This document discusses the concept of spirituality in Islam. It addresses issues like meditation, prayer, asceticism, and leaving materialism that are commonly associated with spirituality. The document emphasizes that in Islam, spirituality is the core of being Muslim and the reason for life. It argues that Islam rejects the antagonism of body and soul, and sees their development as interconnected. Spirituality in Islam involves fulfilling one's responsibilities in this life through acts of worship like prayer, charity, fasting and spiritual practices like remembrance of God and reading the Quran. It also discusses reasons for and symptoms of spiritual decay as well as ways to attain spiritual elevation and development in Islam.

1. Spirituality in Islam
Aysha Wazwaz
PhD Candidate
M.A Contemporary Islamic Studies
B.A Islamic Law
http://ayshawazwaz.wordpress.com

2. What is Spirituality about in
many people’s view?

3. Issues that come to mind when
speaking about spirituality
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Meditation
Prayer
Leaving modern life and being simple
Monks
Leaving materialism and living in ones oneself
Contemplation
Running away from life
Searching for answers on what is behind life or
death.

4. Body- Soul antagonistic or not?
Do they develop on each other’s
expense?
• most philosophical and religious thoughts
considered that spirituality can only be
obtained by denying the physical needs and
mortification of the flesh, and that world
activity or modern life arrests spiritual
elevation.

5. The concept of spirituality in Islam
compared to spirituality in other
religions and ideologies
• Islam’s concept of spirituality goes beyond the
dualism of spirit and matter and considers it
as the core concept of being Muslim and
reason of life.

6. Body- soul conflict result
•
man racing to find pleasures in any
way possible even if it contradicted his pure
creation and even went far into comparing
himself with animals rather than being a noble
human.
• Pleasure made as a goal, whether that was
wealth, fame, ownership, sex…etc.
• People seeking spirituality by denying their
physical needs, family needs, community needs
and participation in developing their community.

7. Islam’s view point on body and
spirituality
• Man is a (khalifah) (vicegerent) in this
world, and was created in the best way for
the fulfillment of this responsibility.
• The body was created with a sole object (i.e
the soul/ spirit) in order to function for the
fulfillment of the khilafah.
• The body does not function without the
soul, and the path for the soul development is
in both in soul and body.

8. Is spirituality a psychological healing or
not?
• Spirituality should not be detached or in distanced
from the fundamental ontological questions: how we
came to this world and why and where we are going?
Spirituality should be part of the answer to these
questions. SPIRITUALITY SHOULD NOT BE A SHORT
WAY TO RUN AWAY FROM THESE QUESTIONS OR
FROM A PERSONAL TROUBLE. IT SHOULD BE IN THE
CORE OF OUR UNDERSTANDIND OF THIS LIFE AND
WHAT COMES AFTER IT.
• Spirituality and fitra (instinct) in Islam complete each
other. The Therefore, within your “fitra” the need for
spirituality or (closeness to God Almighty).

9. Islam and Asceticism
• Islam rejects living away from your
responsibilities and proposes methods for the
elevation of ones spirituality not outside this
world but within life and your responsibilities.
• Spirituality in Islam does not isolate you from the
world around you, but makes you feel as the
center of the community since it pushes you into
being more active as a part of the world.

10. Symptoms of spiritual decay
•
• Not being able to distinguish right from wrong
–
– Getting accustomed to falsehood, then ending seeing it as
a norm.
–
• Confusion, lost in many paths, or trying out to many
paths in search of answers on life. s
• Feeling lost
• Sadness, depression
• Fear, and worried

11. What is to be attained through
spirituality?
• Success in both this life and the hereafter
• Paradise
•
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• Noticing the blessings that God Almgihty had given
you.
• Living a balanced life
during happiness
and sadness

12. Reasons for spiritual decay
• Lust and personal motives (
• Suspicion
• anger
)

13. Criterion for spiritual development
• Use all capacities for the sake of God Almighty
and fulfilling all duties with sincerity and
obedience to Him alone almighty by doing
things as He had ordered in the manner that
He had ordered it to be done.

14. Spiritual development is obligatory on
every Muslim
•

15. Spirit and Soul conflicting or
connecting
• Islam does not separate spiritual actions from
materialistic/ or body actions but considers
them tied with each other. So your actions
affect your spirituality, and your spirituality
affects your life and your happiness or
depression and tranquility

16. Ways for attaining spiritual
development
• Spiritual elevators
• Spiritual refrainments

17. spiritual refrainment
• Abstaining from major sins
– Criterion for a major sin
– Religiosity, soul, mind, chastity, wealth
• Associating partners with God Almighty
• Killing
• Harming your own or other’s body and chastity (ie. Fornication or
adultery)
• Harming the mind (drinking, drugs)
• Mistreating others possessions such as: stealing, interest
• Abstaining from minor sins
– Sight sins
– Hearing sins, listening to the wrong things
– Some behavioral sins
– Talking sins, such as backbiting
– Eating and drinking sins

18. Stages of spirituality
• Islam
• Eman increases with obedience to God
Almighty and decreases with sin.
• Taqwa: leaves everything that is forbidden or
takes to forbidden paths.
• Ihsan: attained highest excellence in
belief, words, actions and thoughts.

19. Spiritual elevators
spiritual therapy
• Islam connects between faith and action,
therefore strong faith stands with strong
actions that base from faith
…

20. The Road to Spirituality
• Faith
•
• Heart
• intentions

21. (spiritual elevators)
• FAITH (Eman)
•
Monotheism in belief, action( in accordance with
God Almighty) and worship (for him Alone)
• Mind, heart, actions all for the sake of God Almighty
• Performing the pillars of Islam
– Believing in one God Almighty
– Praying: 5 times the obligatory, and more if wanted
to increase meditation
– Fasting, self discipline and training and giving up for
the sake of God Almighty
– Charity: monetary sacrafice, cooperation amongst
the community
– Pilgrimage: universal Muslim brotherhood and
humility
•
And increasing more in good deeds for His sake and not for
personal motives.
• Dhikir

22. Forms of worship in Islam (1)
• Spiritual worship
–
(dkikir, tasbeeh, asking God Almighty
for fogivness)
–
– Repentance
– Reading the Quran
– invocation
• Physical and spiritual worship
– Prayer
– All actions if done for the sake of God Almighty, including
marriage and marital relations.

23. Forms of worship in Islam (2)
• Physical worship
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Fasting
–
Pilgrimage (combines all kinds of worship)
• Monetary worship
(as a form of obedience)
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• Behavioral worship
– Lowering the gaze, adultery, modesty
– eating and drinking
, balancing and
eating what is halal
• Contemplation worship
• Remembering death as a reality of life
• Disciplining ones self all the time
•

24. Individual spirituality is also the
criterion of community spirituality
(civilization)

25. Understanding our own self is the first
step to spirituality
• Man is created with a pure state of (fitra)
(instinct)
• The fitra maybe inflicted by:
environment, peers, media or even Nafs

26. Nafs
• The soul that is always self blaming
• The soul that orders to wrong hood
• The content soul
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27. Jihad of the nafs
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