What is the spiritual system of Islam and its connection with the life system as a whole? Pera understand this is necessary to study carefully the difference between the Islamic concept of spirituality that of other religions or ideologies.
In the absence of a clear understanding of this difference is often the case that when we talk about the spiritual system of Islam, many of the vague notions associated with the word ‘spiritual’ unconsciously come to regret, and in this state of confusion is difficult to trace understand the spiritual system of Islam that not only transcends the dualism of mind and materialism that is the core of the concept of integrated and unified life presented by Islam.
Body-Soul The Conflict
The idea has proved most influential in creating the climate of thought in philosophy is that the body and soul are mutually antagonistic and conflict and hence they can not go together in life, and that one can develop at the expense other. For the soul. confines of the body and matter are a cas-prison mundane activities of life in the world are the chains with which the soul is held subject to and will not in growth. This has inevitably led to well-known concept of classifying the universe as the spiritual and the secular. Who chose the secular path were convinced, at the very beginning, that the demands of spirituality could not be completed and so were headlong into perspective the meaning of life culminating in a brief materialism and hedonism. Consequently all spheres of worldly activity, whether social, political, economic or cultural, were deprived of the spiritual light of the ad id, and the world was plagued with injustice and tyranny. On the other side who wanted to tread the path of spiritual excellence moos such innovations and inventions to stop the development and elevation of spirit to become “noble outcasts’ (waste) in this world, believed that it was not possible to find any procedure stops spiritual growth that would be compatible with a normal life in this world. From their point of view of self-denial and mortification of the bed were necessary to stop the development and refinement of spirit.
They invented spiritual exercises and ascetic practices which killed physical desires as one and surrendered the body numb, and even useless. Consider forests, mountains and other solitary places, ideal for spiritual development, because in those hidden places the hustle and bustle of civilization would not interfere in their spiritual practices and meditations of looking nose. They could not conceive the possibility of a means of spiritual development except through withdraw themselves from the world and its affairs and sever all contacts with society and civilization.
This conflict of body and soul resulted in the evolution of two different ideals for the perfection of man. One of the ideals was the perfect material, which meant that a man should be surrounded by all the comforts and bounties of the world and does not regard himself as an animal but, being the ideal heights find savor in this realm. The result was that an animal might be exceeded, but the man in him could not find it to flourish. The men learned to fly like birds, swim like crocodiles, run like horses and even terrorize and destroy like wolves, but did not learn to live like noble human beings.
The other ideal was the perfection of the spiritual life to the point where the senses are not subdued and conquered but supersensory powers are awakened and ends with the limitations of the sensory world. With these new conquests men could catch distant voices as powerful radios, see remote objects as a trace with the telescope and develop powers through the simple touch of his hand or the concentration of sight can cure the incurable.
This area of the supra-sensory was the other avenue of human advancement, but it is not difficult to see how bivalent “human” really is.
The Islamic viewpoint differs radically than they have in relation to this all the predominant religious and philosophical systems. According to Islam, God has appointed to the soul as the “Khalifa” (Caliph, deputy) in the Universe. He has invested with some authority and imposed certain responsibilities and obligations and endowed him for the fulfillment of what the best and most suitable physical form.
The body has been created with the sole purpose of the soul make use of it in the exercise of its authority and fulfilling their duties and responsibilities. Hence the body is not a prison-house to stop the soul, but his workshop or factory, and if something can stop the growth and development of the soul is only through the use of powers to stop machines and instruments provided this workshop. Consequently, this world is not at all a place of punishment, in which the human soul has been arrested, but a field that God sent laha stop work and fulfill their duty to stop.
Countless things in this universe have been made available to the human soul and many more human beings endowed with it have been created in this world to stop fulfilling the duties of this vicegerency. The natural impulses of man, gave birth to civilization, culture and social systems that spiritual development is possible in this world should not take the form of man away away his acre of this workshop is pulling in some uninhabited corner. Rather, the only form it should take is that man should live and work on it and defend the best way. This is the nature of a test center to stop it, every aspect and sphere of life, it’s like a form similar to this test, the home, the family, neighborhood, society, the market, the office, factory, school, courts, the police, parliament, the peace conference and the battlefield, all represent forms on various topics to which man must respond.
Not taking any form or leave most of the answers blank notebooks, is confined to stay in the examination. The only possibility of success and development lie in the use by man of his time and give full attention to this test and try the best to answer all the questionnaires have been delivered.
Islam rejects and condemns the ascetic view of life, and proposes a number of methods and procedures to stop the spiritual development of man, walnut of this world but within it, one that passes through the rough and tumble of life .
According to him, the real room for growth, hoist and lift the spirit lies in the middle of the stream of life activity and not in solitary places of spiritual hibernation.
Criterion of Spiritual Development
After this exposition of the basic approach of Islam try to discuss the criteria given by Islam to judge the development or decay of the soul.
