ISLAM: A SCHEME OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

ISLAM: A SCHEME OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT The dictionary meaning of spirituality: The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. The Quranic term for spirituality is Rabbaniyat. It is the elevation of the human condition to a plane on which the mind is focused on the higher, non-material realities of a godly existence. The Prophet said: “God plants wisdom in the heart of one who shows disinclination for the world.” To be a spiritual person one should understand the principles of life which Islam expects from its believers. In the following article we bring you a bouquet from the garden of Islamic principles. PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM PEACE A believer is necessarily a lover of peace. In his mind, faith and a desire for peace are so closely interlinked that, regardless of circumstances, he will strive to the utmost for the maintenance of peace. He will bear the loss of anything else, but the loss of peace he will not endure. The life that the true believer desires in this world can be lived only in the propitious atmosphere which flowers in conditions of peace. Conditions of unrest breed a negative atmosphere which to him is abhorrent. But if peace is to be maintained, it calls for a certain kind of sacrifice. That is, when conditions become disturbed, the believer must overlook both the misdeeds leading up to this situation and the identity of the wrong doers. He must suffer all the harm and injustice done to him without making any attempt either to retaliate, or to bring the miscreants to book, so that a state of peace continues to prevail. The believer has to be willing to pay this price, so that his pursuance of constructive ends proceeds unhampered. The believer is like a flower in the garden of nature. Just as a hot wind will shrivel up a bloom and cause it to die, so will constant friction distract the believer from achieving positive goals. And just as a cool breeze will enable the flower to retain its beauty for its natural lifespan, so will a peaceful atmosphere enable the believer to fulfil the obligations of divine worship in a spirit of great serenity. Peace is thus central to the life of the believer.