SPIRITUALITY & GRATITUDE

The Prophet Muhammad has said that, “One who does not express his gratitude to other human beings will never be thankful to God.” Due to this high state of receptivity, he is enabled, in the words of the Prophet: “to see with God’s eye, to speak with God’s tongue, to walk with God’s foot, to hear with the ear of God.” Then all limitations vanish and his day and night are spent in God’s neighbourhood. All this can be felt, not described in words. This can be explained with the example of a child who has limitless love for his mother. He knows it himself in the full sense but he cannot fully describe it in words. The same is true of spirituality. When a person is linked with the source of spirituality, he undergoes such spiritual experiences as he himself fully understands, but has difficulty in conveying to others. He may describe some external signs but he cannot describe inner reality. Although it is difficult to describe the inner reality of spirituality, its method of attainment can be described to a certain extent and followed by others. To attain spirituality, first of all man has to free his mind from confusion. It is difficult for a confused mind to undergo spiritual experiences. The basic reason for confused thinking is that man is not able to differentiate between the real and the superficial, the relevant and the irrelevant, rational thinking and superstition, logical and illogical statements. One who thinks thus will always remain in a state of mental confusion. He will never be able to find the straight path. As a result, his spiritual journey will never start. On the path of spirituality, a believer cannot be his own guide. And one certainly needs a guide. This guide is the Quran. It is an authentic and carefully preserved book of God. That is why the Quran can be trusted as a guide by the spiritual traveller. After making the Quran one’s guide, one can set one’s spiritual journey on the right track. The spiritual journey demands a change in lifestyle. The lifestyle for a spiritual traveller may be put briefly in these words: ‘Simple living and high thinking.’ Simple living means limiting one’s worldly requirements to the minimum and assiduously avoiding comfort and luxury. That is why the Sufis used to wear coarse clothes as a symbol of the simple life. It helps the traveller in his spiritual journey. High thinking means that one's thoughts are not embroiled in material things. By engaging one’s mind