Spirituality in Islam

Aysha WazwazPhD Candidate

M.A Contemporary Islamic Studies B.A Islamic Law

http://ayshawazwaz.wordpress.com

What is Spirituality about in many people’s view?

Issues that come to mind when speaking about spirituality

• Meditation • Prayer• Leaving modern life and being simple• Monks• Leaving materialism and living in ones oneself• Contemplation• Running away from life• Searching for answers on what is behind life or

death.

Body- Soul antagonistic or not? Do they develop on each other’s expense?

• most philosophical and religious thoughts considered that spirituality can only be obtained by denying the physical needs and mortification of the flesh, and that world activity or modern life arrests spiritual elevation.

The concept of spirituality in Islam compared to spirituality in other religions and ideologies

• Islam’s concept of spirituality goes beyond the dualism of spirit and matter and considers it as the core concept of being Muslim and reason of life.

Body- soul conflict result

• الحيوانية man racing to find pleasures in any الحياةway possible even if it contradicted his pure creation and even went far into comparing himself with animals rather than being a noble human.

• Pleasure made as a goal, whether that was wealth, fame, ownership, sex…etc.

• People seeking spirituality by denying their physical needs, family needs, community needs and participation in developing their community.

Islam’s view point on body and spirituality

• Man is a (khalifah) (vicegerent) in this world, and was created in the best way for the fulfillment of this responsibility.

• The body was created with a sole object (i.e the soul/ spirit) in order to function for the fulfillment of the khilafah.

• The body does not function without the soul, and the path for the soul development is in both in soul and body.

Is spirituality a psychological healing or not?

• Spirituality should not be detached or in distanced from the fundamental ontological questions: how we came to this world and why and where we are going? Spirituality should be part of the answer to these questions. SPIRITUALITY SHOULD NOT BE A SHORT WAY TO RUN AWAY FROM THESE QUESTIONS OR FROM A PERSONAL TROUBLE. IT SHOULD BE IN THE CORE OF OUR UNDERSTANDIND OF THIS LIFE AND WHAT COMES AFTER IT.

• Spirituality and fitra (instinct) in Islam complete each other. The Therefore, within your “fitra” the need for spirituality or (closeness to God Almighty). الفطرة على يولد مولود .كل

Islam and Asceticism

• Islam rejects living away from your responsibilities and proposes methods for the elevation of ones spirituality not outside this world but within life and your responsibilities.

• Spirituality in Islam does not isolate you from the world around you, but makes you feel as the center of the community since it pushes you into being more active as a part of the world. يايها ... إن وجعلناكم وأنثى ذكر من خلقناكم إنا الناس

أتقاكم الله عند أكرمكم

Symptoms of spiritual decay• الفطرة على يولد مولود “...كل• Not being able to distinguish right from wrong

– حديث مسلمروى من اليمان بن : حذيفة قال قال عنه تعالى الله رضي { : كعرض القلوب على الفتن تعرض وسلم عليه الله صلى الله رسولسوداء   { نكتة فيه نكتت أشربها قلب فأي ،A عودا A عودا الحصير

– Getting accustomed to falsehood, then ending seeing it as a norm. لوط قوم

– يكسبون كانوا ما قلوبهم على ران بل كال

• Confusion, lost in many paths, or trying out to many paths in search of answers on life. s

• Feeling lost A ضنكا معيشة له فإن ذكري عن أعرض من و• Sadness, depression • Fear, and worried يحزنون هم وال عليهم خوف ال ءامنوا الذين

What is to be attained through spirituality?

• Success in both this life and the hereafter• Paradise النفسعن ونهى ربه خافمقام من وأماالهوى

• اال المالئكة عليهم تتنزل الله ربنا قالوا الذين إنكنتم التي بالجنة وابشروا تحزنوا وال تخافوا

الدنيا الحياة في أولياؤكم نحن “...توعدون،• عليهم أنعمت الذين صراط المستقيم، الصراط اهدنا

الضالين وال عليهم المغضوب غير• Noticing the blessings that God Almgihty had given you.• Living a balanced life المستقيم during الصراط

happiness and sadness

Reasons for spiritual decay

• Lust and personal motives (نفس)• Suspicion • anger

Criterion for spiritual development

• Use all capacities for the sake of God Almighty and fulfilling all duties with sincerity and obedience to Him alone almighty by doing things as He had ordered in the manner that He had ordered it to be done.

