February 11': Submission to God (Article of the Month)

Wahiduddin Khan 

The Qur'an advocates a culture of spirituality. The Qur'anic spirituality has nothing mysterious about it. It is a well known discipline. It is only an alternative name for intellectual development. The formula for Qur'anic spirituality is expressed thus in a Quranic chapter:

Becoming a man of God means adopting a God-oriented life. A God-oriented way of life is a complete way of life. It calls for the use of all human faculties. It means God-oriented thinking, God-oriented speech, God-oriented behaviour, God-oriented morality, etc. The God-oriented life is another way of saying, 'spiritual life'.

 

In this verse, the Qur'an uses the word 'al-rabbani'. It means a spiritual person or a 'rab'-oriented person. In fact,  Islam is a religion of spirituality. Islamic spirituality is based on contemplation. It is mind based rather than heart based. When you think about the truth and you discover it, then you become a spiritual person. When you ponder over the world around you, when your thinking goes beyond your immediate surroundings, you discover the truth that is beyond you, beyond time and space. You become conscious of yourself as well as your Creator. This is the beginning of the spiritual process.

 

Islamic spirituality is God-centred, not self-centred. When you discover your Creator, you establish a communication between yourself and your Creator. It is like establishing a connection between the electric bulb in your room and the powerhouse situated outside your room. Just as the electric connection illuminates your room, the divine connection also illuminates your whole personality. Then you become 'Rabbani' or a man of God.

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