This column is based on a very useful and enlightening discussion I had with my dear friends, Prof Dr Muhammad Al-Ghazali and Prof Dr Khaleeq-uz-Zaman. In one of my previous articles I had mentioned that many educated people feel that the solution to all our problems lies in following western culture. Our spiritual and cultural assets have been badly tarnished in the process.
The evils that have crept into our society can never be solved through economic means alone or by slavishly following western norms. Spirituality has an important role to play, since it is through this exercise that one learns what the truth is and also earns the blessings of the Almighty. We know that if a person’s goal in life is to please Allah, that person will not indulge in any wrongdoing or evil. They will always look towards Allah for fulfilment of their needs and to obtain peace of mind. They would never prostrate themselves before any adversary, no matter what.
Spiritual life is superior to, and more important than, worldly life. A human being is not merely made up of flesh and bones and worldly needs. The Almighty has created us for a noble purpose, viz to live life in accordance with His edicts and to make the best use of the resources of the world that He has put at our disposal. However, this should be done within the limits prescribed by Him.
For this purpose, the Almighty has blessed us with enormous capabilities. If we utilise these judiciously, we can achieve our goals. If we don’t, then there is little difference between a human being and an animal that is behaving instinctively. It is the ability to choose between good and bad that distinguishes human being from animals.
The above-mentioned capabilities are attributed to spirituality. In the Quran and the Hadith it is described as self-scrutiny, introspection and gratitude. In the Quran, the word ‘yazakkehim’ has been used more than once in relation to the prophethood of our Holy Prophet (pbuh). This means that the main objective of the prophethood was self-scrutiny and introspection. In one Hadith, gratitude (ehsaan) has been explained as the sense of seeing the Almighty when one prays or at least the feeling that He is observing you.
We know that we are a combination of body and soul. We are also blessed with heart and mind and have been created in a beautiful shape by the Almighty. However, there is a constant struggle between our physical and spiritual needs and our desire for instant gratification. No wonder, then, that life is a tough test and only those who manage to follow their conscience under spiritual guidance can succeed. The Almighty helps us in this struggle, provided we seek His guidance – since when we pray: “We worship You and beg for Your help (guidance).” Only this guidance ensures a successful life.
The Quran gives clear instructions about what is permitted and what is forbidden. In the same way, guiding principles have been given on how to control inner instincts and develop our conscience. This we may call ‘tasavvufar’, ‘spirituality’ or ‘mysticism’ or, in Quranic terms, introspection and gratitude.
Since Allah created human beings, He alone knows what they carry in their hearts and how they do or do not control their evil thoughts. Quranic edicts and Ahadees tell us how we are to concentrate in prayer, to do good deeds, avoid wrongdoing, help the needy, avoid anger, jealousy, hypocrisy, greed, etc. When one sincerely strives for self-scrutiny and introspection, one is able to overcome evil thoughts and deeds and do what is in accordance with Allah’s edicts and the Ahadees. In other words, one is engaged in ‘tasavvuf’ (deep introspection) or in following Islamic spiritual knowledge.
In Islam ‘rehbaniat’ (being a hermit) is forbidden. Spirituality does not mean discarding the world; it means controlling one’s baser human instincts. It allows everyone to enjoy the blessings of Allah and to be grateful to Him for those blessings. This submission to Allah is the true spirit of Islam. To negate it is ‘kufr’, disobedience of Allah’s edicts and rejection of His blessings.
What we need to realise is that if we want to gain an honourable place in the comity of civilised and developed nations, we have to concentrate on both aspects of our lives – the physical as well as the spiritual. That means that we will have to learn to control our psychological feelings.
When a man once asked Hazrat Ali how far Heaven was, he answered: “Put your first foot on your conscience (ie control it) and your second foot will be in Heaven”. This means that if we let our conscience control our lives, we will have to control wrong feelings and desires and chalk out our own course of life in accordance with Divine edicts. Through deep introspection and self-scrutiny, we will then be able to evaluate our virtues and vices and learn to be patient and grateful. During that process one learns to know one’s Creator, to know oneself and to be able to differentiate between good and bad. This also helps in not being afraid of adversity and the ability to fearlessly face strong adversaries.
Many of the problems we face today are mainly due to our greed and materialism and the distance we have created between daily life and spirituality or religion. People are so busy living their daily lives, often indulging in all sorts of vices, that they totally forget the harsh punishment predicted by the Almighty for our wrongdoings. The peace and tranquillity that can be obtained from following the teachings of Allah, doing good deeds and helping others is overlooked or forgotten.
Our nation needs to be motivated to learn self-scrutiny and sincere, deep introspection. Only this will help us become good Muslims and good human beings and help bring about a peaceful revolution for the betterment of the country. This, in turn, will lead to honesty, which will result in development, improvement of the economic situation, bring prosperity and peace. Unfortunately, lack of this introspection has brought about loss of self-respect, pride and faith in the Almighty, all of which have become rare commodities in our society.
Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com

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