while the tract looked promising from its title, it took merely two paragraphs to descend into mediocrity. apart from an overdose of adjectives, the writer is directionless - how to read iqbal appeared to be a guide to poetry; but ended up being: 'what to read in iqbal' there is no dispute that iqbal was a brilliant poet. and that he was erudite and passionate about his beliefs. the young have revolutionary ideas and are vehement in their advocacy; but as we mature, we begin to recognize and respect others - the wise among us realize the naivete of youth and change their views accordingly. iqbal was no different. his poems reflect this change of views with time and a handbook is required to trace his poems chronologically. i supposed that the paper was one such attempt, but it is not. it is just another ostentatious analysis of what iqbal really-really-really meant... --- ps: the author also manages to squeeze in an opportunity to praise deobandis and make tall claims of how thanawi's influence pervades south asia furthering the myth that thanawi was a sufi and wrote more than 500 books!
