire.
Iqbal raised his hand at this point and pointed toward the heavens and looking into the eyes of Al-Arabi said:
Iqbal:
Arabi what do you have to say about the fact that the mystic state is a single unanalysable unity in which the ordinary distinction of subject and object does not exist. For if the mystic state is devoid of the subject-object distinction, how is it possible that the mystic experiences God in this state as an independent other self?
Al-Arabi however looked unperturbed by this argument and calmly responded with a slight smile playing around his lips
Al-Arabi:
There are various levels of the manifestation of reality. At the highest level, reality is absolute unity, devoid of distinctions, but at the lower levels distinctions emerge and they are also real. In this experience the mystic reaches just short of the stage of absolute unity, which is the unity of plurality, yet he is convinced that there is a more fundamental level as well.
Iqbal:
My ideology remains firm that knowledge and not gnosis leads to the attainment of the highest level in Religion. Allah has himself claimed in the Holy Quran that: “surely in the heavens and the earth there are signs for those with faith; and in your creation and the beasts. He scatters abroad, there are signs for a people having certainty; and in the diversity of the night and the day, and the provision that God sends down from heaven, and therewith gives it life after its death, and in the turning about of winds, there are signs for people who have intelligence. These are the signs of God that we recite to you truly. So in which speech, after God and His signs will they have faith?” Surely Arabi you are intelligent enough to understand and decipher the meaning of this verse. And I am also assuming that you are amongst those who have faith. This verse clearly points towards knowledge of the religion and in the signs of God given through the Quran. This is surely the best way to reach God and understand him.
Al-Arabi:
Iqbal I am one of those who have faith. But intelligence is a virtue that has not been distributed to all. You see your nation today. Look around Iqbal. You will see for yourself that this Sufi’s words hold some truth in them. Your nation, in following your views of rationality and knowledge, has ended up killing themselves. Humanity cannot be trusted with knowledge. They only path to the Almighty is to give up the worldly pleasures and devout your life for Him. You have to sever your ties from the world and find reason yourself in isolation. Mari’fah is the only way to ensure the attainment of Allah’s will. Remember when you said yourself:
Delve deep into your buried self, and find the clue to life;
If you cannot be mine then be not, but be your own;
The clue to life is hidden in yourself. You just have to work hard and find it. And that Allama is your way to God. Gnosis.
Iqbal:
When you talk of gnosis and you undermine the importance of knowledge it just seems to me that you are ignoring an important doctrine of Islam. The very essence of religion lies in the knowledge of Quran, of Sunnah and Hadith. You cannot be ignorant of the knowledge that is in these doctrines. If you talk about MY NATION being misguided and the one in misery then you are largely denying the fact that most in my nation do not understand the real knowledge. They are misguided. They are driven by the worldly desires. They have no idea about the real path of illumination. If you think about it, knowledge does not come easily; hard work and labor are required to get knowledge of the deen. The path to God is not an easy one. There are many stray paths which sometimes deceive the unwary. In the first period, religious life appears as a form of discipline which the individual or a whole people must accept as an unconditional command without any rational understanding of the ultimate leaning and purpose of that command. It is beyond the initial phases that man has to decide which Path to choose. Yes my nation believes in knowledge to a greater extent and most of them are pious people like yourself, they can initially see the path to God clearly and can understand religion easily. It is after the initial stage (manzi) that they wander on different paths; the result of which you can see clearly.
Iqbal at this point shook his head and looked over to a dead body, the head now bowed down
Al-Arabi:
And that my friend is the sole reason why I believe that knowledge is not a sure way to God. For knowledge requires skills like rationality and logic and this Knowledge cannot be arrived at by the intellect by means of any rational thought process, for this kind of perception comes only by divine disclosure. The ONLY possible path to God is that you give up your rationality and with your heart and soul, strive for DEEN. You will have to cut your ties with this materialistic world, give up all your earthly desires and work your way towards the Almighty. Your relation with Khuda will strengthen by every moment you spend in gnosis. My beliefs remain strong and I ask you to reconsider yours for this argument of knowledge is not striking enough. It doesn’t have any supporting evidences.
Al-Arabi looked closely at Iqbal and gave him a haughty look
Al-Arabi:
Your arguments are lifeless. Gnosis has always been the stronger argument. It has been the way of the prophets. Follow it to be a part of the reality.
Iqbal:
You remain as arrogant and ignorant as before. There is no point arguing with you such delicate matters as religion. I leave you in peace.
Having said that, the white clad figure of Iqbal looked up at the heavens and was noiselessly lifted off his feet. Al-Arabi followed him with his eyes until he disappeared into the heavens. Al-Arabi too drifted over the dust and was sucked by the bright blue sky. The sun shone on khayaban-e-Iqbal and blood, dust and an assortment of broken junk littered the once busy yet peaceful road.
Al-Arabi:
World of soul - a world of fire, ecstasy and longing;
World of body - a world of gain, fraud and cunning;
Iqbal:
Get over with it already, Arabi! It is insolence that you answer me in my own words which remind me of my past. I am done with you and your arguments. WHY have you brought me here now? I know there is misery and hopelessness and destruction, but that has nothing to do with our prime argument of knowledge.
Al-Arabi:
You are mistaken, Iqbal, for our prime argument lies in gnosis rather than in such superficial things as knowledge. You talk of knowledge, you talk of rationality. Where is your nation going today? It has knowledge, and established mosques and schools. There are valid hadiths. And on top of everything else, THE KORAN. There are dozens of Madrassas within a 5 mile radius where thousands of people pray. They are hafiz and ulemas. Despite all this, where is your nation going today? If only they could have seen past these worldly distractions, they would have been much closer to God and would have been in peace.
