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JAVID IQBAL (1924-2015).

CATEGORIES
Dr.JavidIqbal,aformerjusticeoftheSupremeCourtofPakistan,diedinLahoreonOct.3afterliving
90yearsintheshadowofhisgreatfather,AllamaDr.MuhammadIqbal,thephilosopherpoetof
LatestNews
Pakistan.

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4/29/2017 TheWonderfullyDisobedientSonNewsweekPakistan

NewsGallerie
Didthesonbecomestuntedinthereflectedgloryofhisfather?Didheacceptthedubiousstatusofa
successortowhomoriginalitywasforbiddenlestheextendthelimitsofagreatthinkerthatwashis Opinion
father?Itispossiblethatpeopleignoredhiseffortsatbecominghisownselfafterdocketinghimunder
Culture
thelargershelfofhisstoriedfather.Headheredtohisfatherslegacy,butinterpretedhimoftenatodds
withPakistansofficialtextbooks.JavidIqbalwasoriginalandwalkedalittlebitaheadofhisfather,not LastWord
mindingthatthestatehadtothrusthimintoobscurityinordertosaveitsideologyfrombeingmodified.

InhisbookIslamandPakistansIdeology(2003),Iqbalacceptsthefactthathisfatherimaginedan
IslamicstatebutisatpainstoclarifythathedidnotenvisionwhatPakistanfinallybecame.Hewrote:
IfIslamisthebasisofPakistan,thenwhichinterpretationofIslamwasitsinspiration?Whyweremost MeetM
[clerics]opposedtoitscreation?EspeciallywhentheearlierIslamicmovementshadfailedinIndia,
whydidtheoneopposedbythe[clerics]succeed?HealsoaskswhytheexpressionIslamicstate Find
doesnotappearintheQuranorHadith.
1,000sL
IqbalsaidPakistanwasestablishedonareconstructiveviewofIslamandwasthusopposedbythe Dateon
clerics.WhenevertheMuslimsofIndiawerederailedfromworkadaypragmatismbytheemotionalism FindYou
oftheclericstheysufferedgrievously.AnIslamicstatehadneverbeenformedbefore,andtheone
formedbyIslamsProphetinMedinaisnotacceptabletodaybecausehisconstitution,Mithaqe lp.arabiand
Madina,conferringequalityofcitizenshiponnonMuslimsisnotacceptabletotheorthodoxy.

Hehadatoughchildhoodthematrimoniallifeofthenationalpoetwasabitofashipwreck.Heknew
hisfatherwasgreatandguardedAllamaIqbalsoriginalitywithoutscalingdownhisgenuineadmiration
forhim.HismemoirApnaGarebanChaak(2010)recallsRousseausConfessions.Hewasunworshipful
ofhisfatherwithoutseekingtobuildhimselfupathisexpense.Hisstorybeginswithhisactingthe
prodigalson,notheedinghisfatherslastadviceagainstextravagance,andendsinIqbalfinally
MeetM
meetinghisfathersexpectationsofhim.HestoodfirstinM.A.PhilosophyinthePunjabbeforeleaving
forCambridge.WhenhewassailingtoLondonin1949,henotedthat,passingtheSaudipeninsula,he
Find
wasnotovercomebyanyfeelingofdesolationatnotbeingcalledtoHijazashisfatherwasduringhis 1,000sL
voyage.
Dateon
Whathedidduringthevoyagewasflirtlikecrazy,assharedinJahaneJavid,Vol.2(2010).Hisdiary
FindYou
revealsthat,hisfirstdayonthedeckofCelicia,heattitudinizedbrazenly,pretendingtowritehisfirst
lp.arabiand
novel,IAmaMuslim,inhisroomafterdancingalleveningonthedeck.The25yearoldwassoon
noticedbya40yearoldladyandarelationshipdeveloped.Shewasrichandbeautifulandquickly
graduatedfromauntytoanobjectofenvyforotherwomen.Afteralltheselittleaffairsontheship,he
wastomeethisfuturewife,Nasira,inLondon.

ButhisplayfulnesssoonresultedinhislosinghisfirstthreetermsatCambridgewithoutaclueabout
whathehadcometherefor.IqbalslackofknowledgeofArabic,GreekandLatindisqualifiedhimfor
researchintoImamGhazaliandImamAbuHanifa.Hefinallyplumpedforaninvestigationintothe
theoryoftheIslamicstateandgothisPh.D.init.Asaresult,hehaswrittenmoreclearlyaboutthe
Islamicstateandhasdoneabetterjobofconfrontingtheclericsthanhisfather.Iqbalsmostimportant
bookisZindarud(2004),avoluminousbiographyofhisfatherthatcarefullyrecordsthefactswithout
fluffingsomeofthewartsthataconventionalsonwouldhavediscreetlyleftout.Thisbookisthebest
explanationofwhyhisfatherwasagreatman.

