"God is not a dead equation!"
About this Quote
Muhammad Iqbal’s assertion, “God is not a dead equation!”, springs from his passionate conviction that the divine is far more than a static or mechanical abstraction. For Iqbal, reducing the idea of God to an unchanging formula overlooks the vibrant, dynamic essence of divinity. A “dead equation” implies passivity, lifelessness, a fixed set of rules where variables are tightly constrained and outcomes predetermined. But Iqbal’s philosophy is animated by the idea that reality, and God, are fundamentally creative, in perpetual becoming. To posit God as a mere mathematical certainty, a solved puzzle whose secrets are locked away, is to misunderstand the living pulse at the heart of existence.
For centuries, philosophical and scientific attempts have sought to render the cosmos intelligible through laws and formulas, and sometimes such approaches try to capture even the reality of God in abstract terms. Iqbal reacted against those worldviews that make religion a rote repetition or reduce the divine to a system of causes and effects, untouched by the struggles and aspirations of sentient beings. Instead, he envisions God as active and responsive, the “Living, Self-Subsisting, All-Sustaining” within Islamic tradition, constantly interacting with and within creation. By rejecting the “dead equation,” Iqbal encourages believers to maintain a relationship with God that is dynamic, personal, and evolving, rather than static or predetermined.
This understanding aligns with his emphasis on human creativity, agency, and the freedom to co-create meaning with God. Faith ceases to be mechanical compliance and becomes a continual engagement, an ongoing process of discovery and participation. Reality, like God, retains a living mystery no formula can exhaust. Iqbal invites seekers to approach the divine as a living presence, not a solved problem. In this way, the encounter with God continually renews and challenges the human spirit, awakening it to ever deeper possibilities of growth, wonder, and transformation.
For centuries, philosophical and scientific attempts have sought to render the cosmos intelligible through laws and formulas, and sometimes such approaches try to capture even the reality of God in abstract terms. Iqbal reacted against those worldviews that make religion a rote repetition or reduce the divine to a system of causes and effects, untouched by the struggles and aspirations of sentient beings. Instead, he envisions God as active and responsive, the “Living, Self-Subsisting, All-Sustaining” within Islamic tradition, constantly interacting with and within creation. By rejecting the “dead equation,” Iqbal encourages believers to maintain a relationship with God that is dynamic, personal, and evolving, rather than static or predetermined.
This understanding aligns with his emphasis on human creativity, agency, and the freedom to co-create meaning with God. Faith ceases to be mechanical compliance and becomes a continual engagement, an ongoing process of discovery and participation. Reality, like God, retains a living mystery no formula can exhaust. Iqbal invites seekers to approach the divine as a living presence, not a solved problem. In this way, the encounter with God continually renews and challenges the human spirit, awakening it to ever deeper possibilities of growth, wonder, and transformation.
Quote Details
| Topic | God |
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