Spiritual Side to Islam ?

[c0de]

i am glad that i started this topic since it has been very illuminating not in terms of answering my question because I suppose that there are not really many if any practicing muslims posting on this site to answer it but it has been illuminating as to the modus operandi of this forum..

Many people here (Muslims and non-Muslims) were more than forthcoming and patient with your question G2G. If our answers did not fit in with your preconceived notions of Islam, then that is a different matter.

 

[farhan]

Is there a spiritual side to Islam ?

I am only aware of lots and lots of rules but deeper than that is there anymore to it than that ?

How exactly do you define spiritual?

(my definition might be different from yours, so lets start with the basics)

How exactly you define a-spiritual? Where is the demarcating line? Why isn't law spiritual? Is heedlessness spiritual? Because from Islamic point of view, its only a life of heedlessness & intoxication (and its aftereffects) that are a-spiritual. Otherwise anything you are doing according to the will of God is spiritual. Just be aware of him, be mindfull of his limits, & be thankful for his bounties, anything from running enterprise to having sex is kind of spiritual.


You should know what you want before asking. And well, Islam doesnt offer free salvation, so if thats what you are searching for, you aint gonna find it here.

this is not a joke BTW

Now thats a sense of humor

 

[citizenzen]

please note this is in the Islamic section of the forum, now no offense I but I am only really interested in an islamic perspective here

Then I don't think you understand the purpose or function of this forum. The subject may be Islam, but anybody is able to comment.

If you'd like to limit who gets to participate in your discussions in the future, I'd suggest using PMs, Social Groups or email.

Bless you too.

 

[Netti-Netti]

Then I don't think you understand the purpose or function of this forum. The subject may be Islam, but anybody is able to comment.

Yes. It's always a good idea to get a Buddhist view of Islam.

 

[citizenzen]

Yes. It's always a good idea to get a Buddhist view of Islam.

I agree. Isn't that what interfaith is about?

 

[Netti-Netti]

Is there a spiritual side to Islam ?

I was quite surprised to see the OP question from someone who has been on this board a year.

There would seem to be a number of discussions that might be on target. They are fairly lengthy, so they would prolly have a fair amount of content.


http://www.interfaith.org/forum/sufi-ascension-stages-of-the-7698.html

http://www.interfaith.org/forum/concept-of-worship-in-islam-2989.html

http://www.interfaith.org/forum/the-beautiful-book-do-not-11401.html

http://www.interfaith.org/forum/love-that-beautiful-language-and-9922.html

http://www.interfaith.org/forum/ibn-arabi-11186.html

 

[Netti-Netti]

I agree. Isn't that what interfaith is about?

After a recent discussion, it became apparent to me that even people who pride themselves on knowing a bit more than most about their religion of origin may have significant gaps in their understanding. Realistically, what are the chances of them knowing more about another religion than they know about their own?

It is easy to find Bible scholars who have devoted their entire life to studying the New Testament. I wonder what it would take to get reasonably up to snuff on another religion to make meaningful comparisons.

Generally speaking, unless someone has at least studied a religion for several years and actually lived in that environment, one is unlikely to have much of a basis for comparison. And so much of the time comparisons tend to involve faulty understandings of one's own religion and uninformed opinions concerning another religion.

Just speaking for myself, my "comparative religion" posts aren't even worth the time to run a spell check on them. Worthless.

 

[citizenzen]

After a recent discussion, it became apparent to me that even people who pride themselves on knowing a bit more than most about their religion of origin may have significant gaps in their understanding. Realistically, what are the chances of them knowing more about another religion than they know about their own?

I don't think the point is to know "more about another religion than they know about their own".

The point is to find commonalities between different points of view, to bridge the gaps of cultural ignorance that separate us... even if it takes knocking a few heads in an effort to shake some sense into them.

Funny... that technique rarely works. But it sure makes me feel better.

 

[wil]

... I wonder what it would take to get reasonably up to snuff on another religion to make meaningful comparisons.

Generally speaking, unless someone has at least studied a religion for several years and actually lived in that environment, one is unlikely to have much of a basis for comparison. And so much of the time comparisons tend to involve faulty understandings of one's own religion and uninformed opinions concerning another religion.

Having been sucked in by so many sites which claim to be comparing religions or denominations in the end it seems most are doing neither. They are creating a chart of a document that 'proves' their way of thinking correct and all others lacking.

 

[dailogue is the best]

Is there a spiritual side to Islam ?

GlorytoGod, if you have not yet discoverd the spirituality of Islam, then you havent yet felt what Islam is.

