Intention is of utmost important in Islam. No act, simply on account of its appearance of being commendable can be acceptable to God. God accepts only such deeds as have been performed with the right intention. No act done with evil intention is acceptable to God.
When a person performs some task solely for God’s pleasure and with the aim of being rewarded for it in the Hereafter, that shows he is a person of good intention.
On the contrary, when a person acts in a way that is ostensibly religious, with the hope of promoting some worldly interest thereby, receiving appreciation, gaining in popularity among others and finding a place of honour among them, that shows an evil intention.
Intention relates to one’s thinking or inner state. People may not be able to discover the inner state of a person’s mind when he performs a certain action. But God is fully cognizant of what is going on in his mind. He knows what kind of feelings he had at that time. People may mistake an evil act for a good act, but God has full knowledge of all things and will deal with everyone accordingly. He will reward a person exactly as he deserves.
The significance of intention is that of truth and meaningfulness. When something is lacking in truth and meaningfulness, it is of no value. Indeed, any act which is done without the right intention is valueless. It has no importance either in the eyes of people or in the eyes of God.
An act is worthy of esteem only when it is pure in intention. Any act done without the right intention is impure in nature.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
In the present world, every human being is free. God has not set any constraints upon a person. But this freedom is for the purpose of putting him to the test rather than allowing him to lead an unrestrained life. This freedom does not mean that a person should lead his life permissively and then die one day. Its purpose is rather that a person should lead a life of principle of his own will and intention. Of his own will, he should bind himself to obeying high moral principles.
The purpose of creating a human being in this way is to give him the opportunity to be the most superior of the creatures so that he may be credited with being one of those special beings who bound himself to living a principled life, in spite of having no compulsion to do so.
All things in this world are subjected to God. The stars and planets in space revolve in their orbits totally under the command of God. The trees, the rivers, the mountains— all these things strictly follow the plan laid down for them by God. On a parallel with this, the animals follow the pattern determined for them by their instincts. They are totally governed by their instincts. In this world human beings, as an exception, have been granted the blessings of freedom and power.
This freedom offers two different paths to a person. One leads him to becoming arrogant and insolent, and leading an unrestricted life. This would mean his failing in his test paper.
On the other hand will be those who make right and proper use of their freedom. Although there is no compulsion for them to adhere to divine principles, they will be successful in their test. They will be given rewards by God, such as no other creature can merit. They will be held to be those of God’s servants, who have earned nearness to God. And they will live a life of comfort and happiness eternally.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
The Quran is God’s word both in word and meaning. The Hadith is that collection of words and deeds which convey God’s message, but, so far as its words are concerned, those are the very words spoken by the Prophet. While the Quran presents direct guidance from God, the Hadith presents indirect guidance.
There are many books of Hadith, some of which are of particular importance. For instance, Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Jami al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Abi Dawood, Sunan an-Nasai, Sunan Ibn Majah, Muwatta Imam Malik and Musnad Ahmad.
The Hadith constitutes an interpretation and elaboration of the Quran. In the Quran, mostly basic commands have been given, details of which can be learned from the prophetic traditions. Similarly, the Hadith gives us practical framework for the theoretical guidance of the Quran. The importance of the Hadith is such that it cannot be considered separate from the Quran.
The books of Hadith give commands and teachings relating to all the aspects of life, for instance, what a Muslim should be like in his intention and thinking. They specify the details of worship, set an example of how to deal with people in daily life—and in particular, how to address them. They define the limitations in food and drinks and explain what the family structure should be. They explain what the basis of social relations should be and how to settle life’s issues in a peaceable manner.
All those matters which relate to human life and on which success in this world and Hereafter depends, are set forth in detail in the books of Hadith. Without a study of the Hadith, we cannot complete the study of Islam and neither can we know the Islamic teachings for leading life in this world.
