أَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Beyond the Pleiades: The Ascent of Clay-Born Adam

(The Journey from the Psychology of Colonial Servitude to the Awakening of Selfhood)

This piece is written for today's new generation, Generation Z, who, when looking back at their ancestors through the lens of Allama Iqbal’s masterworks Shikwa (The Complaint) and Jawab-e-Shikwa (The Response to the Complaint), want to declare that times have changed. There is an urgent need to overthrow the obsolete systems governing this earth. Today’s youth refuse to remain trapped in the elegies of the past; instead, they harbor a fierce resolve to construct the future.

Approximately two to three centuries ago, when Western nations—particularly Britain and France—poured into Asia and Africa, they held an absolute material superiority in terms of gunpowder, muskets, and ammunition. As they occupied Muslim lands, they simultaneously brought with them the marvels of their fresh industrial and scientific advancements: automobiles, railways, heavy machinery, and the electric bulb. Dazzled by the sheer spectacle of these material inventions, they conditioned the colonized Muslims to believe that their faith-based way of life was archaic. They claimed, "We, too, once endured Dark Ages, but we progressed through language, literature, and science. If you wish to acquire these marvels, you must adopt our way of life".

The deep historical reality of this psychological warfare and colonial subjugation is masterfully exposed by Amal Chatterjee in his brilliant book, Prisoners of Empire. Chatterjee illuminates how European empires did not merely chain nations physically; rather, they institutionalized robust, enduring colonial structures—spanning law, education, and morality—that outlived formal independence. These structures continue to govern post-colonial societies to this day, keeping successive generations mentally captive.

When the Muslims of that era were taunted with backwardness and their honor was challenged, the profound agony of their souls echoed through the tongue of Iqbal in a "Complaint" presented before the Lord of the Universe, reminding the world of the glorious, civilized heritage Muslims once possessed. In the opening stanzas of Shikwa, Iqbal captures the turbulent thoughts of the Muslim psyche, refusing to stay silent in the face of degradation:---

Why should I choose the loser’s path, erase my gains from memory's page?

Ignore the future’s heavy call, and mourn the past in silent rage?

Listen to the nightingale's laments, yet lonely in my grief remain?

Am I a silent flower, my friends, to hold my peace and hide my pain?

The power of speech gives me the strength, to let my daring thoughts unlock,

A grievance made before my Lord—may dust consume my mouth should I mock!

In Shikwa, Iqbal vividly recalls the golden era when Muslims lived by the true essence of their faith, a time when Islamic advancement flourished and the empire stretched from Spain to Africa. Yet, even while scaling the heights of global conquests, they remained untainted by arrogance, bound strictly to the Islamic principles of brotherhood and absolute equality. Even mid-battle, the moment the call to prayer echoed, their ingrained devotion brought them to a halt, forming immediate ranks to prostrate before Allah. The ruler and the beggar, stripped of worldly status and titles, stood shoulder to shoulder in a single file. This practical manifestation of equality made it impossible for onlookers to distinguish master from slave—a sublime sight never before witnessed in any other civilization. Defending the glorious past of the Muslims, Iqbal reminded the world who truly eradicated falsehood from the earth:-

We were those very warriors, who fought for Your cause on the plains,

Battling at times across the lands, and plunging through the ocean chains.

We raised the call to prayer within the ancient cathedrals of the West,

And left our marks on burning sands where Africa’s vast deserts rest.

The transient pomp of earthly kings meant nothing to our piercing sight,

We chanted Your eternal Name beneath the sword-shadows of the fight!

Yet, all of this belonged to history. While it is undeniable that Muslims guided the world for centuries, it is an immutable law of nature that every rise is met with a fall. When Muslims abandoned pure Islamic democracy and consultation, shifting toward dynastic Arab monarchies, they fell prey to complacency, luxury, and materialism. This decay in intellectual and material strength created the perfect vacuum for powerful Western nations to overrun Muslim lands.

The greatest tragedy of this colonial era was the systematic deprivation of the common Muslim from the true pursuit of knowledge. They were severed from their cultural and intellectual roots, and the English language was forcibly imposed upon them to systematically erase their foundational philosophy. Consequently, after such a magnificent past, servitude seeped so deeply into the veins of Muslims that they lost the very consciousness of sovereignty. The pinnacle of this mental subjugation became evident when Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, writing in the aftermath of the 1857 War of Independence, titled his book The Causes of the Indian Revolt (Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind). Standing on their own soil, fighting for their own freedom against a usurping British Crown was labeled a "revolt"—a stark proof that the population of India, including its Muslims, had become so domesticated by servitude that they accepted the British as their legitimate masters and viewed themselves as mere rebellious subjects.