IqbaloncetookonPakistansmosttransformationalmilitarypresident,Gen.ZiaulHaq.Ithappenedat
aseminarinKarachionDec.25,1986,tocommemoratethebirthanniversaryofPakistansfounder,
Jinnah.Iqbalpubliclytoldthegeneralthathisfatherwasopposedtomedievalpunishmentslikethe
cuttingofhands.HewasreferringtoAllamaIqbalssixthlecture,whichhasbecomethesecond

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documentofnationalembarrassmentafterJinnahsAug.11,1947,speech.ZiarespondedtoIqbal:If
thatisthecase,thenwehavetosetAllamaIqbalaside.

In2008,Iqbalwrotehisinterpretationofhisfatherslecturesinthefaceofastudiedneglectofthe
poetstakeontheIslamicstate.InKhutbaateIqbal:TasheeloTafheem,Iqbalexplainstohisfathers
conservativecriticswhatthesixthlecturehadreallytriedtocommunicate.Thecruxoftheargument
waswhetherAllamaIqbalwasoversteppingtheboundariesofreinterpretationsetbyclassicaljurists
ofIslam.Thecontroversialphrasingfromthelecturewas:TheShariatvaluesresultingfromthis
application(e.g.,rulesrelatingtopenaltiesforcrimes)areinasensespecifictothatpeopleandsince
theirobservanceisnotanendinitselftheycannotbestrictlyenforcedinthecaseoffuture
generations.

Iqbaldefendedhisfatheragainstthefundamentalistupsurgepeakingbytheendofthe20thcentury.
GroundrealitygivesthelietothosewhowantIslamistpunishmentsretainedunderonepretextorthe
other.TheTalibanpromisedsuchasysteminPakistanwiththehelpofavastmadrassahnetwork.
Pakistanisstillunable,officially,tocutthehandsofitsthievesalthoughthesepunishmentshavebeen
awardedbythelowercourts.Iqbalspokefromhisexperienceasajudgewhenhefoundfaultwiththe
conceptofdiyatorbloodmoneythatfavorstherichandencouragesplannedhomicide.

OnMarch7,2011,JavidIqbalwasinterviewedonTVonthenatureofthePakistanistate.Hesaid
Pakistan,asenvisagedbyJinnah,wastobeasecularstate:HardIslamwasnottheprojectofJinnah
theIslamofHudoodandblasphemylawswasimposedbyGeneralZia.

FromourOct.1017,2015,issue.

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5 COMMENTS
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4/29/2017 TheWonderfullyDisobedientSonNewsweekPakistan

Dr.SalimHaidrani,London:UK 2YEARSAGO (Reply)

ThisisthemostreliablebriefaboutthelifeofJavidIqbalbyKhaledAhmedandIthink
everylearnedandasecularmindedreaderwillenjoythecontradictionspointedoutbythe
respectedauthorthroughthepoliticalandscholarlyinterventionsofJavidIqbalwhenhe
triedtoreferencetheteachingsandwritingsofhisfatherAlamaIqbaltotheductatorZia,
whowantedtoimposeShariahlawsonPakistanduringthe1980s.
JavidIqbalhadanintellectualdistancefromhisfatheronseveralpoliticalandcultural
issuesbecausehewitnessandobservedverycloselyPakistanielitesandtheirdouble
standardsbutherefrainedfromchallengingthemduetotheprivilegesheenjoyedasan
elitehimself.Bothequally,PakistanimilitaryestablishmentandtheCivilianspower
BrokersrespectedJavidIqbalbecausehebelongedtotheGrandIqbalFamily.ButJavid
IqbalhadalittlerespectforthePakistanarmygeneralslikeZiaandMusharafandhe
foughtagainstBhutoostoo.

IftikharBhutta 2YEARSAGO (Reply)

AgoodarticleonlifehistoryofJavaidIqbal.Hewasaselfstylednarrationpersonandtry
toclarifymisconceptionsandmisunderstandingofclericswhohaveselectedversionon
ownlikingandleftIqbal,sremainsthoughtswithreading.NowarewearetaughtIqbalyat
ofownliking.whereasashisthoughtshaveuniversalperception.JavaidIqbalhastruly
paintedpictureofhisfatherasProgressivescholarwhowantspositivechangeinlifeof
commonmanthroughgivingsocialandeconomicrightnotthroughimplementationof
severepunishments.Hebravelytalkedagainstorthodoxy,TalibisationandopposedZia
narrativeofiIslam.

shoaibzahidi@gmail.com 2YEARSAGO (Reply)

WorthreadingarticlethatmarksthepoitofdifferencebetweenAllamaIqbalandhisson
DrJavedIqbal

Hassam 2MONTHSAGO (Reply)

Someonesittinginsupremecourtcanchallengeeverythingthebookoflawholds.An
intellectuallystrongpersonlikehimshouldhavetakenastep.Ifhecouldnt,thenforget
aboutacommonmanandhispower.

DrabuAbdullah 2MONTHSAGO (Reply)

Nosonofagreatlegendislikefather.

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