Nietzsche and Iqbal on Human Perfection: A Comparative Study

Abstract

There is a debate in the literature that Iqbal’s concept of Ideal Man, which he called ‘Mard-e-Momin’ was not only highly influenced by Nietzsche’s philosophy, rather it was an Oriental adaptation or a reproduced version of Nietzsche’s Ideal Man, known as ‘Übermensch’ often translated as ‘Overman’ or ‘Superman’. The paper presents a comparative analysis of Nietzsche’s ‘Übermensch’ and Iqbal’s ‘Mard-e-Momin’ arguing that there are fundamental differences between the metaphysical, epistemological, religious, moral and methodological beliefs of Nietzsche and Iqbal with reference to Ideal Man. Using foundationalist/ anti-foundationalist approach, it is argued that Nietzsche was an anti-foundationalist; since, he rejects all foundational grounds and advocates total rejection of religion and conventional morality, which he considered to be the mainly responsible factors of nihilism. His concept of Superman emerges from antifoundationalism. Whereas, Iqbal was foundationalist for he takes Religion, the Quran and Sunnah as foundations and his Ideal man is a true representation of these foundations. These foundations, Iqbal argues, provide guidance during the journey of his life