Wednesday, April 22, 2009

10th IS session (18/04/09) - Summary

The session of 18th April moved around certain key points from Iqbal’s book, The Reconstruction of Religion Thought in Islam. Iqbal prophesied a time when “unsuspected harmonies” between science and religion will be discovered.

Recent schemes of study have not only introduced unbridgeable gaps between these essential modes of life but also insist on dichotomy between spirit and matter. Iqbal was completely opposed to this school of thought and on the contrary found matter and spirit to be interconnected. The main concern for him was the collective ego – as the Holy Quran says, “Your creation and resurrection are like the creation and resurrection of a single soul.”

Iqbal suggested a method whose highlights were collective ego, unity of soul, concrete type of mind and transcending the need for philosophical arguments about religious experience.

Once society begins to feel itself as a single organism it actually transforms into a more understanding and culturally agreeable mass. This may be the point which Iqbal defined as “a real collective ego”. Through attainment of this state, the reality of external world may also be grasped truly. But for that we must apply the method of becoming “thousand eyes with one vision.”

Monday, April 13, 2009

9th IS session (11/04/009) - Summary

History of Pakistan is totally interlaced with voices and wishes of people. Any writer, poet or visionary whoever successfully adhered to desires and values of common mass or marked their value of existence has excelled sphere of all ages. In this way, our National account is filled with One Voice," Voice of People". Every successive period of 20 years consist upon a person who communicates with society through indigenous tone, understanding and language.

Though, it’s a clear reflection whoever implicitly encompass or approach thoughts of people on every levels, always remain in heart core of society. Primarily, on large scale, people would like to see following attributes in these representatives of society; Co- existence, Unifying, Assimilation, Inter-marriages, Development of Muslim State, Better role of women and Mysticism (National as well as Individual) moves towards life. There are some fixed patterns and Math that has been set by Nature which altogether link up connections among these people of different ages.

It is concluded by every mean of turns and counts that consensus or joint force of people contains enormous power of faith, change and harmony. It can bring vehement transformation as well as disintegration of its structure leads towards harsh sequels for Human Fate.

Things which are passing in extrinsic and intrinsic world through our conscious and subconscious states respectively contain some different messages and codes for its people. The significant point is this, if that code is ever tried to comprehend through individual approach, then that can never be accessed up to its core. On contrary to this, upon collective basis people can influence, realize and modify these worlds or even able to pass Hardest Hurdle of any realm.

Collective ego in popular media – Saturday, April 18
“Achieve a real collective ego,” said Iqbal in the Presidential Address after outlining his concept of Pakistan. In what ways has our collective ego unfolded itself through popular media? The answers might surprise you.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Iqbal Sciences

Since love first made the breast an instrument,
of fierce lamenting, by its flame my heart,
was molten to a mirror, like a rose.
I pluck my breast apart, that I may hang
this mirror in your sight
Gaze you therein.

Allama Iqbal.

Iqbal, despise of his valuable advises and alerting cautions for Muslim ummah regarding coming intellectual crisis. Unfortunately, Entire nation has cherished him as only a magnificent poet. Instead of bring him forth as a thinker, philosopher and scholar. He has been bound up within walls of great poetry and beauty.

A man born 100 years ago tried to unravel myths of educational dilemma among emerging souls of Ummah in front of Muslims. He stated on many occasions that this course of educational work-up will devour our new generation and would probably paralyze the arising thoughts of younger minds. The monotonous route will have devastating future. But from minor to major scales of vision, every Pakistani leader and individual discounted his massage and disregarded his thought, integrated into their own languages and benefits.


Taaleem key taizaab main daal iski khudi ko,
Ho Jaey Molaim Tou Jidhar Chahe Isey Phair.


These have not occurred in usual course. Things have taken place n the same order as described by this man. He warned whole nation from aspects of coward ness, individualistic and materialistic approach towards life opportunities and blessings. But the blind path tracking of ummah behind west has dissolved all powers of faith in its bottom.

(Persian)
Ilm o Fun ra ae jawan e shoukh o shang.
Maghz mee bayed na malboos e farang.

(Its knowledge and skills O young boy,
Not dress of west but their minds.)

Eventually, the learned icons turned the visions and targets of young brains in the way that upholding a dignity of religion and the concept of sovereignty of One God over the world has lost its meaning and passion. Fortunes of any nation depend on people love and despise status. The day, we have deprived of our goals and means of existence, that is the day when we lost all powers of confrontation because according to Iqbal, in near future existence and survival will rest only with those who has got strongest of belief and concept of living.


I have seen the movement of the sinews of the sky,And the blood coursing in the veins of the moon.


How the intrigues of enemies got success by dumping his whole ideology and vision for Muslim life is appalling. The false eulogy of real Scholar has cost us heavily by bestowing grave losses in our lap. His philosophy has made access to only few people and to a main extent his predictions about future political drama which is present in his prose as well as poetry has been concealed in a well manner.

Arise, and soar with the sun’s new-born rays,To breathe new life into dying nights and days.

Although, it's too hard to at once turn everything upside down and made it in accordance to his idea. But, still an endeavor to reveal his proposals about the true Muslim state can help in lifting up covers from the all- influencing humanitarian approach of this man.

