Spirituality in Islam
Critic:-
Islam appears to be ritualistic, dogmatic and legalistic, a religion without any spiritual content. It has a remote dictatorial God who threatens with dire punishment anyone who disobeys. Islam, therefore, rules through fear. It makes a distinction and encourages conflict between believer who are the elite and infidels who must be fought and exterminated until the Islamic beliefs are imposed on all. The Christian religion is much more human in that it has a God who came down to suffer with man. The Hindu religion is pantheistic. Everything is, therefore, God and this makes for tolerance - there is no distinction between believers and non-believers.
Answer:-
It all depends on what is meant by Spirituality. Many people mistake it for emotionalism and sentimentality and others use the word to refer to psychic or paranormal states or for inner experiences which might be fantasies. The Islamic idea of Spirituality can be understood as follows:-
The Quran affirms in many places that Allah is Compassionate and forgiving. He is also Just and Truthful. The term "Islam" means "Surrender (to Allah)" and Allah is described as follows:-
"That is because Allah, He is the Truth (or Reality), and that whereon they call instead of Him is the False, and because Allah, He is the High, the Great." 22:62
"There is no God save Him, the One, the Absolute." 38:66
"Say: He, Allah, the One. Allah, the Eternally besought of all. He begets not nor was begotten. And there is non comparable unto Him." 112:1-4
"Vision comprehends Him not, but He comprehends all vision, for He is the Subtle, the Aware. " 6:104
"He is the First and the Last and the Evident (or Outer) and the Imminent (or Hidden or Inner), and He is Aware of all things. " 57:3
"Unto Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. Allah ever surrounds all things." 4:126 and 41:54
"Vision comprehends Him not, but He comprehends all vision. He is the Subtile, the Aware." 6:104
"Unto Allah belongs the East and the West, and wheresoever ye turn, there is Allah's countenance. Lo, Allah is all-embracing, all knowing." 2:115
Thus, Allah is the fundamental objective Reality.
Human beings have the Spirit of God in them:-
"So when I have fashioned it, and breathed into it of My Spirit, then fall ye (angels) down before him (man), prostrating yourselves before him (in obeisance)." 15:29
"Then He fashioned him (man) and breathed into him of His spirit, and made for you the faculties of hearing, and sight and hearts (feeling); little is it that you give thanks." 32:9
This implies that they have some of the attributes and powers of God such as consciousness, compassion, creativity etc.
The goal of Islam is to Surrender to Allah, to be at-one with Him, to be His agent.
"Whoever surrenders his countenance (his self) to Allah, and does good, he shall have his reward from his Lord, and no fear shall be on them, and they shall not grieve." 2:112
"And those who patiently persevere, craving their Lord's Countenance, and are steadfast in prayer, and spend, secretly and openly from what We have bestowed upon them, and overcome evil with good - these shall have the sequel of the final (heavenly) Home ." 13:22
"Restrain thyself with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, desiring His countenance (or nearness and intimacy), and let not thine eyes be turned from them, desiring the adornment (and pomp) of the life of this world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own lusts (prejudices, fantasies, superstitions), and whose affair has been abandoned." 18:29
The word "countenance" refers to the Essence. In the case of the Essence of Allah the Quran states:-
"And call not upon any other God along with Allah; there is no God but He. Everything is perishable (or will perish), except His countenance. His is the command, and unto Him shall ye return!" 28:88
Though human beings were made perfect with the Spirit of God in them (32:9, 15:29), they Fell owing to sin into a world of illusion (3:185, 57:20, 6:32, 29:64), restricted consciousness or spiritual death. The world of illusion does not refer to the world as created by Allah - that was created with Truth, and Allah Himself and His Word are Truth (See 22:62 above).
"His word is Truth" 6:74
"He (Allah) said: The Truth Is, and the Truth I speak: " 38:85
If Allah is Truth and His word by which he creates the World is Truth then the underlying essence of all things is Allah. There is nothing but Allah. But we are told that Allah is independent of all creatures (3:97). Allah is unlimited, omnipresent and omniscient, but the things he has created are limited in time, space, characteristics and power. They are mutually exclusive. Islam does not, therefore, regard anything created and limited as God. They are made out of nothing and may be regarded as ideas in the mind of God. But they are not illusions. The fact is that in reality all things are connected through all kind of forces. They are not independent but together form a Unity.
Illusion refers to the misinterpretation of Truth.
"Do they not reflect within themselves: Allah did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them but with truth, and for an appointed term (or destined end)? But truly most of the people are disbelievers in the meeting with their Lord." 30:8 Also 15:85 and 29:44
"But those who misbelieve, their works are like the mirage in a desert, the thirsty suppose it to be water till when he comes to it he finds nothing, but he finds, instead, Allah is with him; and He will pay him his account, for Allah is quick to take account." 24:39
Prophet were, therefore, sent to regenerate man.
"O ye who believe! Respond unto Allah and His Messenger when He calls you to that which quickens you; and know that Allah comes in between a man and his own heart; and that He it is unto Whom ye shall be gathered." 8:24
This results in awakening.
"Say: I exhort you only to one thing that ye awake for Allah's sake (or stand up before Allah) in twos or singly, then ponder.." 34:46
"Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed from you your veil, and piercing is your sight this day." 50:22
This awakening leads to the realization:-
"And there remains naught but the Countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory." 55:27
The Straight Way has many levels:-
"And We have created above you seven paths; and We are never heedless of creation." 23:17
"Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage!" 84:19
Thus the purpose of Islam is the growth or development of the soul:-
"And the soul and Who fashioned it, and enlightened it with what is wrong and right for it! He indeed is successful who causes it to grow (or purifies it)!. And he indeed is a failure who corrupts it!" 91:7-10
It is true that Islam makes a distinction between believers and disbelievers. The Universe was created for a purpose and the fact of evolution proves it. There is certainly a distinction between those who align themselves with reality, take their responsibilities seriously and are, therefore, constructive and make efforts on the Straight Way, and those who do not, but are destructive or wasteful of energy and resources.
With the coming of Islam religion is complete. This refers not to Spirituality but to the Prophetic guidance. Man should no longer require "parents" to lead them by the hand and protect them from hazards. Human beings are now required as adults to learn from their own experiences and mistakes, from the problems and sufferings they bring on themselves. Human childhood is over and man has to take up his objective and Cosmic responsibilities. The basic truth is complete and Human beings are now required to apply it and become Agents of God. It is no longer enough to pay lip service to God and spirituality and it is no longer a case of only selfish individual endeavors. Inner experiences are not enough, especially when they can be illusions and hallucinations, they must produce positive actions. Retreat into monasteries and hermitage are no longer required or recommended. It is an individual as well as collective responsibility. It is part of this responsibility to ensure that he or she has correct and adequate knowledge, understanding, motivation and ability. It is also part of this responsibility to learn from and guide others and to prevent evil being done by those who do not have adequate knowledge, understanding, motivation and ability. Protection of, and self-defense against those who would like to destroy, Islam or the religious teachings in general is also part of the responsibility.
"That He might cause Truth to triumph and make Falsehood vain, despite the aversion of the guilty." 8:8
"And say: Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished! Verily, falsehood is ever bound to vanish." 17:81
----------<O>----------