Towards an Islamic Spirituality…
Eliseo R. Mercado, Jr., OMI, PhD
San Beda University – Graduate School of Laws
Notre Dame University
– Graduate School
A. Introduction
In the search for
a new spirituality in our contemporary world, it is always preferable to draw
from our rich religious and cultural traditions. Religious as well as followers of many and
holy paths are, once again, “mining” their living traditions to retrieve the “fire”
and the “spirit” that have imbued our spiritual forebears. The “fire” has mutated through the years, no
doubt, this is the same ‘fire” that now enflames the new “seekers” that seek to
meet and respond to the present spiritual crisis of our age.
The present paper
is not a guide through the spiritual classics of Islam, that is, the Giants of
the “Sufi” tradition like Hassan al-Basri, al Hallaj, al- Rumi, ibn ‘Arabi,
etc. The presentation is akin to a
choice between the “Big” and “Small” paths or a choice between the two Theresa’s
of the Carmelite Traditions – St. Theresa de Avila and St. Therese of
Lisieux. As people can easily identify
with St. Therese and her so-called “little way”, the paper is a presentation of
Islamic spirituality in the “little path” tradition.
B. The Familiar “Landmarks”
A good road map
for the journey through the “little path” is to look for familiar “landmarks”
that are common to the three Semitic religions (Judaism, Christianity and
Islam). The more prominent so-called
“landmarks” are the themes that relate to (1) the Desert, (2) the Guide and (3)
Path.
1. Desert.
For the three
Semitic religions, the desert is a common MATRIX. It is no accident that the spiritual
traditions of the three above monotheistic religions are rooted in this very
harsh condition. The desert is a vast
arid and inhospitable land and no amount of glamour and romanticism even from the
ancient “spiritual writers” can change its cruel and harsh realities.
As a young
religious, I had always wondered why our religious life had its deep roots in
the desert. I tried to fathom this
mystery by actually venturing into the harsh desert of Upper Egypt in
1981. With a guide I visited the caves
of our ancient and venerable Desert Fathers. There I sat in one of the caves to
simply get a physical and spiritual “touch” of the environment that gave birth
to a spirituality tied to the beginnings of monasticism. The caves showed many crude stone carvings of
crosses made by people that tried to “find” God in the desert. Being brought by
a tradition of touching holy and sacred grounds, I began milling around and
touching the cross carvings in the walls as I relished the memories of the holy
men and women who lived in these caves.
It was there that
I discovered the meaning of asceticism.
There was no way to survive the desert without being ascetic. The desert’s harsh environment imposed a
regimen on life that reduced needs to the barest minimum. The very environment, i.e., the desert, had
become the “enemy”. In such a place, one would readily discover that the sole
reliance would be on God. Discipline and ascetical practices were introduced to
reduce want and needs, understood then as the “tools of the devil”. An ancient Arabic saying goes this way: “anyone who ventures into the desert and
comes out becomes either a saint or a fool”.
The desert is one
of the powerful symbols in Islam. The
prophet Muhammad was often drawn into the cave of Hira in his search for the true
God. It was in one of his journeys into
this cave that the first revelation (Sura 96) was made. The experience with the “divine” was so
moving that tradition celebrates the event as the “night of power” (laylat-ul qadr) during the month of Ramadhan (the 9th lunar month
of the Islamic Calendar).
The first
revelation is an invitation to “Read” or “Recite” (iqra) in the name of God, the Lord of creation. The strong emphasis on the invitation to
“recite” shows that the initiative in the journey to God is begun by God. It is
an invitation to a relationship that begins in the acknowledgement of God’s
Lordship (Rabbika) thus a true worship
(‘ibadat) of God necessarily must
begin with being God’s “reader” or “reciter”.
In time, through faithful “reading” and “recitation” of God’s word, the
reader becomes “nearer” to God and this would bloom into “friendship” (Siddique). The person who is close to God becomes a friend
of God.
The first
revelation in the desert is an invitation to become a “reader” in the midst of
that harsh and cruel environment. A
reader responds to a call to life. Here
we hear the echo of Psalm 95: “Today,
listen to the voice of the Lord: do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in
the wilderness”.
