عربي
Home


Articles
الموقع الرئيسي

Articles

Spirituality in Islam
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 15-04-2014

I greet you with the greeting of Islam,. My deep respect and gratitude are extended to Mr. Bonn Clayton for giving me this opportunity  to try to reach a common ground between Muslims and Christians for the welfare of both religions since Muslim-Christian dialogue represents a new and major effort to understand and cooperate with others in increasingly interdependent and religiously diverse countries. I am very delighted to share the following ideas that address the issues concerning the spirit and the spiritualities.

Adam(PBUH) is the first man, and the creature that embodied Allah`s will and power. He is neither from the angels, nor the jinn, nor from any of the realms known at that time. He is rather a creature empowered by Allah to carry out the mission and shoulder the responsibility for which he was created in the first place. Our forefather Adam(PBUH)was afflicted with instinct, so he experienced inner conflict, but at the same time he was endowed with various sciences and disciplines of knowledge. He goes on living on this earth from which he was originally created, and under which he gets buried. He was also given means of subsistence while living on it. He was also resurrected from it  to the Hereafter. Hell and Heaven were created for his sake, and that going to any depended on his deeds. Realms were also created for him, and the angels of Allah were at his service day and night. His life span on this earth is measured by astronomic cycle, sunset, and the appearance of the Moon. He is Allah`s successor on earth, and this is documented in the last of Allah`s scriptures revealed to the seal of His Messengers Prophet Mohammad(PBUH).

 Allah, The Almighty, says: “So, when I have proportioned him and breathed of My Spirit in him, fall down in prostration before him!’”{Al-Hijr/29}.This is an honoring to man and an elevation of his status to broader horizons as Allah`s spirit is  breathed in him.

Allah foreordained for Adam to take over all the matters of this earth as the new comer who is to spread goodness, reform, and renovation. Through this blessed breath from Allah`s spirit, man was able to uncover the secrets and mysteries of this universe. He was also able to unleash its hidden powers and treasures, and by doing that he was able to fulfill Allah`s will.

As a starting point, we have to make a distinction between the spirit(Al-Rooh) and the spiritualities(Al-Roohaniat)  from the view point of language. Al-Rooh is what keeps a human being alive rather than dead. Allah has not uncovered this to any of His creatures for He says: “They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!)"{Al-Isra / 85}.

As regards spiritualities, Al-Azhar reported that Abo Al-Abbas Ahmad Bin Yahia said about the verse:” And thus have We, by Our Command, sent inspiration to thee.”{Al-Shoora /52}:It is the religion sent down through the angel Gabriel, and by which people led their life. This proves that spirituality means faith (Iman).

Faith is firm belief. Its pillars are : believing in Allah, believing in His angels, believing in His books, believing in His Messengers, and believing in divine decree. Allah says: “The Apostle believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in God, His angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys."{Al-Baqarah /285}.

Some features of the spirit capable of regulating and governing man are: the mind and the heart. Each one of them has special constituents and authority. The constituents of the mind are the different fields of knowledge, and its function is to examine and investigate in order to perceive reality.

On the other hand, the constituents of the heart are: outflowing feelings and generous emotions. Its function is to uncover the beauty in everything and to achieve perfection.

A human being is demanded to balance between  the mind and the heart to avoid any clash  so as to reach the most elevated levels of dignity and prestige as well as to enjoy a double sense of happiness.

It has been deduced from the conditions of different societies during different times that true life can only be attained through maintaining a balance between these two spiritual aspects( the  mind and the heart). This is because if any outweighs the other, conflict is stimulated and divine chastisement is due as a repercussion.

The question that unfolds itself here is: Is it possible for the mind to be guided to the path of righteousness only by learning the various disciplines of knowledge and becoming perceptive and down to earth ?

The answer is no, because this is the argument of those who confined education solely to the mind. The proponents of this methodology  concentrated on acquiring knowledge and neglected the education of the heart. This resulted in the loss of balance between the mind and the heart which ultimately led to the rise of licentiousness which some have not only  adopted as a way of life, but have also started propagating. Licentiousness aims to establish physical pleasures and to give them a superior status in man`s soul, thus all the products of  the mind, in their different forms, celebrate the desires and whims of the soul.

The world of today is in a dire need for  spiritual education and  going back to spiritualities, or else there will be serious consequences that  proliferate  day after day particularly since the materialistic world has deep conviction that its  accelerating progress has attained perfection….However, the latest events on the international arena have altered such conviction.

Materialistic progress of this world has not paid off since it only resulted in misery and destruction caused by successive wars in addition to violence, terrorism, and extremism. All of this proves that the materialistic civilization lacks spiritual values.

Man is made up of two main components: The body and the soul. Divine religions balance between these two, so that they both remain  equal. Allah says in the Holy Quran: “{ Then, for such as had transgressed all bounds, And had preferred the life of this world,  The Abode will be Hell-Fire; And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord’s (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from lower desires, Their abode will be the Garden.”{Al-Nnaziaat/37,38,39,40,41}.The spiritual aspect whose reality is exclusively within the reach of Allah is the main factor in the actual emergence of man`s life where the soul is the container of the sound nature and the divine spirit which encourages man to embrace all that is good and righteous, and guides him to where he really fits. Allah says in this regard: “So, when I have proportioned him and breathed of My Spirit in him, fall down in prostration before him!’{Al-Hijr/29}.”Allah breathed the spirit in man to honor him/her. Therefore, it is not permissible to separate the spiritual and material aspects as it is incumbent on man to focus on the spiritual aspect and be close to God, The Almighty, for He says : “And they will question you concerning the Spirit. Say: ‘The Spirit is of the command of my Lord. And of knowledge you have not been given except a little’.”{Al-isra/85}.

