The place of Muhammad Iqbal in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought

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Luke Wilkinson (2025). The place of Muhammad Iqbal in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought. IHYA

Abstract: Out of the fifteen thousand known lines of poetry that Allamah Muhammad Iqbal wrote, around nine thousand were written in Persian. Yet still there remains no systematic study in the English language of the range of influence of Iqbal in the intellectual history of Iran. This article seeks to take a step in that direction, suggesting that Iqbal provides a point of reference to think through Iranian revolutionary and post-revolutionary thought. To do so, I consider the centrality of Iqbal in the thought of Ali Shariati, arguably the leading figure in the ideas behind the revolution, and in the thought of Abdolkarim Soroush, perhaps the most prominent philosopher that is critical of the Iranian revolution. This article seeks to suggest that Iqbal provides a useful touchstone from which to understand many central themes in Iranian philosophy and political thought of the twentieth century—from the expansion of Islamic revolutionary politics in the mid-twentieth century to the post-revolutionary political thought that emerged after 1979. I will first sketch a history of the spread of Iqbal’s ideas in Iran by highlighting the socio-political and intellectual context of the mid-century and locating the translation and proliferation of Iqbal’s works during this period. I will turn to the central revolutionary thinker in the 1960s and 1970s, Ali Shariati (1933-1977) to indicate the importance of Iqbal to his interpretation of Islam. I will then focus upon Abdolkarim Soroush (b. 1945) and his critique of Shariati’s ideologization of Islam, to demonstrate how Iqbal still was an important inspiration behind the post-revolutionary turn in Iranian thought. This will reveal how Iqbal was a frame of reference across the ruptures of revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought. Out of the fifteen thousand known lines of poetry that Iqbal wrote, around nine thousand were written in Persian; yet still the range of influence of Iqbal in the intellectual history of Iran has not yet been systematically studied in the English-speaking academy. Although a number of Iranian and Pakistani scholars has considered the importance of Iqbal for Iranian revolutionary and post-revolutionary thought, this work has not reached the Europe or America. Ali Mirespassi has touched upon the relationship of Iqbal and Iran, but does not reveal in-depth the philosophical continuities between Iqbal and revolutionary Iranian thinkers. The lacuna on Iqbal in Iran is particularly surprising given the long-established prominence of Iqbal in Islamic studies, theology, and, more recently, “global” intellectual history in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Recent intellectual historians in the English-speaking academy, such as Arang Keshavarzian, have begun to study the global roots of the 1979 revolution but the historical role of Iqbal remains unmentioned. By drawing on Persian scholars and translating key works on Iqbal by Shariati and Soroush, alongside drawing on their well-known translated works, I seek to redress this oversight. Iqbal’s shadow hides in plain sight: today, the name of Iqbal “Lehoori”, as he is affectionately known in Iran, identifies streets in Tehran. In 1986, then president of Iran, now Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei (b. 1939), highlighted in a conference on Iqbal that revolutionary Iran was ‘the embodiment of Iqbal’s dream’. The Iranian interpretation of Iqbal’s dreams must be unpicked—after all, the translation of “Iqbal studies” into Farsi is Iqbal-shenasi, which can also mean “fortune telling”						

Luke Wilkinson (2025). The place of Muhammad Iqbal in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought. IHYA						

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Luke Wilkinson
TI  - The place of Muhammad Iqbal in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought
PY  - 2025
JO  - IHYA
AB  - Out of the fifteen thousand known lines of poetry that Allamah Muhammad Iqbal wrote, around nine thousand were written in Persian. Yet still there remains no systematic study in the English language of the range of influence of Iqbal in the intellectual history of Iran. This article seeks to take a step in that direction, suggesting that Iqbal provides a point of reference to think through Iranian revolutionary and post-revolutionary thought. To do so, I consider the centrality of Iqbal in the thought of Ali Shariati, arguably the leading figure in the ideas behind the revolution, and in the thought of Abdolkarim Soroush, perhaps the most prominent philosopher that is critical of the Iranian revolution. This article seeks to suggest that Iqbal provides a useful touchstone from which to understand many central themes in Iranian philosophy and political thought of the twentieth century—from the expansion of Islamic revolutionary politics in the mid-twentieth century to the post-revolutionary political thought that emerged after 1979. I will first sketch a history of the spread of Iqbal’s ideas in Iran by highlighting the socio-political and intellectual context of the mid-century and locating the translation and proliferation of Iqbal’s works during this period. I will turn to the central revolutionary thinker in the 1960s and 1970s, Ali Shariati (1933-1977) to indicate the importance of Iqbal to his interpretation of Islam. I will then focus upon Abdolkarim Soroush (b. 1945) and his critique of Shariati’s ideologization of Islam, to demonstrate how Iqbal still was an important inspiration behind the post-revolutionary turn in Iranian thought. This will reveal how Iqbal was a frame of reference across the ruptures of revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought. Out of the fifteen thousand known lines of poetry that Iqbal wrote, around nine thousand were written in Persian; yet still the range of influence of Iqbal in the intellectual history of Iran has not yet been systematically studied in the English-speaking academy. Although a number of Iranian and Pakistani scholars has considered the importance of Iqbal for Iranian revolutionary and post-revolutionary thought, this work has not reached the Europe or America. Ali Mirespassi has touched upon the relationship of Iqbal and Iran, but does not reveal in-depth the philosophical continuities between Iqbal and revolutionary Iranian thinkers. The lacuna on Iqbal in Iran is particularly surprising given the long-established prominence of Iqbal in Islamic studies, theology, and, more recently, “global” intellectual history in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Recent intellectual historians in the English-speaking academy, such as Arang Keshavarzian, have begun to study the global roots of the 1979 revolution but the historical role of Iqbal remains unmentioned. By drawing on Persian scholars and translating key works on Iqbal by Shariati and Soroush, alongside drawing on their well-known translated works, I seek to redress this oversight. Iqbal’s shadow hides in plain sight: today, the name of Iqbal “Lehoori”, as he is affectionately known in Iran, identifies streets in Tehran. In 1986, then president of Iran, now Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei (b. 1939), highlighted in a conference on Iqbal that revolutionary Iran was ‘the embodiment of Iqbal’s dream’. The Iranian interpretation of Iqbal’s dreams must be unpicked—after all, the translation of “Iqbal studies” into Farsi is Iqbal-shenasi, which can also mean “fortune telling”
ER  -						

