MAGAZINE REVIEW

Applied Islamic spirituality in an idiom suited to the modern age is the focus of Spirit of Islam. It seeks to provide rational evidence for Islam, communicating ancient wisdom in a mode and idiom intelligible and acceptable to the modern mind. Many articles in the magazine take the form of short, incisive reflections on a particular Quranic verse or a Hadith (a report attributed to the Prophet Muhammad), bringing out its implications and continuing relevance in our times. Other articles seek to draw lessons from everyday happenings, reflecting an understanding of spirituality as being the ability to convert daily events into spiritual learning experiences. This spirituality is one that is inseparable from intellectual enquiry and serious engagement with the real world. Spirit of Islam stays clear of specifically Muslim community-related issues. The spiritual insights and lessons it provides are universal in their relevance. Issues that it focuses on, such as the purpose of life, life after death, religion and science, evidence for God in nature and in our selves, personal transformation, handling negative emotions, the need for positive thinking, dealing with life’s myriad challenges, negotiating relationships and so on, would be of interest to just about anybody searching for meaning and purpose in life beyond material gratification. Not surprisingly, the magazine has a fair number of readers from other faiths. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is one of the foremost proponents of interfaith dialogue and understanding at the global level, having written numerous books and many times that number of articles on the subject. Deeply concerned with the brutal terrorism in the name of Islam that continues to devastate large parts of the world, which he regards as completely anti-Islamic, he has made promoting peace one of his foremost priorities. This is reflected in the pages of Spirit of Islam, which regularly carries insightful articles on the importance of peace in Islam and on the need for Muslims to relate with love, peace, well-wishing and compassion among themselves and with others. Muslims are constantly reminded of their duty to convey God’s message to others, for which they are told that they must build bridges with them and live together with them in harmony. The magazine devotes considerable space to critiques of the hate-driven ideology of terrorists parading in the guise of champions of Islam and their erroneous interpretation of the concept of jihad. Linked to this are articles that seek to counter the political interpretation of Islam, which the Maulana regards as a wrongful innovation and as at the root of the phenomenon of terrorism in the name of Islam today. Other articles underscore