The corpus of Hadith is the greatest source of Islamic teaching after the Quran. Once a hadith is proved to be an authentic part of the legacy of the Prophet of Islam, we have to accept it as we do the Quran.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
The Quran is the book of God. The Quran, having been preserved in its original form, is a completely reliable source of divine guidance.
There are 114 chapters in the Quran. Everything that has been laid down in the Quran can be summed up thus: an individual should believe in the one God, and hold himself accountable to Him alone. He should discover that the Prophet Muhammad was a messenger who conveyed God’s guidance to humanity.
The Quran is a sacred book sent by God for everyone. It is a book for all because it has been sent by God, Who is the Creator of all mankind.
The Quran is not a new holy book. It is, in effect, a preserved version of the previous divine books. In this sense, the Quran is a book for all human beings and for all nations. The Quran manifests God’s mercy for all. It is the message of God sent by Him for everyone. The Quran is a light of guidance for the whole world, just as the sun is a source of light and heat for the whole world.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
A prophet is one who has been selected to represent God on earth. When God chooses a human being as His messenger, His angel comes to him to inform him of this selection. In this way, he is left in no doubt that he is indeed God’s messenger. Afterwards, God sends him His teachings through the angel so that he may inform all human beings of God’s will. The prophet is an intermediary between God and man. He takes from God His message and conveys it to human beings.
God has bestowed human beings with reason but, through reason alone, an individual cannot understand the deeper realities of the present life. So far as God and the world Hereafter are concerned, this is totally related to the invisible world and as such, these things are beyond human reason and understanding. What the prophet does is fulfil this need of every individual. The Prophet informs a person of the realities of life, and of the world Hereafter. In this way, he enables people to plan their life in the full light of divine knowledge.
From the time that people inhabited this world, the prophets started arriving in every age. They told humans of God’s will but, there are no authentic records of the teachings of the prophets of ancient times. The later circumstances failed to authenticate their personalities as factually historical and their books also suffered the same fate.
Finally, God chose the Prophet Muhammad as His Messenger. He was born at a time when world history had begun to be put on record. Subsequently, with the invention of the printing press, he became widely acknowledged as a historically established figure, and the Book divinely revealed to him, was preserved for all eternity. Ultimately, there was no possibility that any changes could be made in this divine book he had brought to the world. The Prophet Muhammad was the final messenger to humanity. No prophet will come after him.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
Monotheism or tawheed is the essence of Islam. Tawheed means oneness of God. It is a fundamental doctrine of Islam referring to the oneness of God in all its meanings. Thus, the declaration that ‘there is no God but only one God’ is called tawheed. God is not an abstract concept. He exists by Himself. He is a living and powerful God with perfect attributes. God alone is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe including human beings. There is no one worthy of worship other than God. No act in the nature of worship is lawful unless directed towards God. He is the one who fulfils our needs. He is always near us; He cares for us and we owe our existence to Him alone. There is nothing remotely like Him. The Quran thus enjoins us: “Say, He is God, the one, God the Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like Him.” (The Quran, 112: 1-4)
It is God alone who is behind the functioning of the entire universe. The following verse from the Quran very clearly states the concept of God: “God there is no deity save Him, the Living, the Eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belong whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows all that is before them and all that is behind them. They can grasp only that part of His knowledge which He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth; and their upholding does not weary Him. He is the Sublime, the Almighty One!” (2: 255)
Monotheism is to believe in the fact that all power lies in the hand of one God alone. He is the only possessor of all powers. Nothing can rival Him as a source of power or love. In Islam, no mediating power of any kind exists between the Creator and His creation.
Belief in Tawheed makes a person humble and modest instead of being proud and arrogant. This is because belief in one Great God implies that man is His humble servant and that modesty alone befits him. Believers know that they must submit to God, on whom they depend entirely. Submission to one God results in individual freedom and dignity, for, all human beings become equal and all deserve our respect.
