Khudi or Self is a false philosophy of Iqbal

 Khudi or Self is a false philosophy of Iqbal by Naeem Khan CSP.

Iqbal's concept of Khudi is lopsided, paradoxical and incoherent.  He combines 3 different objects or subjects Self, Universe and God into one whole and that's Self or Khud. 

This is empirically neither possible nor  desirable as how and why Self should be merged with Universe or God.

God or Universe can't be Self. It's possible only in imagination or quixotic utopian scheme of an emotional or lunatic or religious paradigm. 

Iqbal made human being as the central figure on the earth but we see that Science has told us about billions of other celestial bodies which may have different stories. Though human is rational, social, political and talking animal but it doesn't mean he or she is the best. Let's explore more possibilities.  

Mard-i-Momin, the concept of Iqbal is only possible for a Muslim by religion. His message is not universal.  His approach is myopic, parochial, religious( not philosophical) and roughly  limited to one 1 of the 8 of human beings as there are around 1 billion of Muslims in the total 8 billions. Even a small percentage understands languages Persian and Urdu of his poetry. Even those who understand these 2 languages, can't understand his language with enormous complexity. Thus his message mostly fell on deaf ears. 

Iqbal's message of manhood( not womanhood as he had misogynistic views) as perceived by Iqbal is essentially spiritual in nature and stands above the physical, biological and psychological confines and thus not philosophical or practical. Spiritual experiences are personal ones and can't be transmitted to others properly. 

According to Iqbal  “Mard -i-Momin” despite earning world is least influenced by its glory as demanded by Quranic dictions and thus it's only for Muslims with ascetic touches and against Materialism and material development.  Science and Philosophy can't go in tandem with it. 

There is a Philosophy of Self but which is totally different from the Mullahism of Iqbal.  

Philosophy of self

defines, among other things, the conditions of identity that make one subject of experience distinct from all others. 

According to Gaynesford, M. de I: The Meaning of the First Person Term, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006, most philosophical definitions of self—per Descartes, Locke, Hume, and William James—are expressed in the first person. 

A third person definition does not refer to specific mental qualia but instead strives for objectivity and operationalism.

While Rovane sees intentional states as the anchor to self-reference, Howell (2006) provides an alternative descriptive picture, in which the self is identified through awareness of an occurrent sensation.

Last point is that many Philosophers and Psychologists before Iqbal and after Iqbal worked on Self and thus this only one so called  philosophy of Khudi or Self can't be dedicated to Iqbal.  He took it from others and amalgamated it with religion, emotions, Spirituality and Poetical rhetorics. 

Some real philosophers on Self can be studied as 

Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Freud, Ryle, Bandura, Nietzsche,  Fichte,  Hegel etc.