Science learnt to do so.”(2) He has also drawn attention to the central
position of deen in a synthesis of all the data of human experience.(3)
In this connection it should be noted that the response of deen to
Reality is not a partial one. It is not merely cognitive as it is in the case
of science and philosophy, nor is it merely emotional as it is in
aesthetics. It is a total response involving all the elements in the
personality of the individual. Further, it is response of a coherent
harmonious personality, a personality organised on the basis of a
synthetic principle. In the words of Iqbal, “Religion ... is neither
mere thought, nor mere feeling, nor mere action; it is an expression
of the whole man.”(4) We must not lose sight of this fact if we want
to understand the real nature of deen.
Let us pause to consider the implications of this view. If deen is
the expression of the whole man, then his achievements whether in
the sphere of action or of thought, must somehow be related to his
deen or, in other words, to his basic beliefs about his relation to the
Ultimate Reality. These beliefs essentially relate to deen. We see then
that deen has given the impetus to the noblest enterprises of man. It
is generally claimed that a scientific ideology can very well achieve
this object. But this is not true, for the simple reason that a scientific
or materialistic ideology, by its very nature, cannot satisfy the whole
man. It may appeal to his reason or interest but will, certainly, remain
unrelated to other elements in his personality, and will in effect lead
to the fragmentation of personality itself. Science and art bring
satisfaction to the rational and the emotional (aesthetic) sides of
human nature respectively. But deen sets out to build up a view of the
world which will satisfy all the deepest longings of man. Can deen
really accomplish this stupendous task? Some great thinkers of the
*Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal (circa 1877-1938), the poet philosopher of
the Indian sub-continent, wrote voluminous poetry in Persian, as well as in
Urdu, and earned his doctorate in Germany for his thesis on the religious
philosophy and theology of Islam. He is revered as the spiritual father of
Pakistan as he is rightly credited with presenting, in 1930, the vision for a
future independent Muslim state to be carved out of British India. His
famed book in English The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (also
known as the Six Lectures) has been frequently quoted by the author.
(Editor)
**Author’s addition.
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 48