IQBAL’S philosophy could be an elixir for creating and sustaining global peace. The ongoing genocide of Palestinians by Israel and its allies is a heinous crime against humanity that has been stoking the boiling cauldron of conflicts in the Middle East, which would embroil the entire world and cause World War III. If WWIII occurs, it would be a nuclear war.

In Why Social Justice Matters (2005), poli­­tical philosopher Brian Barry predic­ted that life on earth would be almost wip­ed out by 2100 either by nuclear holocaust or ecological decay. Is this just a prediction or a stark reality humanity faces? Cert­­ainly, under the dark clouds of violence, war, or terrorism across the world, a clear threat of nuclear holocaust hangs over us.

Some argue that Iqbal is a radical philosopher who supports warfare. This argument is wrong because Iqbal’s philosophy liberates humanity from exploitation, humiliation, colonialism, and imperialism through positive human action. Iqbal’s ideal individual is creative, dynamic, empirically informed, and a creator of a just and peaceful world.

In a new year message, ‘Brotherhood of Man’, broadcast from All India Radio, Lahore, on Jan 1, 1938, Iqbal not only described the sociopolitical conditions of the world at the time but also presented a manifesto for global peace. With this manifesto, Iqbal can be placed among the first-rank peace theorists of the 20th century, including Albert Schweitzer, Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Eqbal Ahmad, and Nelson Mandela.

In ‘Brotherhood of Man’, Iqbal’s argum­e­­­nt states that on the one hand, human be­­ings have made remarkable progress in science and technology, which created a new world. On the other hand, the world is so miserable that “It is as if the day of doom had come upon the earth, in which each looks after the safety of his own skin.” After over eight decades, there has been no moral progress.

Iqbal’s ideal individual wants a just and peaceful world.

Historically, just before the start of WWII, Iqbal asked a crucial question: is this goi­ng to be the end of all progress and evolution of human civilisation? Indubitably, WWII de­­v­­astated humanity by killing mil­­­lions thro­ugh conventional and nuclear arsenals.

Iqbal fosters the creation and sustainability of positive peace. Negative peace refers to the absence of war, while positive peace refers to the presence of life-promoting values and activities. Only positive peace is sustainable. Iqbal writes: “Remember, man can be maintained on this earth only by honouring mankind, and this world will remain a battleground of ferocious beasts of prey unless and until the educational forces of the whole world are directed to inculcating in man respect for mankind.”

According to Iqbal, ‘honouring mankind’ is necessary for creating peace. He also believes that global peace is impossible un­­less educational institutions impart the ethics of ‘honouring/ respect for humankind’, which I prefer to term ‘reverence for hum­anity’. Thus, all states must educate their people about the ethics of reverence for humanity for peaceful global coexistence.

Highlighting the central ideals of Islam — equality, freedom, and solidarity — Iqbal accentuates the significance of brotherhood. He articulates: “Only one unity is dependable, and that unity is the brotherhood of man, which is above race, nationality, colour or language.”

Indeed, the idea of the brotherhood of human beings provides a foundation for human unity, which eventually causes peaceful coexistence in the world. Iqbal envisages that false ideologies are enemies of global peace. He argues that until and unless the sha-

ckles of so-cal­led democracy, accu­r­sed nationalism, and degraded im­­perialism are des­troyed, there is no possibility of the good life in which the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity are realised.

Iqbal correctly argues that an ideology cannot promote peace if it causes humiliation, exploitation, or exclusion. Only that ideology can succeed that expresses reverence for humanity, transcending religion, culture, colour, or language because the whole world is the ‘family’ of God: all human beings are God’s creatures.

To create eternal peace on earth, global leaders must stop the crimes against humanity, particularly in Palestine and held Kashmir, before WWIII breaks out and makes Brian Barry’s prediction about the extinction of life come true. Political leaders must have the moral and intellectual vision to promote the values of unity rather than division, cooperation rather than conflict, dialogue rather than war, and above all, humanistic education rather than the indoctrination of racism, colour, caste, or creed.

At the end of ‘Brotherhood of Man’, Iqbal offers a prayer: “God Almighty may grant humanity to those who are in places of power and government and teach them to cherish [hu]mankind.”

The writer is an academic.

Published in Dawn, November 22th, 2024