We are building a world that runs on Aql (Intellect) alone. Artificial intelligence, big data, and machine learning can calculate, predict, and optimize with superhuman speed. This rational approach has given us technological marvels. But Iqbal, in his poetry, issued a profound warning: Aql, or intellect, without the guidance of Ishq (passionate intuition, love, and faith) is a “demon” and a “sword in a madman’s hand.” It is a tool without a moral compass.
As AI becomes more integrated into our lives—making decisions in medicine, law, and even warfare—Iqbal’s warning becomes a 21st-century prophecy. It is our humanity, our Ishq, that becomes our most valuable asset. An AI can have Aql; it can calculate the most “efficient” outcome. But it can never have Ishq. It cannot understand justice, dream of a better world, sacrifice for a higher ideal, or grasp ultimate purpose.
This article will discuss how Iqbal’s philosophy, which champions the human heart as the essential guide for our powerful intellect, is the missing key. To build an ethical and humane future with AI, we must not only program better logic; we must cultivate our own humanity. We must, as Iqbal urged, place the “reins of the intellect in the hands of the heart.”