اقبال اور مبارزت پسندی

Iqbal and Combative Spirit

Abstract

The concept of combative spirit in Iqbal's thought is deeply rooted in his philosophy of the self (khudi) and his vision of the ideal human (insan-i kamil). For Iqbal, life itself is motion, struggle, and creative tension. He firmly rejected passivity and fatalism, viewing them as forms of spiritual and cultural death. This article examines the nature of Iqbal's combative spirit and argues that it is not a celebration of militarism or aggression, but rather a philosophy of creative struggle – an inner and outer exertion of the self against stagnation, self-diminishment, and oppression. The paper also addresses common misreadings of Iqbal that associate his imagery of swords, eagles, and armies with fascism or extremism, and demonstrates how such interpretations emerge from a partial, acontextual reading of his verse. By situating Iqbal's metaphors of power within the larger framework of his moral and spiritual thought – encompassing passion (ishq), poverty-of-spirit (faqr), monotheism (tawḥid), and service to humanity – the article shows that for Iqbal, force without ethical grounding is not strength but decay. The article concludes that Iqbal's combative spirit, properly understood, is an affirmation of human dignity, cultural vitality, and moral responsibility.