The answer to this question lies in the concept of “Jilafat” which has just been mentioned. In his capacity as caliph (vicegerent) of God, man must answer to Him for all their activities. It is your duty to use all powers that are vested and all means available to them in this world according to the Divine. You must use the maximum powers and capabilities that have been granted to seek God’s approval. In his dealings with men must adopt an attitude that is approved by God.
In short, all their efforts and energies should be directed towards regulating the affairs of this world in the way God wants them to be regulated. The more a man admirably perform this function, with a sense of responsibility, obedience and humility, and in order to seek God was pleased, therefore be closer to God. In Islam, spiritual development is synonymous with nearness to God.
Similarly remain separated from God if you are lazy, careless, transgressive, rebellious and disobedient. And it means being separated from God in Islam, the fall and man’s spiritual decline.
This explanation should make clear that from the Islamic point of view the sphere of human activity tilted the religious and the secular man is inclined towards it. Both work in the same field of action is a man of religion, work with greater enthusiasm than a person inclined toward the secular. The man of religion will be as active as the one who pursues the world, or become more active in domestic and social duties of life ranging from the confines of the home to the market place or in the lounge of the international conferences. Of course, what action will distinguish branches have the nature of their relationship with God and the objective pursued. Anything that makes a religious man, will feel they must respond to God with Objectivism, to secure the divine pleasure, and according to the law that God has ordered him to stop. Contrary to this, the worldly person is irresponsible, indifferent to God and be guided in their actions only by their personal reasons. This difference trace all of the material life of a man of religion a fully spiritual and all of the mundane life of a person as having no spark of spirituality.
The Road to Spirituality
We are now in a position to complete shortly the way Islam is in search of spiritual development of man in the context of the present life of this world.
The first step in this direction is the belief (Iman). Means that the idea should have supremacy in the mind and heart of man is that “God alone is his Master, Sovereign and Deity; seek His pleasure is the goal of all efforts, only His commandments are the law of life ‘. This should be your firm conviction, not a mere intellectual perception, but also of the will. The stronger and deeper than this conviction, the deeper belief and enable man to find the path of spiritual development with patience and perseverance and bridle all the vicissitudes, firmly and honestly.
The second stage is obedience (Ita’at) meaning that a man deprives himself of all his independence and accepts the submission to God in practice after proclaiming a faith in Him as their creed. This submission is called “Imam” (obedience) in the language of the Koran. That means that man must not only acknowledge God as their Sovereign but should actually submit to Him and shape his entire life in obedience to God.
The third stage is to take (“Taqwa”), which is a practical manifestation of the belief in all that God has forbidden or even what he disapproves even slightly, and readiness to undertake all that God has commanded and note the distinction between lawful and unlawful, right and wrong and good and bad in life.
The last and highest stage is that of excellence, “Ihsan”, which means that man has identified his will eat will of God and has been, at least in terms of respect, completely tuned in harmony with the Divine Will with the result that he has started to want what is willed by God and to abhor what he disapproves.
The man then he must not only prevent the evil that is not pleasing to God, to spread on your saw but must use all its power and energy to stop removing them from the face of the mountain, and should not rest easy with just adorn himself with the virtues that God wants us to flourish, it must also endeavor to develop and propagate in the world, even at the cost of his life.
A man who reaches this state gets the highest peak of spirituality and is very close to God.
This path of spiritual development is not just stop individuals but for communities and nations as well.
Like that individuals, a community too, after passing through various stages of spiritual elevation, it can reach the last stage of ‘Ihsan’ (excellence, profit) and a State may also with all its administrative machinery, to reach be “Mu’min” (charity, excellent). Law, the ideals to which we aspire Islam, are achieved in a perfect way only when the whole community moves in this way and a State “Muttaqi” and “Muhsin ‘(pious and beneficial) enters and exist in this world. This is the pinnacle of civilization where virtue reigns in society and vice is subdued.
Let’s take a look at the mechanism of spiritual training which Islam has laid stops prepare individuals and society in this way. The spiritual system of Islam rests on five foundations. The first is prayer “Salat” which puts a man in communion with God five times a day reliving his memories, reiterating his fears, develop their love, turn to man the divine commandments and again, and stop preparing and obedience to God .
These prayers are not offered individually, but answering this call till eternity. Finally “Jihad” that is, do their utmost to spread the Word of God and make it supreme, and remove all impediments in the path of Islam, whether through language, or with the pen or the sword. The idea is to live a life of dedication to the cause of Allah and sacrifice their lives in fulfilling this mission. This is the kind of spirituality that Islam wants to grow and this is not that elusive life.
It is an affirmation of life and reconstruction in virtue and piety and not negation of life that Islam espouses. And this constitutes the main distinction of this transaction of life (Deen).
