Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
11. The Concept of Spirituality in Islam
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creation: he gains something in the process that may be termed
spirituality. The source, therefore, of Islamic spirituality is
observation and reflection, rather than any sort of mysterious
exercises.
We learn from the Quran that in the very creation of the
universe, the signs of God lie hidden all around us. One who has
developed keen awareness when he reflects upon the things of the
world is able to see the Creator in His creatures. The meaning of
the creation of the Universe is laid bare before him. Ultimately, the
universe becomes a permanent source of spiritual inspiration. He is
continuously nourished by it during his worldly experience.
A believer is not supposed to shun his normal life in order to
lead a life of observation and contemplation. Islam does not
advocate withdrawing from the world. He has to live in this world
and participate in its activities. What is desired from him is that
while fulfilling all his duties, his heart should not be attached to
worldly affairs. In this way he continues to gain spiritually.
Once a noted scientist said that only a prepared mind can make
a scientific discovery. The same can be said of meditation. Here
also a prepared soul alone can benefit from it. First of all
tazkia
,
purification of the soul, has to be done through meditation.
Tazkia
aims at clearing one’s heart of all kinds of negative sentiments,
otherwise meditation will not work. There is a very interesting story
which illustrates this point.
