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1. Spirituality in Islam
- A human being has been given a beautiful body and a beautiful soul. Just as we take care to make the body beautiful, we must also give importance to keeping the soul on the right path.
- Islam does not separate spiritual life from worldly life.
- A human being is made of three parts: body, mind (intellect) and soul.
- Islam does not give importance to the soul while ignoring the body, nor to the body while ignoring the soul.
Hadith (Muslim) – meaning: "Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty." → We must keep the body and the heart in balance.
Spiritual poverty
- Today only bodily needs are made the centre, and spiritual needs are pushed aside → a human being becomes merely an economic animal.
- Human values such as social concern, justice, honesty, fairness, trust and truth have become rare.
- Islamic scholars call this state "spiritual poverty".
- The solution: following the methods of the Quran and the Sunnah, living in a way that joins this world and the Hereafter, body and soul. Methods that go against them only harm a person spiritually.
2. Way 1: Ikhlas (إخلاص)
Meaning: purity of heart, an unmixed intention. Whatever one does, aiming only at Allah's pleasure.
- It is the basic condition for deeds to be accepted by Allah.
- (18:110) – meaning:* Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do good deeds and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.
- When a deed is done with someone else in view alongside Allah, it becomes associating partners (shirk).
- Hadith – meaning: "Even a very small amount of showing off (riya') is shirk."
- Deeds done for money, influence, position, fame or worldly gain have no value at all with Allah.
Hadiths
| Hadith (meaning) | Source |
|---|---|
| "Actions are judged only by intentions" | Bukhari, Muslim |
| Allah does not look at your appearance or your wealth; He looks at your hearts and your deeds | Muslim |
| A man who fought so that he would be praised as "brave" and was killed – "You have lied… it has already been said" – will be dragged on his face into Hell | Muslim |
Lesson: even after giving his life, he ended up in Hell because his intention was wrong. So a pure intention is extremely important.
- (11:15–16) – meaning: Those who want only the life of this world and its glitter are paid in full in this world; in the Hereafter they will have nothing but the Fire.
3. Way 2: Tawbah (توبة)
Literal meaning: returning, turning back. Technical meaning: turning, privately and publicly, from what Allah dislikes to what He loves.
- It is the best way to remove the stains of sin from the heart.
- It is turning from an old way of life to a new one. It is not an empty word said with the tongue – there must be a change in knowledge, feeling and action.
- Why people do wrong: ignorance, uncontrolled desires, and the influence of their surroundings.
Hadith (Bukhari, Muslim) – meaning
Allah laughs at two men – one of whom killed the other – both entering Paradise: one was killed in Allah's path; the killer later made tawbah, accepted Islam, and then he too died a martyr (shahid).
Benefits of tawbah
- One comes close to Allah
- One is saved from Hell and admitted to Paradise
- Bad deeds are changed into good deeds
- A prosperous life in this world
The four conditions of tawbah
- Making tawbah with a pure intention, for Allah.
- Giving up the sin completely.
- Regretting and feeling remorse for the sins committed.
- If the sin concerns another person, approaching Allah after seeking that person's forgiveness.
Key points
- Tawbah has no time limit; it can be made at any time, not only in Ramadan.
- Delaying tawbah is a whisper of Satan.
- Allah waits at night to forgive those who sinned by day, and by day to forgive those who sinned at night.
4. Way 3: Wara' (ورع) – scrupulous caution
Meaning: scrupulousness – being careful to avoid what is doubtful.
Hadiths
| Hadith (meaning) | Source |
|---|---|
| "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt" | Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i |
| "Put your hand on your chest! The heart is uneasy before what is haram and at ease before what is halal. A cautious Muslim, fearing the major sins, leaves even minor sins." – This is regarded as the definition of wara' | Tabarani |
| A person cannot be muttaqi until, for fear of falling into wrong, he leaves even something that is not wrong | Tirmidhi |
| "O Abu Hurayrah! Be scrupulous (cautious); then you will be the greatest worshipper" | Tirmidhi |
Three levels of wara'
| Level | Explanation |
|---|---|
| In thought | Leaving worthless thoughts and filling the heart with thoughts of Allah |
| In speech | Keeping the tongue from every kind of idle talk |
| In action | Making one's walk, dress and conduct all halal |
- The Companions would avoid seventy halal things for fear of falling into one haram thing.
5. Way 4: Zuhd (زهد) – detachment from the world
Zuhd: regarding the life of this world as small compared with the life of the Hereafter.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dar al-fana' (دار الفناء) | This perishable worldly life |
| Dar al-baqa' (دار البقاء) | The everlasting life of the Hereafter |
Detachment from the world is necessary so that we are not deceived by the illusion of dar al-fana' and forget dar al-baqa'.
Evidence
- (67:2) – meaning: He created death and life to test which of you is best in deeds.
- (57:20) – meaning: The life of this world is play, amusement and adornment; it causes boasting and rivalry in wealth and children.
- (5:87) – meaning: Do not make haram what Allah has made halal; do not transgress.
- (31:33) – meaning: Do not let the life of this world deceive you.
- Hadith (Ibn Majah) – meaning: "Be detached from the world and Allah will love you. Be independent of what people have and people will love you."
Zuhd ≠ rahbaniyyah
| Zuhd | Rahbaniyyah |
|---|---|
| Using the world but not attaching the heart to it | Renouncing the world completely and rejecting its pleasures |
| Giving priority to the Hereafter; enjoying what is halal | Deliberately making life hard and harsh |
| Islam encourages it | Monasticism – Islam warns against it and condemns it |
What zuhd means in practice
- Enjoying the world must not be one's whole aim.
- Love of worldly wealth must not turn one away from seeking the Hereafter.
- Love of fame, titles and position must not turn one away from the ranks of Paradise.
- Sorrow over a loss in this world must not outweigh sorrow over a loss in the Hereafter.
- One must not hesitate to spend in Allah's path from wealth one has earned.
Quick revision
- Human = body + mind + soul; "Allah is beautiful and loves beauty" (Muslim).
- Spiritual poverty = ignoring spiritual needs and focusing only on bodily needs.
- Ikhlas = unmixed intention; "actions are by intentions"; even small showing off is shirk.
- Tawbah = returning; 4 conditions: pure intention, leaving the sin, regret, seeking the wronged person's forgiveness.
- Wara' = scrupulous caution; leave what is doubtful (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i); thought, speech, action.
- Zuhd = detachment from the world; dar al-fana' vs dar al-baqa'; rahbaniyyah (monasticism) is condemned.
*The textbook prints this verse as "(19:110)"; the same verse is given as "(18:110)" in Chapter 2. It is Surah al-Kahf 18:110 – confirm with the teacher.