Further, belief in one Creator gives a sense of oneness with all creation. It gives the believers confidence; for, they trust in God and believe that nothing can happen unless God wills it. Life and death are entirely in His hands. They remain content because they believe that power, wealth and success come from God alone. He gives them to whom He wants and takes them away from whom He wants. Tawheed thus brings about a unique blend of submission to God with human dignity and freedom.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
Islam means submission. The religion of Islam is so named because it is based on obedience to God. A true believer in Islam is one who subordinates his thinking to God, who follows God’s dictates in all aspects of his life.
Islam is the religion of the entire universe. For the entire universe and all its parts are functioning in accordance with the law laid down by God.
Such behaviour is also desired of man. Man should also lead his life as God’s obedient servant just as the rest of the universe is fully subservient to God. The only difference is that the universe has submitted to God compulsorily, while man is required to submit to the will of God by his own choice.
When man adopts Islam, first of all it is his thinking, which comes under Islam, then his desires, his feelings, his interests, his relations, his loves and his hatred. All are coloured by his obedience to God’s will.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
What is spirituality? God has demonstrated it eternally in the form of the rose bush. The rose bush has thorns as well as flowers. Amidst sharp thorns God grows flowers on its branches which have beautifully shaped petals and which spread their fragrance all around.
This is an example of spirituality set by nature. Spirituality is the name of living like a flower amidst thorns. Spirituality is what prevents a person from embroiling himself in thorns. He is not provoked when goaded. Unpleasant experiences do not disturb his calm and composure. The unpleasant behaviour of others does not arouse in him feelings of anger and revenge. He lives according to his own principles. His intellectual level rises so high and is so sublime that a stone thrown at him does not reach him. In the Quran, spirituality is described as leading a God-oriented life (rabbaniyat). Those who lead God-oriented lives, do not become influenced by the people around them. The thinking of those who can rise above their mundane environment and live at a godly level, becomes independent of what people say about them. That is, they are not influenced by idle chatter. They find such great things in the state of spirituality that everything else pales into insignificance.
The spiritual person is so empowered that he can even smile at abuses hurled at him. He is able to forgive one who makes him angry, and can forget that person’s words and deeds. He is able to welcome the thorns which accompany the flowers.
The spiritual person finds such great things in his own spirituality (rabbaniyat) that he is not driven by desire. His spirituality banishes feelings of jealousy and selfishness, and he never feels exploited. His own spirituality is so fulfilling that he seeks nothing beyond that. When such spiritual people come together, they present a society which shines like the sun and blooms like the flowers in a garden.
Source: Leading a Spiritual Life
Man is an intellectual being. Being endowed with a mind – his greatest faculty – which is what differentiates him from inanimate things, plants and animals; true spirituality has to be able to address his mind. So, spirituality has to be based on contemplation or reflection or pondering – tafakkur and tadabbur as mentioned in the Quran – which has all to do with intellectual activity. Any kinds of spirituality attained at a level lesser than that of our minds is a reduced form of spirituality.
The existence of man is such a unique phenomenon that no other such example can be found throughout the vastness of the cosmos. Man is rightly called the ‘best of all creations’, which means the best and most meaningful ‘being’ among all the things created. Such a ‘meaningful being’ cannot have been created without a purpose.
We can say that the journey of spirituality begins with man’s urge to discover his purpose. Such spirituality is produced when man gives serious thought to questions pertaining to the ideology of life, such as, ‘Who am I?’, What is the purpose of my life?, What is this world around me?, Is my life governed by destiny or free will?, Why do I undergo negative experiences?, etc. In finding rational answers to his questions, a seeker receives spirituality at the mind or thinking level by obtaining a reason-based understanding of the plan that God has created man within.
The fact of the matter is that God – the Creator of man, has created man according to His plan. To become acquainted with this plan is necessary for a man to have a thorough understanding of himself – just as the workings of a machine can only be understood when we study the drawings of the engineer who made it. Besides the mind of the engineer, there is no other thing that can clarify what the machine is meant for. The case of man is the same.
The Creator of man has, therefore, created him according to a special Plan. His intention being that man must spend a period of trial in this present, imperfect world and subsequent to this, according to his deeds, he will earn the right to inhabit the perfect and eternal world, another name for which is Paradise.
