2 h 26 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 2 h 26 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if life's task is not to lose yourself, but to become more fully yourself?
In The Secrets of the Self (Asrar-i Khudi), Muhammad Iqbal turns a question of identity into a long philosophical poem. He presents the person as a center of will and love, not a drop waiting to vanish into the sea. Through verse and short stories, he asks what strengthens that center—and what wears it down.
Love, dependence, and purpose shape Iqbal's account of inner growth. He sets out three stages in the development of the self and challenges philosophies that seek its dissolution. His argument points toward an ideal person with strong will, deep love, and a clear aim. The stakes are personal: how should a human being live and act?
What you’ll discover
- Life as self-making Explore Iqbal's bold claim that life itself is the shaping of a self.
- Love as inner fire Discover why Iqbal places love at the heart of a stronger, fuller self.
- The cost of dependence Consider his challenge to habits of asking and depending that weaken the self.
- A path of growth Follow the poem's three stages of growth toward strength of will and clear purpose.
- Against the vanishing self Meet a poetic argument against losing yourself like a drop dissolved in the sea.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy poetry with ideas inside it, and who care about will, purpose, faith and inner strength, will find a lively companion here.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The poet claims a message for tomorrow
- The self and desire drive all life
- Love strengthens the self and begging weakens it
- Three tales warn against weakness and false teaching
- Poetry must serve life, and the self has three stages
- Mastering the body, and meeting enemies without fear
- Standing firm in your own tradition
- The Muslim community, time, and a cry for a friend
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I segreti del sé (Asrar-i Khudi)
by Sir Muhammad Iqbal · 1915
A poet uses tigers, sheep and a diamond to argue that the strong, desiring self is what keeps a person alive.
Medium level2–5 hours to readItaliano
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In short
A bird is faint with thirst. It sees a diamond in the garden, takes it for water, and pecks without wetting its tongue.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The poet claims a message for tomorrow
The poem begins with a voice that is very sure of itself. In the Prologue, Iqbal says he holds a secret no one has told before, and that his own age may not grasp it. The boldness is deliberate, because the whole book is about having the courage to stand as yourself.
A prose preface sets out the thinking behind the verse. Iqbal takes on the British philosopher Bradley, who held that separate persons are only appearances inside one great Absolute. Iqbal says the reverse. The individual is the basic fact of the universe, and even God is an individual, the most unique one.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 8 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1915
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 1 h 35 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Iqbal, Muhammad. The Secrets of the Self (Asrar-i Khudi). Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-secrets-of-the-self-asrar-i-khudi.
Iqbal, M. (2026). The secrets of the self (Asrar-i Khudi). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-secrets-of-the-self-asrar-i-khudi (Original work published 1915)
Iqbal, Muhammad. The Secrets of the Self (Asrar-i Khudi). Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-secrets-of-the-self-asrar-i-khudi.
@book{iqbal2026secrets,
author = {Iqbal, Muhammad},
title = {The Secrets of the Self (Asrar-i Khudi)},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-secrets-of-the-self-asrar-i-khudi},
note = {First published 1915}
}
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What is The Secrets of the Self about?
It is a Persian poem by Muhammad Iqbal arguing that the individual self is the basic fact of life and grows stronger through desire, love, discipline and struggle, using parables and a short philosophical preface.
What does khudi mean in Asrar-i Khudi?
Khudi means selfhood or ego in Persian. Iqbal uses it for the inner center of a person that grows by purpose, love and discipline, until it becomes more distinct and more like God in character.
Who are the sheep and the tigers in the poem?
The fable in section six shows weak sheep persuading strong tigers to give up their nature through teachings of self-denial. Iqbal uses it to warn against creeds that make strength look shameful.
The author
Muhammad Iqbal
1877–1938 · Indian Muslim poet and philosopher
Sir Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot, British India, in 1877 and died in Lahore in 1938. He was a poet, philosopher and politician who wrote in Persian and Urdu. He studied in Europe and worked as a lawyer in Lahore. His Persian poem Asrar-i Khudi appeared in 1915.
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