Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
11. The Concept of Spirituality in Islam
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As the Quran tells us, “Prostrate yourself and draw near.”
(96:19) For God is always close to us—closer than the life blood
in the jugular vein (50:16). By total surrender to God, the soul can
realise nearness to God.
Similarly, according to this hadith, ‘Worship God as if you
are seeing him’ (
Sahih
Al-Bukhari) when man engages himself in
true devotion, he is linked with God at a sensory or
psychological level. He comes close to God. Through an
invisible cord he comes in contact with God, God’s light passes
through him. His entire existence comes to be pervaded by this
indescribable feeling, which is called spiritual experience. This is
called
Rabbaniat
in the Quran (Be people of the Lord 3:79).
Rabbani
means one whose thinking, and whose actions are God-
oriented, who has placed God at the centre of his attention.
When an individual attains spirituality, his state becomes like a
lamp lit all of a sudden. He undergoes spiritual experiences. His
heart becomes an ocean of spiritual waves. He appears to live in
this world, but he has found another far superior world for
himself.
These spiritual experiences cannot be explained in words.
Everything in the universe seems to convey to him a divine
message. The leaves of the tree become a thrilling experience. A
waft of air gives him a message of truth. He can hear divine music
in the waves of the river and the chirping of the birds.
Due to his high state of receptivity, he reaches the stage where
the wavelength of God and man becomes one. And he is enabled,