The Creator of the world has created this world, as one half of a pair — the present limited world, in which we pass our lives after birth, is the first half; and the next eternal world where we live after death is the other half. The Creator of man has thus created him as an eternal creature and has divided his life into two stages — the pre-death period or the limited life in this world and the post death period or the eternal life after death. The limited period before death is meant to be a test for man, while the eternal period after his death will be the period for his reward or punishment, based on his performance in the test in this life. For the purpose of the test, God has given man freedom to do as he likes, as if there was no ‘free will’, the situation for the test could not have prevailed. God is getting all of man’s thoughts, speech and action recorded; and based on this record, which will be opened on the Day of Judgment; he will earn the right to either inhabit the perfect and eternal world, another name for which is Paradise or the eternal world of Hell. This is the scheme of existence for this world as devised by its Creator. The real aim of creation is to select those who are fit to inhabit the world of Paradise.
Those men and women who qualify in this test will be given a place in Paradise – where all their desires will be fulfilled. For those who fail in this test, they shall spend their lives in a state of eternal deprivation.
Source: Leading a Spiritual Life
I believe that the individual, to regain his spiritual character, has, therefore, to de-condition himself through a superior intellectual process. And it is spirituality, which makes it possible to de-condition the individual by training him in the Art of Deconditioning, so that he may revert to the natural state in which he was born. For this to happen, he has to re-engineer his mind. In this way, spirituality trains one to become positive. Man thus becomes disciplined and does not allow his personality to develop under the influence of external incentives. He, by his own decisions, constructs his personality on the basis of higher principles. Only then does he develop a divine character. He shakes and jolts and remoulds his personality to abide by the plan of the Creator. He thus turns himself into the kind of person who is shaped not by society, but by spirituality and thus lives a God-oriented life.
Source: Leading a Spiritual Life
Spirituality, in fact, is a mental condition, which teaches man the Art of Conversion or to convert everyday material events into spiritual experience, negative experiences into positive ones, non-spiritual matters into spiritual matters. Although such conversion takes place in the spiritual rather than in the physical sense, the principle by which this conversion operates governs the entire material world.
I believe that everyone may be born spiritual, that is, one may be spiritual by nature, but, after birth, one lives in a society, which, with its multiple influences conditions or shape man’s personality or nurture one based on negative feelings – just like the layers of the onion that cover its bulb. These negative feelings can be of anger, revenge, jealousy, hatred and rivalry.
Source: Leading a Spiritual Life
God-oriented spirituality is called Rabbaniat in the Quran. It involves focussing the mind on higher, non-material realities. Materialism is the opposite, indeed, the anathema of spirituality. For attaining spiritual states one has to rise above material things, and focus his attention on non-material things. Those who succeed in this are the spiritual or godly servants of God. As the Quran says: “Be godly servants of God.” (3:79).
The truly spiritual person does not enjoy material comforts and luxuries. He feels no desire to acquire them. They have no attraction for him. For he is engrossed in the higher realities of spiritual life. This spiritual experience that comes to him from reflecting upon the signs of God is far superior to what one experiences in leading a worldly life. The greatest source of pleasure for him is the remembrance of God. It is this reality, which finds expression in this verse of the Quran:
“It is only in the remembrance of God that hearts are comforted.” (13:28)
Here comfort means peace of mind that stems from God Almighty. For, true and lasting comfort can be achieved only through the Perfect Being. One who discovers the secret of living on an elevated plane of spirituality, has discovered a life of limitlessness. Thus if materialism is to live a life of limitations, spirituality is to live in limitlessness.
Source: Leading a Spiritual Life
What is spirituality?—or rabbaniyat, to use the Quranic term. It is the elevation of the human condition to a plane on which the mind is focused on the higher, non-material realities of a godly existence. The opposite of spirituality is materialism, a course followed all too often in this world.
