Extracts from the Book

Is our destiny simply to be born, live our lives, enjoy what our circumstances allow, achieve what we able to achieve, then end up as a lifeless corpse to be disposed of one way or another? Is human life, at the bottom of it, just a matter of biological continuation of the species? Like human, like dog, or like rat? Does this make sense? Do not the exalted human sensibilities and intellect deserve a more sublime purpose?

Humans are spiritual beings, whether we care to admit it or not. Those who choose to deny spirituality do so at their own peril while debasing what it truly means to be human. Those who choose to acknowledge, embrace, and cherish their spirituality are in a world of ever-fulfilling self-development and tranquility.

Once we appreciate the limitations of science, it becomes natural to look beyond science with an open mind. This is not depreciating science but more like using it as a springboard to what is beyond the scope and reach of present-day science. The supernatural should not be dismissed outright because it is not explainable by one’s worldview, or as being too bizarre and unworthy of scientific minds. Repudiating the supernatural in the name of science is like a blind man denying the existence of what he cannot see. However, in venturing beyond science into the supernatural one must not stumble into a realm of superstition, mindless dogmatism, stubborn denial, and anti-science. How can this be done? It can be done with the advocated spirituality.

The Quran is a book dealing primarily with matters of faith, spirituality, and religious observances, yet it is replete with astoundingly intricate numerical relations while authoritatively touching on many diverse topics – such as cosmology, geology, oceanography, zoology, botany, physiology, psychology, ethics, legislation, and economics – including prophetic references to physical phenomena, which have since been corroborated by science, and all in a captivating style that is linguistically and literarily inimitable and which makes the text easy to remember… In all honesty, how can the Quran possibly be of other than Divine origin?

What can be said about The Almighty? He is Transcendent, beyond human perception and imagination. He is The One and Only, The Creator of everything and its Guide and Caretaker, not bound by space or time, the All-Knowing, the real Owner of everything in the universe, The Willer of all things that are, The Doer of whatever He Wills, The Most Compassionate, The Ever-Merciful, The All-Forgiving, The Ever-Forgiving, The Relenting, The Responsive, The All-Loving, The All-Wise, and the All- Just. The Almighty is maximally perfect. His are The Most Exalted Names, for He possesses all the perfect attributes to the highest degree possible.

Humans have been endowed with free will so that they may choose whether or not to submit to His Will. The choices that humans make in the exercise of their free will: (i) are by way of trial for them, (ii) will have consequences for them, if not in this life, then in the Afterlife, and (iii) are known beforehand to The Almighty.

In the face of suffering and evil we must refrain from passing judgement based on our own perceived values and limited knowledge and perspective. By the Will and Wisdom of The Almighty worldly life is a test and suffering and evil are part of it as well as a form of spiritual purification. We should have full trust in the Wisdom, Justice, and Mercy of The Almighty.

Suffering in this world, no matter how painful and distressing, is but temporary. By His Will, believers who suffer are rewarded, if not in this life, then in the Afterlife, which is what matters. The reward in the Afterlife is everlasting and most gratifying. Any suffering, no matter how severe and painful to the sufferer, can in no way even remotely compare to what transpires in the Afterlife, whether in punishment or reward.

The serene self is at peace with itself and the world. It is transparent, having nothing to hide. It has shed all vestiges of vain and mundane desires, is free from all trepidation and fear of any mortal or any worldly outcome, harbors no ill feelings towards anyone, is compassionate to all, and is preoccupied with benevolent and virtuous acts. It has certainty as to what is right and what is wrong, profound knowledge of what is paramount and worthy and what is not, and perspicacious wisdom concerning the right decisions to make, and courses of action to take, in any given situation. It experiences sublime spirituality submitting to The Will of The Almighty and Serving Him.

The human self is a miraculous creation endowed with an innate disposition for good or evil. Our everyday thoughts and conduct have a direct bearing on the development of this self. Evil-doing or simply benign neglect, as is most often the case, stunts this self-development and demeans our humanness. Choosing the righteous course of self-development and diligently following this course is ever-fulfilling and is what gives meaning to our lives. The ultimate purpose and goal of this self-development is the serene self in this world, which is a requisite for eternal bliss in the Afterlife.