Spiritual development is obligatory on every Muslim

• ... وذكر تزكى من أفلح قد وضحاها والشمسالدنيا الحياة تؤثرون بل فصلى، ربه اسم

وأبقى خير “واآلخرة

Spirit and Soul conflicting or connecting

• Islam does not separate spiritual actions from materialistic/ or body actions but considers them tied with each other. So your actions affect your spirituality, and your spirituality affects your life and your happiness or depression and tranquility

Ways for attaining spiritual development

• Spiritual refrainments لتخليةا

• Spiritual elevators التحلية

spiritual refrainment تخلية• Abstaining from major sins

– Criterion for a major sin مال عرض، عقل، نفس، دين،– Religiosity, soul, mind, chastity, wealth

• Associating partners with God Almighty• Killing • Harming your own or other’s body and chastity (ie. Fornication or

adultery) • Harming the mind (drinking, drugs)• Mistreating others possessions such as: stealing, interest

• Abstaining from minor sins– Sight sins– Hearing sins, listening to the wrong things– Some behavioral sins– Talking sins, such as backbiting هذا عليك أمسك– Eating and drinking sins

Stages of spirituality

• Islam• Eman increases with obedience to God

Almighty and decreases with sin. • Taqwa: leaves everything that is forbidden or

takes to forbidden paths. خشوع• Ihsan: attained highest excellence in belief,

words, actions and thoughts.

Spiritual elevatorsspiritual therapy تزكية

• Islam connects between faith and action, therefore strong faith stands with strong actions that base from faith الجسد في وإن أال… لمضغة

The Road to Spiritualityالتحلية

• Faithأعالها" • شبعة وسبعون بضع اإليمان

األذى إماطة وأدناها الله إال إله ال كلمة" الطريق عن

• Heart لمضغة الجسد في وإن أال• intentions ” بالنيات األعمال “...إنما

(spiritual elevators) التحلية• FAITH (Eman)• وعمال وعبادة عقيدة، Monotheism in belief, action( in accordanceالتوحيد

with God Almighty) and worship (for him Alone)• Mind, heart, actions all for the sake of God Almighty• Performing the pillars of Islam

– Believing in one God Almighty

– Praying: 5 times the obligatory, and more if wanted to increase meditation

– Fasting, self discipline and training and giving up for the sake of God Almighty

– Charity: monetary sacrafice, cooperation amongst the community

– Pilgrimage: universal Muslim brotherhood and humility• النفس And increasing more in good deeds for His sake and not forمجاهدة

personal motives. • Dhikir

Forms of worship in Islam (1)• Spiritual worship روحية عبادات– االستغفار التسبيح، dkikir, tasbeeh, asking God) الذكر،

Almighty for fogivness)– قلوبهم وجلت الله ذكر إذا الذين– Repentance– Reading the Quran " : أنزلناه كتاب وجل عز الله قال وقد

" " يتدبرون أفال سبحانه وقال آياته ليدبروا مبارك إليك ."...القرآن

– invocationالدعاء • Physical and spiritual worship بدنية روحية عبادات– Prayer الصالة – All actions if done for the sake of God Almighty, including

marriage and marital relations. بيع من الدنيوية األعمالبالنيات " األعمال إنما لله النية صاحبتها إن وزواج “...وشراء

Forms of worship in Islam (2)• Physical worship بدنية عبادات

– Fasting الصيام– Pilgrimage (combines all kinds of worship) الحج

• Monetary worship مالية (as a form of obedience) عبادات– الزكاة

• Behavioral worship السلوكية العبادات– Lowering the gaze, adultery, modesty البصر وإطالق الزنا، تحريم– eating and drinking والشراب األكل بعض balancing and ,تحريم

eating what is halal• Contemplation worship يتفكرون أفال ينظرون، أفال• Remembering death as a reality of life • Disciplining ones self all the time• " : ما نفس ولتنظر الله اتقوا آمنوا الذين أيها يا تعالى الله قول

لغد "قدمت

Individual spirituality is also the criterion of community spirituality (civilization)

Understanding our own self is the first step to spirituality

• Man is created with a pure state of (fitra) (instinct)

• The fitra maybe inflicted by: environment, peers, media or even Nafs

Nafs

• The soul that is always self blaming النفساللوامة

• The soul that orders to wrong hood النفسبالسوء األمارة

• The content soul المطمئنة النفس• الجحيم فإن الدنيا، الحياة وآثر طغى، من فأما

ونهى ربه مقام خاف من وأما المأوى، هيالهوى عن النفس

Jihad of the nafs

• " فصلى ربه اسم وذكر تزكى من أفلح "قد• من أفلح قد وتقواها، فجورها فألهمها سواها وما ونفس

دساها من خاب وقد ”زكاها

• سمعت قال حاتم أبي ابن عند هريرة أبي حديث في وكمافجورها " فألهمها يقرأ وسلم عليه الله صلى الله رسول

" : فقال" وزكها وتقواها تقواها نفسي آت اللهموموالها وليها أنت زكاها من خير وفي" أنت

بن حصين علم وسلم عليه الله صلى أنه والترمذي المسندنفسي " شر وقني رشدي ألهمني اللهم يقول أن ."عبيد