Book Review: Free-Will as Self-Assertion: A Comparative Study of Selected Poems by Muhammad Iqbal and Robert Browning

Name: Nur Haziqah Binti Othman (1525112)
Page: 92
Title of the Chapter: Free-Will as Self-Assertion: A Comparative Study of Selected Poems by Muhammad Iqbal and Robert Browning
Author: Aimillia Mohd Ramli

Title of the Book: Islamicisation of Knowledge and English, in the Age of Islamophobia and Westernophobia

Editors: Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf & Aimillia Mohd Ramli

Published & Printed: One Global Publications Sdn. Bhd. in collaboration with The International Institute of Islamic Thought

Publication Year: 2016

Book Review 

            The beginning of the chapter highlighted the “crisis of faith” faced by the people which is relatable in a sense that people up to these days are still searching for answers regarding faith and religion. Muhammad Iqbal illustrated free will as acts human do in service to Allah. As a reader, it tells the people that increasing knowledge about the Creator will guide them to be morally upright and the poet also acknowledges the challenges of fighting evil. In contrast, Browning’s poetry led to negativity by removing the importance of Divine Guidance. This distinction gives the reader an illusion of how it would be if a human without divine guidance is like a car without a professional driver. Thus, it is interesting to summarize that the essence of God is at the centre of a human’s heart which can lead to a tranquil soul.