Spirituality provides the solid foundation for this continuing and ever-fulfilling self-development. It is the principal element of this grand edifice of self-development, with five key components: (i) beliefs, as the embrace of some underlying, or foundational, convictions, (ii) feelings engendered by these beliefs, (iii) occupying thoughts, as sustained remembrance of The Almighty, predicated on these beliefs and feelings, (iv) attitudes, as dispositions emanating from the aforementioned beliefs, feelings, and thoughts, and (v) conduct, as a behavioral manifestation or embodiment of all the preceding.

No matter the self-delusion, everyone is utterly helpless and powerless against His Will, whether one realizes it or not, or cares to admit it or not. Just think of our pitiful weakness against debilitating disease, calamities that might befall us all of a sudden, without any anticipation or preparedness, or the inexorable ravages of aging. Everyone will face the consequences of their actions if not in this life, then in the Afterlife. On the Day of Judgement, everyone will face their Creator alone, without bodyguards, companions, or any of the trappings of wealth and power in this world. To brush all this aside and cling to an illusory belief of one’s grandeur, superiority, and invincibility is the height of conceit, arrogance, and ignorance of the realities of our existence.

As a matter of fact, all living and nonliving entities have submitted to His Will in complying with the laws of nature that He ordained. This includes all entities governed by the four fundamental forces – gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force – or by the biochemical-electrical reactions and interactions underlying the physiology of all living cells, tissues, organs, and systems, or by instinctive animal behavior and reflexes; all have submitted to His Will. In other words, His Reality permeates every reality. It is human free will, which He created by His Will and Design, that has given humans a leash to make life choices, by way of trying them, and for which they are accountable.

Remembrance of The Almighty as part and parcel of our daily thoughts and as a companion and guide of our daily acts is surely of greater spiritual and psychological benefit than remembering Him only in prayer and then forgetting Him the rest of the time.

To crave for wealth, power, status, or pleasures is to become enslaved by this craving. Craving is incessant, fueled by greed, so it’s never satiated. This means that what is craved cannot be really enjoyed, because no matter how much is attained, one is desperate for more. Craving becomes an all-consuming, unscrupulous drive that can overstep all moral and ethical bounds… On the other hand, true enjoyment of life’s pleasures and rewards derives joy from what pleasures become available, without transgression, without yearning, without making their pursuit a central objective, and without regret and sorrow when they cease.

Moreover, our worldly existence and everything we experience in it is transient and subject to unforeseen and unpredictable change. Nothing worldly is everlasting: neither riches, nor grandeur, nor status, nor good health. They will all come to an end sometime, if not during our lifetime, then with death. And what does not last cannot be counted on, to paraphrase the great Muslim scholar, mystic, and philosopher, Ibn ʿArabī.

Serving another master means according someone or something, other than The Almighty, a central role in our lives, commanding our attention, devotion, and loyalty, and governing our behavior. This can be our own selfish egos, pursuit of wealth, power, and status, or other worldly causes and desires. In actual fact, polytheism is still pervasive in modern society but in forms other than those of ancient times.

It has also been pointed out that slavery persists in modern societies albeit in different forms such as dire poverty and need, hunger, injustice, oppression, exploitation, crushing debt, and humiliation in different ways. Deeds that relieve from these adversities are tantamount to “freeing from slavery”.

It is most unfortunate that modernization has led to deterioration of family values and the weakening of family ties almost to the breaking point. Youngsters are encouraged to leave the family nest at an early age under the guise of independence, living their own lives, and other expressions of excessive individualism. Obligations towards the nuclear or the extended family are scorned instead of providing an indispensable social and psychological safety net.

With Spirituality, there is no cause for envy. For one thing, the yardstick for measuring success is quite different: It is self-development under the Grace and Mercy of The Almighty. It is not success in worldly matters as ends in themselves. It is not how much money those envied are making, or their lifestyles, or their social status, or popularity, or their position in the organization, or their achievements. If all these are conducive to self-development of those envied, under the Grace and Mercy of The Almighty, then good for them. One would feel happy for them and be motivated for more self-development. If, on the other hand, worldly gains and successes are stunting self-development, one would feel sorry for them instead of envying them. These worldly gains and successes would be just frivolities; they could be chastisement or could cause torment, anguish, and damnation in the Afterlife… That is certainly no reason for envy.