These facts lead to the conclusion that faith is the essence of the spirit and its permanent objective. Therefore, the Quran came with a spiritual legislation based on believing in Allah and truly knowing Him so as for man to become a righteous individual in  society, and for his soul to be free of conflicts that overcome him due to his ignorance of this universe`s secrets.

Indeed, faith is a tranquility to the soul,  a guidance to the stray hearts, a light to the bewildered, and a safety  for the insecure.

Faith is the source of willpower because it is the corner stone for different virtues such as patience, resolution, perseverance, mercy, cordiality, sympathy, generosity, pride, and dignity.

Accordingly, it took the prophet(PBUH) a long period of time, at the beginning of the rise of Islam, to guide people to  Islamic creed and to  lay down the foundations of faith in the souls of his followers.

Finally, we conclude that spiritualities in different divine religions lead to the love of Allah, Prophets, Messengers, and humanity. True love will definitely lead to the prosperity of any society in this world; it will rather make the strong society give a hand to the weak society to make it stronger, and here lies true happiness which is aspired for by all religions. Moreover, the love of humanity can only be attained, as the Prophet(PBUH) said: “None of you will have faith till he wishes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for himself.”{Anas} , through paying attention to spiritualities celebrated by divine religions, strengthening them and eliminating all aspects of difference among them. Wasalmu alikum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatoh.{Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all}.

 

  • This article is  based on His Grace`s participation in the Muslim-Christian Dialogue  of the United States on the topic entitled " Spirituality in Islam & Christianity . "

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on objecting to the Mosque Imam regarding the joining of prayers due to rain?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is not permissible for any of the congregants to object to the Imam in the mosque, whether the objection is to demand the joining of prayers or to oppose it; for the general principle is that the Imam possesses the religious knowledge (Al-Ilm al-Shar‘i) that qualifies him to make the decision in this matter. And Allah the Exalted knows best."

When does the time for Udhiyah begin?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The permissible timeframe for Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) begins on the day of Eid al-Adha—the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah—once the sun has risen and a period of time sufficient to perform two brief prayer units (Rak'ahs) and two short sermons (Khutbahs) has passed. This window remains open until the sun sets on the final day of Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
Our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said: "Every valley of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and slaughtering may be done throughout all the days of Tashreeq." (Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Ibn Hibban)
 
The days of Tashreeq refer to the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
The most virtuous time to perform the sacrifice is immediately after concluding the Eid prayer, based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The first thing we do on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and offer our sacrifice. Whoever does that has acted in accordance with our Sunnah (tradition), and whoever slaughters before that, it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it has nothing to do with the ritual sacrifice." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
 
What is meant here is an estimation of time rather than the actual performance of the prayer itself, as our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), used to offer the Eid al-Adha prayer immediately after sunrise.
 
The sacrifice is valid if performed at any time during these designated days, whether by day or by night, though slaughtering at night is considered disliked (Makruh). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What are the conditions for a valid Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
First: The age of the animal must meet the Sharia requirements. These requirements vary depending on the type of sacrifice:
 
Camels: Must have completed five years and entered their sixth.
 
Cows: Must have completed two years and entered their third.
 
Goats: Must have completed two years and entered their third. As for Sheep, they must have completed one year and entered their second.
 
Some scholars have permitted goats that have completed one year and entered their second.
 
The Hanafi school, along with an opinion in the Maliki school, permits sacrificing sheep that are at least six months old, provided they are healthy and physically substantial. According to the Shafi’i school, it is permissible if the sheep sheds its front teeth (ajdha') before reaching one year [Al-Iqna’, by Al-Shirbini (Vol.2/P.588)].
 
Second: Soundness and freedom from defects. The animal must be free from any defect that causes a decrease in its meat or market value. This is based on the hadith narrated by Al-Bara' bin 'Azib, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
 
"Four [defects] are not permissible in sacrifices: A one-eyed animal whose blindness is evident, a sick animal whose illness is evident, a lame animal whose lameness is evident, and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones." [Reported by Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmidhi, who graded it as authentic].
 
These defects are detailed as follows:
 
Evident Lameness: It is not permissible to sacrifice a lame animal if the lameness is severe enough to prevent it from walking to the pasture or seeking food, as this leads to a decrease in its meat. However, slight lameness that does not hinder its grazing is overlooked.
 
Evident Blindness (One-eyed): It is not permissible to sacrifice a sheep, cow, or camel that has a white film over its eye blocking light, or one that has lost an eye entirely. Weak vision that does not affect its ability to eat does not prevent the sacrifice from being valid.
 
Evident Illness: An animal with a clear sickness that prevents it from eating or moving is not valid. This includes severe mange (Jarab) that spoils the meat.
 
Extreme Emaciation: An animal so thin that there is no marrow left in its bones is invalid. The standard for emaciation that invalidates the sacrifice is that which spoils the quality of the meat to the point that people would find it undesirable even in times of plenty.
 
Additional Considerations:
These are the defects mentioned in the Prophetic tradition, and any defect that causes emaciation or reduces the meat or value is compared to them by analogy. This includes animals that are mentally unstable (diseased), those with mange, or those with a missing ear. In contrast, a slit or pierced ear does not affect the validity of the sacrifice. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling if a postpartum woman becomes pure before forty days; are acts of worship obligatory upon her, and is she permissible for her husband?

If the postpartum woman becomes definitely pure before forty days, she must perform the ritual bath and perform acts of worship as a pure woman does. What was prohibited for her also becomes permissible, so she becomes permissible for her husband after her bath. The minimum duration for postpartum bleeding is a moment (an instant), and its usual maximum is forty days. Reaching forty days is not a condition; rather, it is sufficient for the blood to stop or to see the white discharge (qassa bayda'). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

See More