The voice of God
is an invitation to read and recite (iqra)
that God is a mighty one and the Lord over all the gods. It is a call to listen to God and to be
taught by Him. In chapter 96 (Sura) the
reader proclaims that it is “thy Lord who taught by the pen and taught man that
he knew not”. It is an invitation to
abandon all the idols of the world and cling to the one Lord for unto Him is
the Great Returning!
The desert is also
a powerful symbol of detachment from the cravings of the more mundane aspects
of human beings, that is, comfort and good life. Though legitimate good life is never
considered “forbidden” (haram) in
Islam, yet a sort of counter movement is occurring within the community through
the examples of men and women who are “passionately” taken by God. These “spirituals” under one or more shayks invite people to a much simpler
life style that reduces dependency on many things. In fact early ascetics in Islam were also
attracted into the desert for reading and meditation of the Qur’an while
waiting for the disclosure of the hidden meaning of the word of God.
2. The Guide (Shayk).
The discernment of
God’s invitation/call requires a GUIDE (Shayk). This is the reason that God continues to send
messengers and prophets through the ages.
They ‘recite’ and ‘proclaim’ God’s word and they point to the people the
path to God. The need for guide is even
made more urgent in the desert environment.
No one ventures into the desert without a guide. The guide knows the way to the life-giving
oasis. To go through life without a
guide is to be a fool. In the desert, without
a guide, one is lost and dies.
In a more
spiritual tradition, a person desiring to be God’s friend joins a path always
associated with a shayk. (1) The shayk guides the “initiate” in the
reading and meditation of the God’s word.
The purpose of the shayk is to
help the initiate discover the “hidden” (batin)
meanings of the Word of God as contrasted to their latent or literal
meaning.
The performance of
the Hajj (Pilgrimage) is one the
clearest demonstration of the indispensability of shayk in a spiritual journey.
No one joins the annual Pilgrimage (Hajj)
without a Guide, else the pilgrim simply moves and moves around without
visiting the House of God. Likewise, in
the journey towards spirituality, a “spiritual director” (a shayk) is not an option but an
OBLIGATION. A quotation from Rumi reminds the travelers that “whoever enters
the Way without a guide will take a hundred years to travel a two-day
journey... Whoever undertakes a profession without a master becomes the
laughingstock of city and town.” (The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual
Teachings of Rumi, p. 123)
3. The
Path/Way.
It is fascinating
to note that all our desert religions point to the way/path. In Islam the path is always identified to the
“straight path” (sirat-al-mustaqim) “the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not
of those against whom Thou art wrathful, nor of those who are astray” (Sura
1). That right path is the Law of God (Shari’a). The faithful observance of the Law of God is to
walk through the straight path that leads to life as symbolized by the spring
of water or well (oasis) in the
desert. In the daily life, one
faithfully observes the Law of God, particularly in the worship of God by the Confession of Faith (Shahadat), Prayer (Salat), Giving a portion of your wealth to the poor (Zakat), Fasting in the month of Ramadan
(Sawm), and the Visit of God’s House (Hajj) at least once in a lifetime.
The Islamic Law (Shari’a) to non-Muslims appears harsh,
especially the Criminal Law (Hudud),
the most glamorized aspects of the Islamic Law in “western media”. Yet to Muslims, the Islamic Law lays the
right movements of rituals, the right behavior and relationships in community.
The Law, above all, indicates duties and obligations to God and neighbors. Thus it is the rudder that keeps the boat in
the right path and keeps it from keeling.
The person who desires His Holy Will faithfully observes the Law. The faithful observance of the Law leads to a
resting place - to freedom and life as well.
Among the initiated to the path (Tariqa),
a fire is given (HUWA which means He forming
a lighted lamp). He (God) is the fire
that illumines the Path.
C. A Path (Tariqa) of the Ascetics (2).
The Path in some Tariqa circles (“fellowship” of
Ascetics) is the journey to God. In a
more traditional way, this is often described as passing through several
stages. These stages describe the
progression of the soul as she journeys towards God. There are particular challenges and virtues
at each stage as the soul ascends to God.
The first stage is
nafs amara or the soul of the flesh.
In this first stage, the faithful observance of the Shari’a is crucial since this is the way of the beginners. The Law gives the road map as one embarks on
a journey to God. As people live by the
flesh the more they need the Law. The
Law sets boundaries to what is legitimate (halal)
and what is forbidden (haram). The first stage is actually the state of the
great majority of believers. Through the
observance of God’s Law, the believers receive their eternal reward.
