Islam as a Moral and Political Ideal
As Iqbal states, ‘The ethical ideal of Islam is to disenthrall man from fear, and thus to give him conscious of himself as a source of power.’ As such, this happens to be one quote I firmly believe highly represents what Iqbal identifies as the ethical ideal of Islam. In this case, it becomes imperative to remember that such an idea of man as individuality of infinite power, to a great extent, determines, based on the teachings of Islam, the worth of all human actions. This is to imply that man is more likely to respect the personalities of others and emerge perfectly virtuous if he is granted a keen sense of respect for his own personality as well as an opportunity to move fearless and also free in the immensity of God’s earth. As far as Islam is concerned, man is described as a free responsible man (Kurzman, 2002, P. 307).
On the other hand, one quote which represents Islam’s political ideal is when Iqbal affirms that ‘Democracy is the most important aspect of Islam regarded as a political ideal.’ It is worth noting that there exist two basic propositions underlying the Muslim political constitution. One states that the law of God is supreme, whereas the other one is based on the absolute equality of all the members of the community. As such, there is nothing like aristocracy when it comes to Islam (Kurzman, 2002, P. 312). Additionally, the prophet is selected, or in other words, appointed by God, and as such, his interpretation of the law is final, and his authority is supreme.