SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM — An Intellectual Process

embark on such a Divine journey.” The trees were whispering, “Would you like to have a personality as radiant as ours? We are here to make your wish a reality.” The fruits on their branches and the crops in their husks were declaring, “If you crave nourishment for your intellectual and spiritual life, we are here to provide you with it.” While this reel was playing in my mind, I heard birds chirping, “O servant of God! Here is good news for you: If you have a need, then God has made the whole Universe to serve your needs. God is so generous that He has created the whole of the Universe to be at your service, day and night. In addition to this, if you show thankfulness to God, He will give you what is greater than all of this — Eternal Paradise in which there will be “...neither fear nor grievance” (THE QURAN 6: 48). The truly non-material person is never influenced by superficialities. Then, the following Quranic verse came to mind: “And He gave you all that you asked for” (THE QURAN 14: 34). This means that whatever is needed for Man to live a good life on this Earth has been prepared in advance by God, directly and indirectly. Horses, for instance, were directly created; whereas aeroplanes were provided indirectly. The travelling of the voice through the air is an example of a direct provision, while its transmission by means of electronic equipment is a form of an indirect provision. Perhaps, this is what is meant by the following Quranic verse: “And (He has created) horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride, and as an adornment. And He has created (other) things which are beyond your knowledge” (THE QURAN 16: 8). ENDLESS BLESSINGS OF GOD God Almighty says, “O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you. And be grateful to Allah, if it is Him you worship” (THE QURAN 2: 172). This means that God Almighty has created everything, imaginable and unimaginable; great and small, in the most perfect form. Then, He entrusted all of these to man as gifts for his use. The only price to be paid for these endless blessings is thankfulness; it is Man’s recognition, from the depths of his heart, that God is the Giver and Man the receiver. The Quran mentions as examples of God’s beneficiaries the people of Saba’. God Almighty gave them a sign in the, “two Gardens to the right