The message.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

THE message

Messages from the soul that began by naming things, and which in time grew into still longer, more intricate stories, are still with us today. We call these messages the same thing we did in ancient times: poetry, which is itself derived from the ancient Greek root, poiein: "to make". Not to write lines, meter, rhymes, stanzas, but simply to make something where there was nothing before. This is what makes them timeless. My experience with poetry has been not been limited, but to understand the essence of poetry took a long time. I understood poetry when I was in 11th grade in Pakistan, and ever since it has attracted me, especially spiritual poetry. My first encounter with it was a poem by a very famous poet, Dr Mohammad Allama Iqbal. His poem THE INTELLECT AND THE HEART had an immediate impact on me.

Poetry is a very basic and essential form of human art, which is why we all can relate to it. When reading or writing poetry we instinctively know that something profound has occurred. When our own poems come to us, we treat them as sacred events. No one has to tell us to do that, we automatically do it, because every fiber of our being knows we have received something similar to grace, that the soul itself has spoken to us, and for us. Similarly through this poem “The Intellect And The Heart” I have learned what i would have taken years. During reading this poem it dawned upon me that knowledge does not lead to the comprehension of the Essence of God. The heart guides one to the final goal. _

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Before reading this poem i had to read about the poet’s life and the influence under which he wrote it. In this particular poem he has tried to explain the concept of understanding God. What struck me while reading this poem was that through his use of Intellect and Heart (Intuition) he has tried to explain the controversy of the relative efficacy of these two means of knowing the truth about the existence and the essence of God and His relationship with the universe, both material and spiritual. I was surprised my self to reach this idea while reading it as this very controversy is a part of every Muslim life. This poem gave me another aspect of searching God. Not through the human eyes but with an understanding and devotion. To understand the existence of God we have to look with in our own self and have to look with all intelligence and love towards God for the purpose of finding him. This in itself is an accomplishment for us. This is the very message that I got from this poem. It had a very positive experience and i was in a phase of judging Gods existence without even looking for him.

In his poem the poet has used Intellect (Knowledge), reasoning and logical thinking synonymously for ways of acquiring the knowledge of the material universe. The ways depending upon the above faculties are the material ways of experimentation and reasoning. Similarly, he has used Heart, Intuition, and love of God, faith, belief in the realities of the unseen or transcendental universe, based on revelation, synonymously for the means of acquiring knowledge of the spiritual universe. In the matter of the controversy of Intellect and Intuition he has recognized two different situations in one of which Intellect gets precedence over Intuition and in the other the precedence is reversed; for example Learning is from you, but Divine Knowledge is from me
You only seek Divinity, but showing Divinity I am.

I noticed that here the poet has acknowledged that brain or Intellect is the source of learning but the divinity can only comes from heart. I also noticed that through this method of poetry he has tried to show that such heavenly knowledge cannot be achieved through Intellect or commitment alone. These two forces have to work side by side as a system in order to achieve a full understanding of God. This system has been discussed in many books, but i felt more attracted and moved by this poem as it had answers many questions regarding the role intelligence and beliefs. Similarly Iqbal also said that

Concerned with the manifest order you are and acquainted with the inward I am

The other aspect if this poem came to my understanding when i researched the time, place and influence this poem was written in. To completely understand the message of this poem we have to understand, that at that particular time the Muslim nation was going through a rough part of history. This poem addressed two aspects of Muslim life. One is about the Divine knowledge and the other is the renaissance and rejuvenation of the Muslim world and Muslim society so that it may regain its lost position in the world community, through the dual task of inner reconstruction and outer adjustment to the changed conditions of the present day world. Which require Intuition as well as Intellect. The latter has precedence over the former. Thus the poet has addressed two problems faced by Muslims all over the world. Seeing the poem in a different perspective i came to know that these both goals can be achieved only, if we devote our selves fully to God, which would in turn also strengthen our nation.

This poem contains two messages hidden in each other and shows that a perfect harmony dose exists between our heart and mind. Which is that through knowledge (INTELLECT) and devotion (Intuition) we can achieve inner peace as one needs inner peace to search his soul and then see the world through a learned eye, only and only then the mysteries of world will be solved and God can be found present in every aspect of nature. This is the final message i received from this poem. I like it because it explains the complex relation of intelligence and intuition and that it must co exists. Where Intellect will slowdown Devotion or Intuition will take over as Intuition is the guide and intelligence is the engine and this relation ship is like a machine which will enable us to find our way towards an understanding of Gods existence and the mysterious ways in which he works.

Restlessness is the end of Knowledge
But the remedy for that malady I am

Look at the grandeur of my station

The throne of the God of Majesty I am.