Through his poetry and philosophy, Allama Iqbal launched a revolutionary crusade to shatter this profound mental captivity. When he penned Shikwa and followed it with the thunderous awakening of Jawab-e-Shikwa, he delivered a historic, stinging rebuke to shake the Muslims of the subcontinent out of their deep slumber:-

Those ancestors were yours indeed, but what, tell me, are you today?

Just sitting idle, hands in hand, watching tomorrow fade away!

The foundational purpose of Iqbal's poetry is to awaken the Muslim Ummah from its slumber of ignorance and reconnect them with their true destiny. His core message revolves around the philosophy of Khudi (Selfhood), an abstract concept he illustrated through a vast array of vibrant metaphors and allegories. To Iqbal, Khudi signifies self-realization, self-cognition, and awakening one's latent cosmic potential rather than bowing before false material deities.

• The Falcon vs. Stars and Moon: While Iqbal famously uses the Shahin (falcon) to teach high-minded ambition to the youth, in this specific poem, he addresses the human being as a "mysterious handful of clay" and a "terrestrial star." His goal is to demonstrate that while the celestial moons and stars are bound by rigid, unyielding physical laws of nature, a human being who awakens their Khudi can transcend these limitations and master the universe itself.

• Clay vs. The Heavens: Mars and Venus serve as metaphors for material vanity and superficial glitter, looking down upon man as a mere clump of dirt. Conversely, the full moon and the morning Adhan (call to prayer) represent the inner spiritual illumination which, once awakened within man's Khudi, completely eclipses the brightest celestial bodies in the heavens.

In his poetic collection Bal-e-Jibril (Gabriel's Wing), the brief poem titled "Adhan" sets up a symbolic dialogue among the stars regarding human nature, culminating in a masterpiece celebrating human grandeur, the power of night vigils, and the cosmic resonance of Islam's universal proclamation. The conceptual evolution of this poem elevates man from material degradation to the highest office of Divine Vicegerency (Khilafah).

The poem opens in the celestial skies with a fascinating debate. The morning star (Najm-e-Sahar) asks the other stars if they have ever witnessed Adam—this fragile creature of clay—awake and alive in the dead of night. Mars and Venus respond by mocking man’s insignificance and perpetual state of heedlessness:

One night the morning star inquired of the celestial sphere,

"Has anyone seen Adam awake, or does he disappear?"

Mars spoke up, "The cosmic laws know well how fates are spun,

Sleep is the only fitting curse for this small, chaotic one."

Venus chimed in, "Is there naught else for us to speak about?

What business have we with this worm, blind in the night of doubt?"

Mars asserts that destiny knows best, and that sleep and heedlessness are the most fitting punishments for this "petty troublemaker." Venus contemptuously calls man a "blind night-worm," dismissing him entirely. Here, Iqbal uses the stars to mirror man's purely material existence when he forgets his divine purpose and drowns in spiritual slumber.

Following this severe critique, the full moon (Mah-e-Kamil) steps forward to defend humanity. The moon claims that man should not be underestimated; he is a terrestrial star who illuminates the earth with his daytime vitality. Iqbal carries the cosmic debate forward:-

The full moon spoke, "He is a star that walks upon the clay,

You only manifest at night, while he commands the day."

"If you but knew the sweet delight of keeping watch at night,

This secret dust would soar far past the Pleiades in flight."

"Within his bosom hides a light, a spark so fierce and clear,

'Twill swallow all the fixed stars and planets in our sphere."

Through the moon, Iqbal reveals that if these giant, unfeeling celestial bodies could comprehend the "taste of human night-vigils and spiritual illumination," they would realize that this mysterious clay is destined to soar far beyond the Pleiades. Deep within man lies a divine spark before which the brightest planets and stars fade into obscurity.

The poem reaches its climax when, amidst this celestial debate, the morning Adhan suddenly tears through the atmosphere:-

Suddenly, the space was filled with the Adhan's ringing cry,

That thunderous shout that shakes the hearts of mountains standing high!

This is not a mere sound; it is a universal proclamation that jolts the cosmos. The cry of Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest) awakens the mortal creature from his slumber, transforming him into the leader of creation. Its majesty makes the mightiest mountains tremble [بال جبریل]. The underlying meaning is profound: though man is physically made of lowly dust, through spiritual awakening and divine love, he transcends every celestial creation.