With Spirituality, one would consider life as but a game, with its ups and downs, to be played as best as one can, without losing sight of its ultimate meaning and purpose and without any attendant fear or trepidation. Life’s challenges become steppingstones on the path of self-development, rather than stumbling blocks that one might trip over. Whatever comes, one would take in one’s stride, not regretting what was lost, nor overjoying at what was gained

The feeling of closeness to The Almighty engenders intense joy, peace, and tranquility in the belief that one is being accorded His Mercy, Grace, and Care. One would feel detached from the mundane concerns and events of everyday life and insulated from their effects and consequences. With advance in Spirituality, one would experience at times that mystical feeling of exhilaration, unbounded goodness, and oneness with the universe, attended by a wonderful physical sensation of expansion, dilation, or lightness in one’s chest that is the exact opposite of the weightiness or contraction in the chest that one might feel when distressed or depressed. One might wholly surrender oneself to The Almighty in the mysterious stillness of the darkness of night, feeling His Presence permeate and infuse one’s whole being, body and soul, elevating one into a realm of unbounded and indescribably blissful spiritual elation.

The Almighty has created humans for a purpose, which, out of His infinite Mercy and Love, is for them to have eternal bliss in Heaven. In His Omniscience and Wisdom, He created them with a wondrous conscious self having a free will that allows them to choose between the right path that leads to eternal bliss in Heaven and the wrong path that leads to suffering in Hell. The right path is that of submitting to His Will and Serving Him. Progress along this path is through self-development, spiritually, psychologically, morally, and intellectually, reflected in a target state of sublime serenity and self-fulfillment.

The Spirituality advocated in this book provides a solid foundation for spiritual, psychological, and moral development and is conducive to intellectual advancement and physical well-being, thereby enabling self-development over a wide spectrum. The linchpin of this Spirituality is the belief in The Almighty and in His Revelations in the Quran, which is addressed to all humankind, and not only to Muslims. the Quran is to be regarded by non-Muslims as a stand-alone text that should be appraised on its merits without prejudice or bias. Anyone who believes that the Quran is of human origin, faces the insurmountable challenge of explaining the miraculous features of the Quran, including the miraculous verses and numerical relations of letters and words in the Quran. Failing to do that, intellectual honesty demands that one should at least admit that the Quran is of Divine origin, which in turn leads to the possibility of the Existence of The Almighty. Having admitted this possibility, one is then faced with a pragmatic choice: to believe in the Existence of The Almighty and reap the immense benefits of Spirituality, as detailed previously, or not to believe and forfeit these benefits. Common sense dictates that one should choose to believe in the Existence of The Almighty, in His Essence and Nature, in the Afterlife and in His Revelations in the Quran.

I really cannot help but feel sorry for men and women of science, learning, and intellect who under the guise of high-minded intellectualism refuse to admit of anything that is not based on science. They argue that if science cannot prove the existence of a divine being, then they cannot believe in Him nor in a Spirituality centered around Him. They seem to have a blind faith in science without full awareness of the nature of present-day science and its limitations. They do not appreciate that embracing Spirituality is simply stepping beyond the limitations of present-day science without repudiating science. How can any rational person adamantly refuse to believe in the Existence of The Almighty, based on science, when present-day science, because of its very nature, cannot affirm or refute His Existence? This brings back the allegory of the blind man who refuses to believe in the existence of something he cannot see.

It is hoped that after reading this book most readers will set out on the path of ever-fulfilling self-development through the advocated Spirituality. Atheists and agnostics will hopefully be sufficiently convinced of the existence of The Almighty to embrace Spirituality and experience its benefits for themselves. Those who do not believe strongly in the existence of The Almighty should have their belief strengthened as they embrace Spirituality. Those whose belief in The Almighty is compartmentalized in some routine and habitual practices, without it infusing their very being, will come to realize what it means to submit to His Will, to Serve Him, and to have Him our sole beacon and guide. Those who believe in The Almighty and are engaged in the practice of a particular religion should be able to incorporate Spirituality in their belief system as a highly personalized way of experiencing a close connection with The Almighty and reaping the benefits of Spirituality.

Spirituality and its attendant, all-encompassing self-development is incredibly rewarding and is in itself a most worthy and humanistic endeavor. It has immense benefits that are reflected in a rational and coherent view of the meaning and purpose of our existence, a deep sense of self-fulfillment, sublime serenity, a highly gratifying relationship with others, and an exhilarating feeling of an intimate, mystical connection with The One and Only.

The human predicament in modern life is starkly and poignantly expressed in the following quotation from an unknown author: “What surprises me most about Man is that he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” This is like an animal pointlessly thrashing about within the confines of a cage. Only a wide opening would securely liberate from the cage of worldly concerns to the exhilarating liberty outside the cage and to the sublime heights of serenity and self-fulfillment. That wide opening is Spirituality.