The second stage
is nafs alawama or the spirit of test.
This is the narrow road and the way of the penitent thus it requires a
discipline. At this stage the “initiate”
chooses a guide (shayk) – very often
a person in the community that is known for his ascetic practices. He/she begins some ascetic practices under
the guidance of a shayk. Fasting and
Abstinence are the two common characteristics of people who journey this
path. The color of this particular stage
is yellow (the light), the outlook of ascetics.
The third stage is
nafs al-mulhamat or the listening spirit. This is to train oneself to listen and to
receive inspiration. There are two aspects of the Word of God: the “Evident”
and the “Hidden”. The third stage is for inward looking and
probing – a journey through the “Hidden” meaning of God’s Word. At times, this
is describes as the beginning to journey into the heart. Meditation and Prayers are the two practices
associated to this path. The color is
Red. "Surely there is a Reminder in
that for whoever has a heart, or listens attentively, while he is
witnessing..." (Qur'ân 50:37)
The fourth stage
is nafs as-salima or the tranquil
soul. A disclosure occurs and the self
is found and the reality as well. He/she
wakes up in full awareness of God and the corresponding divine Peace and
understanding. This is the beginning of
experiencing one’s closeness to God - the Truth (al-Haqq). Discernment and a
discerning spirit are the attitudes assumed by the persons in at this
stage. The color is white.
The fifth stage is
the happy Soul or nafs aradit.
This is the beginning of a journey within God. The knowledge that is hidden is penetrated.
God is filling one’s nothingness. The state of emptiness is experienced. God becomes one’s fulfillment and joy. The
color is green.
The sixth stage is
the soul seeking approval or nafs mardiya. In the traditional spiritual journey, this is
describes as “going away from God”. One, in a strange way, goes back to the way
of the Shari’a but only this time living the essence of the law – the HEART of
the law. The color is Black.
The seventh stage
is the soul of perfection or nafs kamilat. The journey is God. The journey is UNION with God. It is not strange that at the last stage, it
is colorless.
D. A Path and the
Pilgrims.
Spirituality is
the journey through the Path that leads to life. This is physically lived during the
performance of the Hajj. (An account of the Hajj by a devout Pilgrim… The preparation to perform the pilgrimage
begins in the “intention” to visit the House of God. What follows is the
material preparation and they are many as requirements from travel papers to
actual fares continue to multiply. But
all these preparations are being undertaken with great patience and expectation
for the coming of the actual day when the pilgrim embarks on a journey.
The Pilgrim needs
a guide (shayk). As pilgrims arrive
in waves, they are “welcome” by a continuing thunder of human voices crying
“here am I Lord, I am about to visit your abode” (Labbayka). Then the ritual of entering into the state of purity (ihsan) commences as the Hajj begins.
Other rituals follow – the circumbulation around Ka’ba, the re-enactment for the search of water by Hagar, to stand
in His Presence and to touch the black stone of Ka’ba , then onward to Mina with readiness to wait and heed his
bidding, then the “lapidation” of Satan
follows and the ritual concludes with the Great Sacrifice (‘Idul-Adha).
The state of
purity that is required upon embarking on a journey is similar to the biblical
call: “Blessed are the pure of Heart, they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8). It is the
singular devotion to the One True God and thou shalt NOT associate anything
with Him. Singular devotion to God is
not fundamentalism of sort that is often associated to fanaticism. The Qur’an speaks that “It is not piety, that
you turn your faces to the East and to the West. True piety is this: to believe in God, and
the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets, to give of one’s
substance, however cherished, to kinsmen, and orphan, the needy, the traveler,
beggars, and to ransom the slave, to perform the prayer, to pay the alms” (Sura 2: 172).
E. The Reader
A very powerful
symbol of a person nearest to God’s Word is the one who reads His Word (the
Qur’anic reading). He recites the Word
of God from the heart and uses the Book (Kitab)
as his guide. God’s Word absorbs the
person in his whole being and this, in a way, expresses the “union” between the
believer and the living Word of God. A similar event occurs in Christian
tradition when a believer partakes of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the
Eucharist. The first command given to the prophet is “Read” (Iqra) what God has revealed.