Iqbal:
Arabi for the love of God. Islam is NOT a religion for hermits. We both know that Islam never asks you to give up world and seek refuge in mountains and forests. Islam is a way of life and life exists with the world. The world of body, as opposed to the world of soul, is a reality. You expect God to make a world and then ask you to give it up?
1 Previously known as Margallah Road in Islamabad now has been renamed as "Khayaban-e-Iqbal.
The first two verses are a translation of Iqbal’s “The world of body vs. The world of soul”
Al-Arabi:
It’s a test. The path to Allah is clear. If you want to achieve the highest level in religion you have to sever all your mundane earthly ties.
Iqbal:
My argument remains the same. Islam is a way of life; it’s a zaabat-e-hayat. After seeing so much I have to say that if you give up the world you give up everything. For with the appropriate knowledge of the religion and a rational mind you can achieve any level of religious scholarship you aspire.
Iqbal raised his hand at this point and pointed toward the heavens and looking into the eyes of Al-Arabi said:
Iqbal:
Arabi what do you have to say about the fact that the mystic state is a single unanalysable unity in which the ordinary distinction of subject and object does not exist. For if the mystic state is devoid of the subject-object distinction, how is it possible that the mystic experiences God in this state as an independent other self?
Al-Arabi however looked unperturbed by this argument and calmly responded with a slight smile playing around his lips
Al-Arabi:
There are various levels of the manifestation of reality. At the highest level, reality is absolute unity, devoid of distinctions, but at the lower levels distinctions emerge and they are also real. In this experience the mystic reaches just short of the stage of absolute unity, which is the unity of plurality, yet he is convinced that there is a more fundamental level as well.
Iqbal:
My ideology remains firm that knowledge and not gnosis leads to the attainment of the highest level in Religion. Allah has himself claimed in the Holy Quran that: “surely in the heavens and the earth there are signs for those with faith; and in your creation and the beasts. He scatters abroad, there are signs for a people having certainty; and in the diversity of the night and the day, and the provision that God sends down from heaven, and therewith gives it life after its death, and in the turning about of winds, there are signs for people who have intelligence. These are the signs of God that we recite to you truly. So in which speech, after God and His signs will they have faith?” Surely Arabi you are intelligent enough to understand and decipher the meaning of this verse. And I am also assuming that you are amongst those who have faith. This verse clearly points towards knowledge of the religion and in the signs of God given through the Quran. This is surely the best way to reach God and understand him.
Al-Arabi:
Iqbal I am one of those who have faith. But intelligence is a virtue that has not been distributed to all. You see your nation today. Look around Iqbal. You will see for yourself that this Sufi’s words hold some truth in them. Your nation, in following your views of rationality and knowledge, has ended up killing themselves. Humanity cannot be trusted with knowledge. They only path to the Almighty is to give up the worldly pleasures and devout your life for Him. You have to sever your ties from the world and find reason yourself in isolation. Mari’fah is the only way to ensure the attainment of Allah’s will. Remember when you said yourself:
Delve deep into your buried self, and find the clue to life;
If you cannot be mine then be not, but be your own;
The clue to life is hidden in yourself. You just have to work hard and find it. And that Allama is your way to God. Gnosis.
Iqbal:
When you talk of gnosis and you undermine the importance of knowledge it just seems to me that you are ignoring an important doctrine of Islam. The very essence of religion lies in the knowledge of Quran, of Sunnah and Hadith. You cannot be ignorant of the knowledge that is in these doctrines. If you talk about MY NATION being misguided and the one in misery then you are largely denying the fact that most in my nation do not understand the real knowledge. They are misguided. They are driven by the worldly desires. They have no idea about the real path of illumination. If you think about it, knowledge does not come easily; hard work and labor are required to get knowledge of the deen. The path to God is not an easy one. There are many stray paths which sometimes deceive the unwary. In the first period, religious life appears as a form of discipline which the individual or a whole people must accept as an unconditional command without any rational understanding of the ultimate leaning and purpose of that command. It is beyond the initial phases that man has to decide which Path to choose. Yes my nation believes in knowledge to a greater extent and most of them are pious people like yourself, they can initially see the path to God clearly and can understand religion easily. It is after the initial stage (manzi) that they wander on different paths; the result of which you can see clearly.
Iqbal at this point shook his head and looked over to a dead body, the head now bowed down
Al-Arabi:
And that my friend is the sole reason why I believe that knowledge is not a sure way to God. For knowledge requires skills like rationality and logic and this Knowledge cannot be arrived at by the intellect by means of any rational thought process, for this kind of perception comes only by divine disclosure. The ONLY possible path to God is that you give up your rationality and with your heart and soul, strive for DEEN. You will have to cut your ties with this materialistic world, give up all your earthly desires and work your way towards the Almighty. Your relation with Khuda will strengthen by every moment you spend in gnosis. My beliefs remain strong and I ask you to reconsider yours for this argument of knowledge is not striking enough. It doesn’t have any supporting evidences.
Al-Arabi looked closely at Iqbal and gave him a haughty look
Al-Arabi:
Your arguments are lifeless. Gnosis has always been the stronger argument. It has been the way of the prophets. Follow it to be a part of the reality.
Iqbal:
You remain as arrogant and ignorant as before. There is no point arguing with you such delicate matters as religion. I leave you in peace.
Having said that, the white clad figure of Iqbal looked up at the heavens and was noiselessly lifted off his feet. Al-Arabi followed him with his eyes until he disappeared into the heavens. Al-Arabi too drifted over the dust and was sucked by the bright blue sky. The sun shone on khayaban-e-Iqbal and blood, dust and an assortment of broken junk littered the once busy yet peaceful road.
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