“Let your self be exalted, so that before every decree God asks you what your will is.”
— Muhammad IqbalBal-i Jibril (Urdu verse, the couplet on khudi and divine decree); approximate English rendering
Commentary
This line restates the theme of khudi in an especially bold form, presenting the perfected self as one whose will carries weight within the divine order. Iqbal's reversal of the usual relationship between Creator and creature is a striking feature of the passage, and it has generated extensive discussion among readers of his mysticism. Annemarie Schimmel, in Gabriel's Wing, reads the couplet against the background of Sufi ideas of the perfect human being, and she argues that Iqbal's language is theologically audacious but rooted in Qur'anic notions of human vicegerency. Javid Iqbal records that his father considered such formulations central to his teaching on the moral responsibility of the individual. Bashir Ahmad Dar notes that critics have questioned whether the couplet risks overstating human agency, while defenders argue that it should be read as a statement of accountability and aspiration. Schimmel's own cautious reading holds that Iqbal intended no claim to autonomy from God, but rather a dignified relationship in which the self is called to responsibility. The English version is approximate, and the Urdu text should be checked before quotation.
Commentary
This line restates the theme of khudi in an especially bold form, presenting the perfected self as one whose will carries weight within the divine order. Iqbal's reversal of the usual relationship between Creator and creature is a striking feature of the passage, and it has generated extensive discussion among readers of his mysticism. Annemarie Schimmel, in Gabriel's Wing, reads the couplet against the background of Sufi ideas of the perfect human being, and she argues that Iqbal's language is theologically audacious but rooted in Qur'anic notions of human vicegerency. Javid Iqbal records that his father considered such formulations central to his teaching on the moral responsibility of the individual. Bashir Ahmad Dar notes that critics have questioned whether the couplet risks overstating human agency, while defenders argue that it should be read as a statement of accountability and aspiration. Schimmel's own cautious reading holds that Iqbal intended no claim to autonomy from God, but rather a dignified relationship in which the self is called to responsibility. The English version is approximate, and the Urdu text should be checked before quotation.