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Luke Wilkinson
TI  - The place of Muhammad Iqbal in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought
PY  - 2025
JO  - IHYA
ER  -						

@article{d1228b7523efea7e3e84ef4f581369d0,
  author = {Luke Wilkinson},
  title = {The place of Muhammad Iqbal in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {IHYA},
  abstract = {Out of the fifteen thousand known lines of poetry that Allamah Muhammad Iqbal wrote, around nine thousand were written in Persian. Yet still there remains no systematic study in the English language of the range of influence of Iqbal in the intellectual history of Iran. This article seeks to take a step in that direction, suggesting that Iqbal provides a point of reference to think through Iranian revolutionary and post-revolutionary thought. To do so, I consider the centrality of Iqbal in the thought of Ali Shariati, arguably the leading figure in the ideas behind the revolution, and in the thought of Abdolkarim Soroush, perhaps the most prominent philosopher that is critical of the Iranian revolution. This article seeks to suggest that Iqbal provides a useful touchstone from which to understand many central themes in Iranian philosophy and political thought of the twentieth century—from the expansion of Islamic revolutionary politics in the mid-twentieth century to the post-revolutionary political thought that emerged after 1979. I will first sketch a history of the spread of Iqbal’s ideas in Iran by highlighting the socio-political and intellectual context of the mid-century and locating the translation and proliferation of Iqbal’s works during this period. I will turn to the central revolutionary thinker in the 1960s and 1970s, Ali Shariati (1933-1977) to indicate the importance of Iqbal to his interpretation of Islam. I will then focus upon Abdolkarim Soroush (b. 1945) and his critique of Shariati’s ideologization of Islam, to demonstrate how Iqbal still was an important inspiration behind the post-revolutionary turn in Iranian thought. This will reveal how Iqbal was a frame of reference across the ruptures of revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought. Out of the fifteen thousand known lines of poetry that Iqbal wrote, around nine thousand were written in Persian; yet still the range of influence of Iqbal in the intellectual history of Iran has not yet been systematically studied in the English-speaking academy. Although a number of Iranian and Pakistani scholars has considered the importance of Iqbal for Iranian revolutionary and post-revolutionary thought, this work has not reached the Europe or America. Ali Mirespassi has touched upon the relationship of Iqbal and Iran, but does not reveal in-depth the philosophical continuities between Iqbal and revolutionary Iranian thinkers. The lacuna on Iqbal in Iran is particularly surprising given the long-established prominence of Iqbal in Islamic studies, theology, and, more recently, “global” intellectual history in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Recent intellectual historians in the English-speaking academy, such as Arang Keshavarzian, have begun to study the global roots of the 1979 revolution but the historical role of Iqbal remains unmentioned. By drawing on Persian scholars and translating key works on Iqbal by Shariati and Soroush, alongside drawing on their well-known translated works, I seek to redress this oversight. Iqbal’s shadow hides in plain sight: today, the name of Iqbal “Lehoori”, as he is affectionately known in Iran, identifies streets in Tehran. In 1986, then president of Iran, now Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei (b. 1939), highlighted in a conference on Iqbal that revolutionary Iran was ‘the embodiment of Iqbal’s dream’. The Iranian interpretation of Iqbal’s dreams must be unpicked—after all, the translation of “Iqbal studies” into Farsi is Iqbal-shenasi, which can also mean “fortune telling”}
}						

@article{d1228b7523efea7e3e84ef4f581369d0,
  author = {Luke Wilkinson},
  title = {The place of Muhammad Iqbal in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iranian thought},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {IHYA}
}