There are two different concepts of spirituality: God-oriented spirituality which is based on the concept of God Almighty, and man-oriented spirituality, which is based on man’s soul itself being the treasure-house of spirituality. As for the former concept spirituality results in God-realisation while in the latter, spirituality results from self-realisation.
The concept of self-realisation is based on the assumption that the treasure of spirituality exists within man himself. And through meditation man can peep into his inner self and discover spirituality. This concept has been explained by Acharya Rajneesh in his book, “Kundalini Andar Base.” However this concept of man-oriented spirituality called “indwelling God” by Pandu Rang Shashtri, founder of the Swadhyaye Movement, is not corroborated by Islam. According to Islam man has no such spiritual treasure house existing independently. For man is a taker-creature. He receives everything from his Creator.
The concept of spirituality in Islam is based on the principle of God-realisation. God is the treasure house of all virtues. And when man’s contact with God is established, in the world of his feelings, at the psychological level, an unseen, inner revolution is brought about which is called spirituality. In this matter the relationship between God and man can be likened to an electric wire and the power house. When the wire is connected to the power house, electricity is produced, and the place is lit up. In this way, light is the result of the wire’s connection to the power house of God.
Source: Life and Teachings of the Prophet and Spirituality in Islam
A believing Muslim is bound to respect all the prophets. He cannot differentiate between the messengers of God. This is an article of the Islamic faith.
God had sent a prophet or messenger to every group and community of people in this world. All the messengers of God enjoy an equal status. In the chapter al-Baqarah (The Heifer), the Quran says:
We do not differentiate between any of His messengers. We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, Lord, to You we shall all return! (Quran 2:285)
The Prophet is recorded to have said, Do not give me superiority over other prophets. (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 4638)
This Quranic verse and the hadith relate directly to the messengers or the prophets of God. But both also have a broader application, according to which, every person is worthy of respect, regardless of creed or culture. Such belief promotes a culture of equal respect among mankind. Difference in belief is necessarily subject to discussion, but not a reason for discrimination. If your belief system is different from that of others, you have every right to engage in discussion and dialogue on the subject, but in the process, you have no right to show disrespect to others. This holds true even if you believe that your ideology enshrines the supreme truth. The culture of discrimination is, after all, quite alien to a divine religion.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
A prophet is a person chosen by God as His representative. When God appoints someone as His Messenger, He sends His angel to him to inform him of his new status. In that way, the individual can have no doubts about his appointment as God’s apostle. Later, God reveals His message to him through His angels, so that he may communicate the divine teachings to all his fellow men.
God has given man a mind so that he may be endowed with understanding. But this mind can only grasp things that are apparent. It cannot go below the surface, and there are many things to be apprehended, for which a superficial knowledge is insufficient. The deeper realities of this world are beyond the scope of the human mind, and so far as God and the next world are concerned, they must remain forever invisible-beyond the reach of human perception.
What the prophet does is to enlighten people so that they may overcome this human inadequacy. He tells of the reality of things here and how, and also gives tidings of the next world. He thereby enables the individual to formulate a plan for his entire existence in the full light of knowledge and awareness so that he may carve out a successful life for himself.
Since the settlement of human beings on earth, the prophets have been coming one after another. In every age they have been the conveyors of God’s messages to human beings. However, whatever records of these ancient prophets have survived have been rendered historically unreliable by interpolations. The same is true of the books they brought to mankind. The sole exception was the case of the Prophet Muhammad, who had been chosen by God as His Final Messenger. The Prophet was born in an age when the history of the world was already being extensively chronicled. This in itself made circumstances conducive to authentic records being kept of God’s messages and the Prophet’s exemplary life. The relevant facts were passed on from one generation to the next by both oral and written tradition, and with the advent of the printing press came the modern guarantee that no changes would ever be made in the divine scriptures. This renders unassailable the position of the Prophet Muhammad as God’s Final Messenger and His sole representative on earth till Doomsday.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The Quran is the word of God, the Creator of all mankind. As such, the Quran is revealed for all mankind to understand. This is why Muslim scholars, the Ulama, have held the translation of the Quran to be lawful, for those who do not know the Arabic language. Because according to the principle of Islamic fiqh, if something is obligatory (for example understanding the Quran) and cannot be performed without another thing (translation of the Quran in one’s understandable language), then the second thing also becomes obligatory. Translation of the Quran into any language is simply a translation; it is not a substitute for the text of the Quran. If someone claimed that his translation was a substitute for the Quranic text, then that would be objectionable. When the Arabic text is intact, there is no possibility that people would consider a translation to be the Quran itself, so the translation of the Quran is quite permissible if done for the purpose of acquainting those who have no access to the Arabic language with the message of the Quran.
