(Original article: Mystic Living Today, March 2023)
Nassir H. Sabah
Spirituality in the present context is to be understood as the quality of being that is predicated on a sense of closeness and connectedness to The Almighty – the Creator of the universe and the Guide and Sustainer of everything in it. The existence of The Almighty is indisputably evidenced by the Quran, whose myriad miraculous features pose an insurmountable challenge to disprove its divine origin. For non-Muslims the Quran is to be regarded as a stand-alone text that should be appraised on its own merits with an open mind and without prejudice or bias.
In the book, Spirituality Rekindled: The Quest for Serenity and Self-Fulfillment⁕, it is argued that such a rational spirituality provides a solid foundation for continual and comprehensive self-development – spiritually, psychologically, morally, and intellectually – driving toward a target state of supreme serenity and self-fulfillment. It is this self-development that is a most worthy humanistic endeavor which gives meaning to life. Concomitantly, the advocated spirituality is a prerequisite for eternal bliss in the afterlife, subject to the will, judgement, and mercy of The Almighty.
Embracing Spirituality by no means implies forgoing life’s pleasures and rewards or forgoing worldly pursuits. All these endeavors need not be shunned, as long as: (i) they are pursued lawfully and righteously, (ii) their superficiality, vanity, and ephemerality are recognized, and (iii) they do not distract from genuine self-development but rather contribute to it in meaningful ways.
The benefits of the advocated spirituality are immense: (i) conquering negative feelings, such as envy and anger, (ii) alleviation of anxiety and stress, with their detrimental effects on health and well-being, (iii) fostering positive feelings and attitudes in promoting tolerance, understanding, and compassion toward all in contrast to ruthless competition, mindless materialism, and all forms of injustice, oppression, corruption, and exploitation, (iv) experiencing the joy of living without craving and greed, without excessive indulgence or anxiety about the ending of life’s pleasures, and with a liberating awareness of what is really important in life and what is vain, superfluous, and illusory, and (v) an elating, intense feeling of closeness and connectedness to The Almighty.
Such a spirituality engenders divine serenity and contentment in the feeling that one is being cared for, guarded, and guided by The Almighty – the most compassionate, the ever-merciful, the all-loving, the all-knowing, the all-wise, the all-just, and the omnipotent. One would fear nothing, or grieve over anything, and would dauntlessly cope with life’s trials and tribulations in pursuit of the attainment of eternal bliss in heaven, which is the supreme purpose of life and the ultimate reward, subject to the will, judgement, and mercy of The Almighty.
⁕ Additional information about the book is available at: https://nassirsabah.com
