ISLAM AND IQBAL’S CONCEPT OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Abstract

The voice of women empowerment emerged as a reaction to the prevailing patriarchal society in the form
of women's rights movements. The intellectuals, writers and poets of the East and the West penned their ideas to
solve the problems of women. A critical study of these theories is an important research need. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal,
a representative poet of the East and especially of the Islamic world, has also highlighted the importance of various
aspects of women's empowerment such as polygamy, inheritance, education, veil etc. in his prose and poetry. The
major source of Iqbal's thoughts is Islamic teachings. The purpose of this article is to provide a critical and
comparative study of Iqbal's concept of women's empowerment in the light of Islamic teachings that is of Quran,
Hadith and Seerat-ul-Nabi (may peace be upon him). The research method content analysis is adopted to study
Iqbal’s reflection in his works of Urdu, Persian and English. Iqbal presents the concept of women empowerment in
his poetry and prose genres keeping in view the indigenous political, economic, social, cultural and religious
consciousness and background of his region especially that of Muslims of subcontinent. His proposed indigenous
solution enlighten by the teachings of Islam can be a useful teaching material for the education and grooming of the
society.