Abstract
Iqbal contribution to the reconstruction of religious thought
centers on the formulation of his concept of God as an Ego and as the
perfect personality by drawing upon the Islamic tradition and the
teachings of the Holy Quran. The problem he faces here concerns how to
reconcile the human ego and the world as an ego with the all-inclusive
Divine Ego. He tries to overcome the difficulty by conceiving God as
‘Reality as a whole’ – essentially spiritual but individual on the analogy of
the human self and as an organizing principle. By making His infinity as
intensive and not extensive, Iqbal talks about the infinite inner
possibilities of His creative activity. The relation between God and
universe raises the problem of finite and infinite deity. For Iqbal, the
universe cannot be regarded as an independent reality standing in
opposition to Him. Here, the pantheism-panentheism controversy engulfs
Iqbal’s stand-point and seems to vacillate between the two views. His
thesis here appears to be that reality is essentially spiritual and God
merely makes manifest His creative energy to create the world. This,
however, fails to solve the problem of how can an ego defined in terms of
individuality incorporate other egos in itself
Naheed Saeed. (2017) Iqbal's Concept of God as the Ultimate Ego, Al Tafseer, Volume 29-30, Issue 2.
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