The following is a part of my discussion with Dondi about the notion of sacrifice in Islam. I hope it will help:

Islam is build on five pillars. Those pillars embody the sacrifice a true Muslim should give to God to be a good Muslim (submitter)…to stay in lasting connection with that Higher Being…​

1) To witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammed is His messanger. This witness embodies the sacrifice of one's trambling thoughts to the only God…the sacrifice of one's confused logic, short sighted reason to God.. When a true beleiever does, then he receives in return the true, accurate light of guidance…one begins to see what others cant, to feel what others cant, to know what others cant…By sacrifing your limited mind to the absolute, your mind and heart begin to receive truth that really guides…This pillar leads to the source of the best guidance. It is not our mind. Our mind is really short sighted..​

2) To pray 5 times a day. These five prayer which are divided into five parts of the day: morning, midday, afternoon, sunset, and evening is a sacrifice too. If the above pillar is a sacrifice of reason to the best source of guidance, this pillar embody the sacrifice of Time….Our time shouldn’t be devoted to our personal selfish desires and projects. What about our relation of God? How much time do you devote to this relation? That is the wisdom behind this pillar: It is the sacrifice of time for connecting God.​

It also teaches us how to stay connected to God all day along as the prayers are divided through the different parts of the day. In addition, Islam teaches us that those five pillars are just pillars. That is to saty, they are what Islam is build on, but they arenot the building itself. Hence, Islam encourages us to build and build. If salat (prayer) teaches us to sacrifice our time, then we should preserve this habit and stay sacrificing our time for connecting God. Therefore, a true believer is in lasting sacrificing of his time for the sake of God, and building his Islam (submission). Then, a true believer devote his time for listening to a relative/friend in trouble, visiting a sick friend, free extra hours to the poor, illetrate, and all the activities that may make God's creatures happy. This is a sacrifice of time, and this is what this pillar teaches us…another sacrifice…another submission..​

3) To pay Zakat (2,5% of your gathered money annually).This third pillar embody the sacrifice of money. Any human being is created with that innate love of loving money and loving gathering it. This third pillar comes to educate in us that love. Islam teaches us that money is God's, and not ours. That's why we should devote it for God's cause. 2,5% of our gatherer money should be spend annually to the poor. And this another form of sacrifice. Besides, this sacrifice as it cleans us from being so attached to money, and also make us love giving, it becomes a habit in a Muslim to sacrifice his money whenever possible for God. It is called "sadaka", charity in English. Hence, a true believer stays connecting God through his money as well: helping the poor and those in need…Then, this is another sacrifice…another submission…another way of connecting God..​

4) To fast the lunar month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset. This fourth pillar embody the sacrifice of eating/ sex. Muslims are prohibited to eat or to have sex with their wives/husbands from sunrise to sunset. This pillar teaches us Muslims how to conrol/sacrifice their eating and sexual desires for connecting God. They submit/sacrifice those things in order to get higher those animalistic desires which close the door towards the Divine. Hence, presenting the sacrifice of eating/drinking, and sexual intercourse lead to connecting God.​

5) To make pilgrimage if it is possible financially, and physically. This last pillar embody the sacrifice of your whole being/propriety. To make pilgrimage one has to leave his family, propriety and take the journey to a new land wherein pilgramge rituals aren’t easy at all. They involve rotation around the Holy House in Mecca, and wherein people from all over the world and with different ranks, colours, status wear the same: piece of white cloth. All people look alike and the same. No difference at all. This journey teaches the sacrifice of one's whole being for the devotion of God…one should forget who he is, what he works, what his salary, what his education level is, what family he belongs to..one has to forget all…He is a mere human being as him as the millions around who come all over the world..he is a servant of God…he is equal to all..he is no less no more than others…This is what this pillar teaches. It teaches the sacrifice of whole being. This sacrifice as this pillar teaches should be alive in a true believer's inner all the time, and stay humble and modest and not get arrogant of his money and status..he is a mere servant of God..That's why, he/she should devout his whole being to serve His creatures​

Sacrifice in Islam is build on sacrificing our mind, time, money, lusts, status and whole being for getting near and close to God…for staying in lasting attachment to Him..for subliming to Him and live with Him as His presence within us is the true life….The knowledgable of God once said: there is a heaven in earth that if one doesn’t enter, he will not enter it in the last Day. This heaven is to know God and live with Him and for Him..​

​

 

[GlorytoGod]

GlorytoGod, if you have not yet discoverd the spirituality of Islam, then you havent yet felt what Islam is.

The following is a part of my discussion with Dondi about the notion of sacrifice in Islam. I hope it will help:

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thanks for you input but just to clarify I am abandoning this thread as it seems the interfaith vultures would rather pick the flesh from bones than anything else, which seems to be the style here.

so any more internet inquiry into the spiritual aspects of islam will be done in private or on another forum.

thankyou.

 

[citizenzen]

thanks for you input but just to clarify I am abandoning this thread as it seems the interfaith vultures would rather pick the flesh from bones than anything else, which seems to be the style here.

Can you say "persecution complex"?

 

[Muslimwoman]

now i realize that my post was quite blunt

Oh come now G2G let's call a spade a spade .. your OP was worded to antagonise so why are you surprised when it did so?

However, as a convert I do know exactly where you are coming from. Before I could read Quran I was "accosted" for drinking with my left hand .. oh sin of sins. It got to the point I felt I couldn't eat, walk, sleep or breath correctly.

Luckily for me my husband stepped in and made everyone back off, in order that I could get to grips with the spirituality of Islam .. which was rapidly wearing thin with the constant criticism.

The problem is Muslims see the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as the perfect example of a Muslim and try to emulate him in every conceivable way but that doesn't make it Islam.