This hidden spiritual glory defended by the moon finds its practical roadmap in the concluding stanza of Iqbal's other masterpiece, Tulu-e-Islam (The Dawn of Islam):-

You are the secret of 'Kun Fakan'—reveal yourself to sight!

Become the knower of your Self, translate the Divine Light!

The term Kun Fakan directly references the Quranic decree of creation, Kun Fayaqun ("Be, and it is"). Iqbal addresses the human being as the primary secret of creation and the ultimate purpose of the cosmos, yet completely oblivious to his own reality. The first step requires man to become manifest to his own eyes—commencing the journey of self-cognition. The sequential order in this verse is highly deliberate: one must first become the confidant of Khudi (self-realization) before graduating to become the translator of the Divine Will (God-consciousness). This serves as a poetic exegesis of the famous mystical proverb: "He who recognizes himself, recognizes his Lord." To be a translator of God means assuming the ultimate office of Divine Vicegerency (Khilafah), manifesting Allah's will, justice, and moral order through one's own actions. Tulu-e-Islam is a poem of profound hope, and this verse roots that hope entirely in man's spiritual awakening.

Iqbal’s intellectual crusade and his awakening of Khudi successfully breathed a fresh soul into a despondent nation. This intellectual revolution eventually birthed a sincere, far-sighted leadership, enabling the Muslims of the subcontinent to begin breaking their physical and psychological chains. Under the matchless and inspiring leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, they shattered these colonial bonds to carve out "Pakistan" on the map of the world—the greatest historical miracle born of this ideological awakening.

Yet, as charted in Amal Chatterjee’s Prisoners of Empire, while the country achieved geographical freedom, it immediately fell into the hands of native vultures (the 'brown sahibs'). Like coconuts—brown on the outside but entirely white within—they harbored the deep-seated color of their former Western masters' servitude. These local rulers continued to govern the independent state upon the tracks of the old colonial machinery. A nation destined to transcend the Pleiades and explore stellar pathways was instead reduced to a state of survival, chained to myopic, materialistic political slogans of "Food, Clothing, and Shelter" (Roti, Kapra, Makaan) and temporary "short programs," effectively suffocating their grand intellectual imagination.

As today’s new generation (Gen Z) surveys this long historical trajectory of their predecessors, they recognize a harsh reality; geographical independence was secured, but the structural, intellectual, and economic chains left behind by the colonial empire remain firmly intact. We say to our ancestors that we hold no grievances against God, for He laid down an immutable, eternal law in His book centuries ago:-

Verily, God does not alter the condition of a people

Until they choose to change what is within themselves!

Fortunately, the contemporary landscape no longer mirrors the stark material and scientific imbalance that existed two or three centuries ago during the height of classical colonialism. The absolute material and geopolitical hegemony of the West is visibly fractured. Furthermore, we live in an era shaped entirely by digital technology and globalized knowledge. Driven by these advancements, nations previously dismissed as the "Third World" are leveraging technological intellect to bypass old colonial gatekeepers, rapidly surging ahead on the global stage.

Consequently, today's youth are no longer victims of that deep, paralyzing inferiority complex and intellectual servitude that crippled previous generations. Armed with the digital cosmos and an borderless intellectual awareness, the modern Muslim youth stands on completely equal footing with the rest of the world. The West can no longer taunt them with inherent scientific or intellectual backwardness, as the mediums of knowledge and communication have become universal equalizers.

Gen Z looks back in sheer amazement, wondering how their ancestors—while possessing the golden, illuminating principles of Islam—could be so easily led astray by Western material illusion. The allegorical tale of the fly and the moth teaches them a sobering lesson: their predecessors had fallen captive to the base desires of their own selves (Nafs). Instead of adopting the sublime station of the moth—which possesses a fiery, self-sacrificing passion to destroy falsehood—they chose like a common fly to settle upon the material decay of superficial comfort. They failed to become moths circling the Divine Light, choosing instead to remain prisoners around the fragile lamps of Western imperialism.

Today's Muslim youth has internalized the historical truth that the universe is transformed neither by being mesmerized by scientific vanity nor by merely singing praises of a glorious past. The ideological, political, and mental subjugation that our predecessors could not fully eradicate is a chain this new generation has resolved to shatter. This generation realizes that instead of wasting time romanticizing history, they must become manifest to their own eyes, decode the secrets of their Khudi, and pioneer an intellectual and scientific revolution on this earth. In this new order, the human head shall bow exclusively before its Creator, refusing to submit to any foreign system or material empire. The true ascent of clay-born Adam lies far beyond the Pleiades, stretching into the infinite corridors of the cosmos.