The Secrets of Selflessness

Also in Persian and published in 1918, this group of poems has as its main themes the ideal community, Islamic ethical and social principles, and the relationship between the individual and society.

Although he is true throughout to Islam, Iqbal recognizes also the positive analogous aspects of other religions.

The Rumuz-i-Bekhudi (Secrets of Selflessness) complements the emphasis on the self in the Asrar-i-Khudi and the two collections are often put in the same volume under the title Asrar-o-Rumuz.

The individual needs to be strengthened before he can be integrated into the community, whose development in turn depends on the preservation of the communal ego.

It is in this context that Iqbal sees the vital role of women, who as mothers are directly responsible for inculcating values in their children.