It is such a shame that people do this and of course there is the hassanat they get if they teach you something ... turns even the most ignorant in religious knowledge into a teacher.

However, all that said, once people realised what they were doing it was so easy to return to the spiritual side of Islam that had attracted me in the first place.

The five pillars give the road to spiritual Islam .. the rest is all additional and most of it totally optional.

 

[Tao_Equus]

The problem is Muslims see the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as the perfect example of a Muslim and try to emulate him in every conceivable way but that doesn't make it Islam.

Ahhhh..... so all Muslims aspire to murder Jews in cold and cowardly ways?

 

[Muslimwoman]

Ahhhh..... so all Muslims aspire to murder Jews in cold and cowardly ways?

Yes Tao it's all we think about day and night ..... can I have some of whatever you've been smoking?!

 

[Tao_Equus]

Yes Tao it's all we think about day and night ..... can I have some of whatever you've been smoking?!

Golden Virgin? Shoooorly you would not martyr yourself just for a smoke!!

 

[Abdullah]

Is there a spiritual side to Islam ?


I am only aware of lots and lots of rules but deeper than that is there anymore to it than that ?

Hi GTG,

here is a link that would explain the inextricable spiritual nature of the islamic practices and spirituality:

The Place of Tasawwuf in Traditional Islam

 

[Agnostic]

I am an ex muslim BTW, I attempted to practice islam for a couple of years

so I know a little of what its about

Are you for real? LOL.

Man, I'm thinking the exact same thing about my religion aswell, and I thought of studying Islam because I thought it would be more spiritual. If you're in the same exact position as me, but as a Muslim; I guess, it is a common problem either with religion itself, or with us not being able to make that spiritual connection with god.

 

[Saltmeister]

Are you for real? LOL.

Man, I'm thinking the exact same thing about my religion aswell, and I thought of studying Islam because I thought it would be more spiritual. If you're in the same exact position as me, but as a Muslim; I guess, it is a common problem either with religion itself, or with us not being able to make that spiritual connection with god.

I think there's a spiritual side to just about any major world religion. You just have to look for it in the right places.

But I am not here to judge GTG.

What am I going to say of people leaving Christianity because they think it's illogical, unintuitive and intellectually/philosophically/spiritually lacking? Personally, I think people who leave a religion and find something even better in another religion do it not because the original religion was really lacking. It is fine with me if they didn't see the depth in the original religion. Their journey led them somewhere else.

Christians have their prejudices about Islam and Muslims have their prejudices about Christianity. Some of them are ex-members of the other religion.

I think it is a matter of having the dedication to make a religion more interesting, or to keep it interesting. People have found ways to make Islam interesting. They have found ways to make Christianity interesting. They have done that with Buddhism, New Age, etc. It is a matter of being imaginative and creative.

But maybe you are at a point where you think your religion is a load of rubbish because of the attitudes it encourages in its adherents and followers in the neighbourhood in which you live. It may be true that the followers you know really do have ridiculous attitudes. But they often aren't representative of all its followers around the world. If you actually explore the many different approaches people have developed around the world with regards to Islam and Christianity, you may start to understand why some people stay interested. You have most likely only seen a microcosm of the whole religion. Your perspective was limited to only a small locality or geographical location.

If you want to keep your interest in a particular religion alive, be creative and imaginative. Prove yourself wrong. When you find yourself becoming a fountain of ideas and making a contribution, that's when you become a teacher, a preacher, an expert.

But beware of conformity. Conformity leads to stagnation. My advice is not to keep people focused on old ideas, but to introduce new ones. While it is often good to get back to basics, I would not advise you staying with the basics. You need to develop and mature.

To illustrate an example of someone leaving due to boredom . . . maybe I should discuss the member Francis King . . .

Francis King found this message board boring and stagnant. It was suggested by another member that the reason why she was bored was because she didn't try making the place interesting!

Think of it as being like a novelist, artist, singer or songwriter. Michael Jackson and the Beatles didn't quit the music industry because there wasn't any good music around. No, they believed they had something better to contribute and showed it to the world. You've got to have the attitude of a musician to religion.

Be an opera singer . . .

 

[Abdullah]

Are you for real? LOL.

Man, I'm thinking the exact same thing about my religion aswell, and I thought of studying Islam because I thought it would be more spiritual. If you're in the same exact position as me, but as a Muslim; I guess, it is a common problem either with religion itself, or with us not being able to make that spiritual connection with god.

Hi Agnostic,

Islam is entwined with the verry essence of spirituality; infact witohut it there will be no meaning to the religion at all

To get the spiritual connection is really simple really if one has faith in their hearts; when one practices islam and does the ritual worship or abides by the islamic rule of abstaning from forbidden things, and one has the intention in their hearts that they are doing it for the pleasure of ALlah alone, so there is the spiritual connection there; is not worship for God done spiritually for Him?

And the deeper the concentration on God and moving one's feelings towards the Mercy of and closeness to God that can be felt, the more 'spiritual' one gets; it's really as simple as that

I think what both of you lacked; you and Glory to God, is faith in your hearts