FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

by Islam. According to Islam, man has no such spiritual treasure house existing independently. For man is a taker-creature. He receives everything from his Creator. The concept of spirituality in Islam is based on the principle of Godrealization. God is the treasure house of all virtues. And when man’s contact with God is established, in the world of his feelings, at the psychological level, an unseen, inner revolution is brought about which is called spirituality. In this matter the relationship between God and man can be likened to an electric bulb and the power house. When the wire from the bulb is connected to the power house, electric current flows and the place is lit up. In this way, light is the result of the wire’s connection to the power house of God. Human nature is like an inflammable element. When an inflammable element like petrol comes near fire, it is ignited. Similarly, human nature is awakened when it comes in contact with God. This finds expression in the Quran in these words: God is the light of the heavens and the earth. The metaphor of His light is that of a niche in which there is a lamp, the lamp inside a glass, the glass like a brilliant star, lit by a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would well-nigh glow forth even though fire did not touch it. Light upon light! God guides to His light whom He wills. And God sets forth parables to men, and God has knowledge of all things. (24: 35) This is a compound simile. ‘Light’ here means the guidance of Almighty, ‘niche’ means the human heart and ‘lamp’ denotes the capability to receive divine inspiration. Glass and oil elaborate upon this receptivity. ‘Glass’ shows that this receptivity has been lodged in the human heart, protected from outside influences, and 'oil' indicates that this receptivity is very strong and is eagerly waiting to receive inspiration. This verse makes it clear that, on the one hand, is God, the source of inspiration, and on the other, is the consciousness of spirituality (Godconsciousness) with which man is born. In this way when these two things come together, Islamic spirituality comes into existence. This is indeed another name for the awakening of God-consciousness. When it reaches its highest stage the believer’s realization of God comes to that point where he begins to feel consciously in his worship that he is seeing God and that if he is not seeing God, God is seeing him. If the first type of experience is called direct spiritual experience, the secondtype may be termed indirect spiritual experience.