Iqbal's duel with Hafiz as interpreted by Bijnori |
In the formative years of the 20th century, as the Muslim world grappled with colonial fragmentation and spiritual ennui, Allama Muhammad Iqbal emerged as an intellectual seismograph - his pen trembled with the vibrations of a collapsing tradition and the longing for renewal. Dr Abdur Rahman Bijnori's early critique, published in 1918, of Asrar-e-Khudi and Rumuz-e-Bekhudi remains a luminous literary reflection that not only assesses Iqbal's poetic vision but positions it as the herald of a new Islamic ethos. Dr Bijnori does not approach Iqbal with hesitant reverence. Instead, he boldly identifies him as a messiah, stirring "the dead with life". The Persian Masnavis, he suggests, do not merely echo the rhythmic beauty of Jalaluddin Rumi. They pulse with the energy of action, realism, and spiritual confidence. If........