Recently, I came through the writing of Alama Iqbal and read his books and memoirs and I honestly did not expect it to affect me the way it did. I thought I was opening books and memoirs of poetry and philosophy which I usually read, but what I found was something far more intense, a direct conversation about life, purpose, struggle, and the kind of human being we are meant to become. Iqbal’s words don’t feel like they belong to one century. It was like it was meant for every generations. They feel alive. They challenge you, wake you up, and refuse to let you remain the same.
One of the biggest surprises for me was Iqbal’s central idea of Khudi, the Self. In simple terms, Iqbal believes that life is not meant for people who want to disappear, become passive, or dissolve into comfort. Life is meant for those who build themselves. He treats the human personality as something real, valuable, and sacred. He does not see the “self” as ego in the arrogant sense. He sees it as the inner strength of a person, the ability to stand upright, to choose, to grow, to fight laziness, and to move closer to Almighty through discipline and action.
What Iqbal strongly rejects is the idea that spirituality means losing yourself. Many philosophies and even some forms of mystical thinking suggest that the highest goal is to erase individuality, to melt into a universal soul. But Iqbal turns that idea upside down. He argues that the more a person comes closer to Almighty, the more complete he becomes. The closest person to Almighty is not the one who becomes nothing, but the one who becomes the strongest version of himself full of truth, courage, justice, mercy, and wisdom. In a powerful way, Iqbal suggests that the perfect person does not get absorbed into God, rather, he absorbs God’s attributes into his own character.
Another idea that hit me deeply was Iqbal’s view of life as a forward journey. He describes life as a movement of constant struggle and growth. Obstacles are not just random pain, they are part of the training. He even says that nature and the physical world are not evil, because they provide resistance, and resistance builds strength. In other words, the world is not meant to be escaped. It is meant to be mastered and this was the best part of his writings. He criticizes those philosophies that glorify running away from the world. For him, avoiding responsibility is not holiness. It is weakness disguised as spirituality.
Iqbal also gives a very clear standard for good and evil, and it is surprisingly practical. He says, whatever strengthens personality is good, and whatever weakens it is bad. This simple rule can be applied to everything, habits, friendships, entertainment, goals, even the way we think. If something makes you lazy, dependent, fearful, or mentally asleep, it is harming your Khudi. If something makes you disciplined, courageous, focused, and morally awake, it is helping you grow. It is a strong reminder that not everything that feels peaceful is actually good for the soul.
A concept I found very interesting was how Iqbal describes a strong personality as a “state of tension.” At first, the phrase sounds negative, but it is not about stress or anxiety. It is about being alert and alive. It is the opposite of becoming too relaxed, too comfortable, and too satisfied. Iqbal warns that once a person becomes addicted to comfort, the Self starts dying. This is why discipline becomes a spiritual act in his philosophy. A disciplined person is not someone who lives under pressure, a disciplined person is someone who lives with direction.
Iqbal also speaks about love, but not in the shallow way we usually understand it. He calls it Ishq, and he says the Ego is strengthened by it. Here, Ishq means deep passion, love for Almighty, love for truth, love for a higher ideal, love for becoming better. Ishq is the fire that pushes a person to rise. It creates dreams, values, and goals, and then it demands effort to make them real. Iqbal even says that asking and begging weakens the Self, not only begging for money, but begging in mindset. Even living on borrowed thoughts, copying others, and avoiding personal effort is a form of begging. In Iqbal’s eyes, the strongest human is the one who builds himself through his own struggle.
One of the most beautiful parts of Iqbal’s philosophy is the three stages he gives for human development. First comes obedience to the Law, meaning discipline, rules, and a life guided by Almighty Allah’s commands. Second comes self-control, which is the real test of strength, controlling desires, anger, pride, and weakness. Finally comes divine vicegerency, where a person becomes so complete that he represents God’s values on earth. Such a person spreads justice, builds order, and lifts others up. He becomes the balance of mind and body, thought and action, reason and instinct. In simple words, Iqbal’s ideal human is not only a worshipper, he is also a builder, a leader, and a giver.
What stayed with me most after reading his writings is the way Iqbal makes you feel responsible for your own life. He doesn’t allow excuses. He doesn’t allow spiritual laziness. He doesn’t allow the idea that you can become great without effort. His message is not soft. It is not meant to entertain. It is meant to awaken. And maybe that is why it shocked the young people of his time. That is why Iqbal must be read carefully, not as a tool for ego or politics, but as a call to character.
In the end, reading Iqbal made me reflect on my own life. It made me ask, Am I building my Self or slowly losing it? Am I choosing discipline or choosing comfort? Am I moving forward or simply existing? Iqbal’s philosophy is not just something you understand, it is something you feel. It leaves you with a quiet but sharp realization, life is not meant to be wasted in laziness, fear, and dependence. Life is meant to be lived with purpose, strength, and a disciplined heart that moves closer to Almighty.
And that, to me, is the secret Iqbal was trying to teach, that the strongest person is not the one who escapes life, but the one who faces it, masters himself, and becomes a light for others.

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