Source: The Quran Introduction
According to the Quran, the deeper meaning of the Quran can be understood through contemplation (tadabbur) and such reading should be done with an open mind, not with a conditioned mind. Only if a person reflects objectively, he would be able to reach the deeper meaning of the verses of the Quran.
Source: Discovering the Quran
Every book has its objective and the objective of the Quran is to make man aware of the Creation plan of God. That is, to tell man why God created this world; what the purpose is of settling man on earth; what is required from man in his pre-death life span, and what he is going to confront after death. Man is born as an eternal creature. When God created man as such, He divided his life span into two periods, the pre-death period, which is a time of trial, and the post-death period, which is the time for receiving the rewards or punishment merited by one’s actions during one’s lifetime. These take the form of eternal paradise or eternal hell. The purpose of the Quran is to make man aware of this reality. This is the theme of this divine Book, which serves to guide man through his entire journey through life into the after-life.
It would be correct to say that man is a seeker by birth. The Quran is the answer to man’s quest. It presents this world as a testing ground, and the Hereafter as the place where the result of the test will be taken into account by the Almighty and whatever man receives in the life after death, by way of reward or punishment, will be commensurate with his deeds in this world. The secret of man’s success in this life is to understand God’s creation plan as given in the Quran, and map out his life accordingly.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
It is often believed that the Quran is a book only for the Muslims. But nothing could be farther from the truth. The Quran, which literally means, ‘to be read’, is in fact a book for the entire mankind. In its 114 chapters, the Quran addresses all of humanity. For example, the Quran says, “O Man, it is your Lord who is addressing you, listen to His words and follow Him.” It is as if God was addressing us directly. This compels man to take the Quran seriously.
Now where in the Quran, it refers that it is a book for Muslims. About the Prophet of Islam, the Quran says: ‘He has been sent as a mercy to all mankind.’ (21:107). So, both the Quran and the Prophet of Islam were sent for mankind and not one community as it is erroneously believed.
Secondly, Arabic understanding or reading is not necessary to understand the message and wisdom of the Quran. The same can be understood from different translations of the Quran.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The Quran is the book of God. The Quran, having been preserved in its original form, is a completely reliable source of divine guidance.
There are 114 chapters in the Quran. Everything that has been laid down in the Quran can be summed up thus: an individual should believe in the one God, and hold himself accountable to Him alone. He should discover that the Prophet Muhammad was a messenger who conveyed God’s guidance to humanity.
The position of the Quran is not just that it is one of the many revealed scriptures but that it is the only authentic heavenly book, as all other books, due to human additions and deletions, have been rendered historically unreliable. When a believer in the previous revealed scripture turns to the Quran, it does not mean that he is rejecting his own belief, but rather amounts to his having re-discovered his own faith in an authentic form.
The Quran is a sacred book sent by God for everyone. It is a book for all because it has been sent by God, Who is the Creator of all mankind.
The Quran is not a new holy book. It is, in effect, a preserved version of the previous divine books. In this sense, the Quran is a book for all human beings and for all nations. The Quran manifests God’s mercy for all. It is the message of God sent by Him for everyone. The Quran is a light of guidance for the whole world, just as the sun is a source of light and heat for the whole world.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