Although Iqbal has a significant position for our national identity and his message is invaluable for the nation. There are not many circles in Karachi for the study and analysis of his work. As in Lahore, Iqbal Academy of Pakistan is doing great job regarding this.

Iqbal Sciences is bringing this opportunity to the ground of reality. It is for the exploration of the layers of Iqbal’s texts and to spread his words of wisdom for the solution and support of the nation.

Its sessions will consist upon Workshop based lecture and activities, Discussion and Q/A sessions, Availability of books for purchase at special discounts and Audio-visual series.

It's all starting up with the hope of betterment of nation as a human being, citizen, student and responsible professional.


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.................... O'er my own self I pour my flooding tears

Monday, April 6, 2009

8th SOIS session (04/04/009) - Summary

Although the attendance this time was less than the last time, the session was found to be more interesting than usual. I would like to thank everyone who attended, and those who intended to but couldn’t.
This was the first in the series of four workshops planned for April. This series focuses on revisiting Pakistan in the light of Iqbal’s ideas, and this particular session was an introduction to the history of Pakistan from this perspective.
In the first half we looked at brief descriptions of each of the seven valleys which birds pass through in their journey towards Simorgh (their collective ego and their unseen king) in The Conference of the Birds by Attar: Desire, Love, Knowledge of Mysteries, Detachment, Oneness, Wonderment and Poverty-and-Annihilation.
It was observed that each valley is different – in the fifth, the birds attain absolute unity but at the very entrance into the next, “that unity that had got written on their souls was no more…” This would appear to be retrogression but actually it is a necessary bridge between realizing unity within themselves (sixth valley) and externalizing it (the seventh valley).
In a brief interlude, Mr. Abbas M. Husain, director TDC, explained that the seven valleys are roadmap to any journey of self-development and can be applied equally to an individual as well as a nation (“Your creation and resurrection are like the creation and resurrection of a single soul,” says Verse 28 of Chapter 31 in the Quran).
In the second half of the session the participants concluded that when the history of Pakistan is divided into seven stages on the basis of consensus-seeking moments (explained in several previous sessions), then those stages become identical with the seven valleys of Attar. The conclusion was that even our mistakes were exactly those which were listed in the roadmap: we have been on the right track so far.
In 2007, we entered the seventh valley. What we now need to do is to shed the luggage of the sixth valley and live up to the challenge of the seventh by merging our individual selves into the consensus of the nation.
How to do that? The question will be addressed in the next interactive session on Saturday, April 11 (Please bring more friends with you if you can - but let's know in advance).

Consensus Literature – Saturday, April 11

Art and literature is usually categorized as “high” and “popular”. This workshop introduces a third option: “consensus literature”. How is it different from our common perception of literature, what can we learn about ourselves through it and how far does it go in showing us new options for our future? These are some of the issues which are being addressed here.

Friday, April 3, 2009

“SACRED LIE”

(The basic idea for taking an example of an art work to demonstrate upheavals of life, is due to the way in which human modify, decorate and embellish an ordinary stones, wood pieces into fine model of art. it is similar to the nature’s own conduct, through which she produces a wise man from a very crude and rough body of soil unto the prudent man of LORD,”MARD E MOMIN”. But both of these phenomena run in opposite direction. Nature starts and travels beyond beauty)


‘ART IS A SACRED LIE’

Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal.

Sculpture is a creation and conversion of rough material into fine piece of art. There are two types of sculpture on earth: 1.Artificial sculpture 2.Natural sculpture In artificial sculpture, we obtain block of stone with rough, irregular surface and cut out its ending to make it a required part of a set which would be appropriate for a final shape. After passing from this phase of hard cutouts, including elimination of non-essential parts. It enters a phase of minor furnishing and surfacing. This is more delicate work than prior for a fine representation.


Whenever Almighty gives any great task to His mankind. He ultimately divides an individual’s life into certain phases. This shows the way to the formation of a living art. Then the process of Natural sculpture comes into an action.


Natural sculpture is shortly a “life”, which includes an invisible wear and tear of conscious and sub conscious level. It leads from self to general disaster. Let’s start from self-disaster. A first process starts from within (Mini war). This is a phase of conscious and sub conscious calamity. It encircles our self only. One who has tolerates and endures each phase of self-disaster with harmony and patience. He can get ability to enter in part of general disaster (Grand war). This phase is like last phase of artificial sculpture, which includes minor cuts for material surfacing.



Unfortunately, 85% of people trap in a self-disaster phase. Their lives, employment, joys, sorrows are absolutely for their own self. They have inability to see outside a circle of self-disaster. General disaster does not open its door for them. When man successfully endures critically hard times of his soul, experiences many upheavals of psychological and spiritual mode of life. Then very unconsciously he generates a mass of conceptual divine knowledge within himself. He breaks a circle around him, broadens his view and emotions.


Then, phase of general disaster opens its door for him towards humanity. Now his love and sympathy for his own failures turns into tears for historical and social pain of human beings He allows his sentiments, self determinations to consume for people, this last phase is somehow similar to the initial step of artificial sculpture that is major cuts and elimination of unnecessary parts. And, it is this phase through which history has shaped Iqbal, Bu Ali Sina ,Al-Ghazali and Einstein. Iqbal, in particular, throughout his life emphasized his reader to pass out from path of personal needs, pains and desires so that you can feel universal grief of mankind. One who can’t recognize him self cannot change world.