I have a friend - Muslim
rebel (mujahid) who in times of great
distress finds rest/solace in the reading of the Qur’an. He would retreat in a corner and sits on his
prayer mat with the Qur’an in front of him and begins his beautiful recitation
of the Word of God. He and the people
around him are transformed and mesmerized by the power of the Word. Yes, it works like magic and it is a miracle!
This same reading of the Word of God in the Book echoes the way a devout
Christian eats the Word of God made flesh in the Eucharist. No doubt in both
cases, the Word of God is the source and fountain of Holiness. As the great
Chesterton said: “Yes, a tree grows fruit because it is a magic tree. Water runs down because it is bewitched. In the same way why do eggs turn to birds or
leaves fall in autumn or as Cinderella asked her fairy godmother why mice
turned into horses or her clothes fell from her at twelve o’clock.”
F. Ahl al-Dhikr (The people of
Remembrance).
The “seekers” of
holiness in Islam find home among the people of remembrance. These are the
people who are ever attentive to the Word of God. They are initiated into the practice of
remembrance (Dhikr) and they are called ahl
al-dhikr. They meditate on the Word
of God and wait for the disclosure of the hidden meaning (batin) of the Word. The
second characteristic that informs the group is their life devotion to the
Divine pleasing (ridwan-lillah). Holiness is to “remember” and act what is
pleasing to Him. It is both a lifetime
of remembrance of God and a life style that is pleasing to God!
Tradition has it
from some of the “Knowers” of God
that dhikr (remembrance of God) has seven aspects: (4)
- dhikr of the eyes, which consists in seeing & weeping (buka');
- dhikr of the ears, which consists in listening (isgha');
- dhikr of the tongue, which consists in praise (thana');
- dhikr of the hands, which consists in sharing &
giving (`ata');
- dhikr of the body, which consists in work
& fidelity (wafa');
- dhikr of the heart, which consists in love and hope (kawf wa raja');
- dhikr of the spirit, which consists of utter
submission and acceptance (taslim
wa rida')."
In conclusion, the
“little way” of holiness flows from the desire of every seeker to be with
God. It is a journey that traverses
through the often tedious daily chores of life with the faithful observance of
his Law as the first light. And as the
seeker finds a shayk, he/she is
initiated into the path that calls for meditation and attentiveness to the Word
of God. The Benedictine’s “ora et labora” echoes the Dhikr and the
divine pleasing that are practiced within the “fellowship of remembrance”. Let me end this “excursus” in Islamic
spirituality with a quotation from the great Spanish Mystic, Ibn Arabi (5).
“You are the receptacle (anta
al-inâ') and I am I (wa anâ anâ). So do not seek Me in yourself,
lest you suffer and toil; and do not seek Me outside yourself, or you will have
no pleasure. Never stop seeking Me, or you will suffer torment. So do seek Me
until you find Me, and then ascend! But follow the right adab in your
seeking, and be ever-present (with Me) as you set out on your way of
going...."
Notes:
- Danner, Victor. Ch. 4 "The
Spiritual Path of Sufism," pp. 84-109 in The Islamic Tradition. Amity, NY: Amity House, 1988.
- Trimingham, J. Spencer. The Sufi Orders of Islam. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1971.
- Morris, James. Listening For God:
Prayer And The Heart In The Futûhât. Volume XIII of the Journal of the
Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society.
- Fakhr al-Din al-Razi. Dhikr of Allah. On line
- Ibn 'Arabî.
Extract from the Book of "Meccan Openings" (al-Futûhât
al-Makkîya). On line
Very Good Books on
Islamic Mysticism:
- Arberry, A. J. Sufism: An Account of the Mystics of Islam.
London: George Allen & Unwin, 1950.
- Nicholson, Reynold A. The Mystics of Islam. London:
Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1963.
- Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystical Dimensions of Islam.
Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1975.
- Kalibadhi, Abu Bakr al-. The Doctrine of the Sufis.
Translated by A.J. Arberry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977.
- Qushayri, Abd al-Karim ibn Hawazin
al-. Principles of Sufism. Translated by B. R. Von Schlegell. Berkeley: Mizan Press,
1990.
- Ibn al-`Arabi, Muhyi ad-Din. What the Seeker Needs.
Translated by Shaikh Tosun Bayrak al- Jerrahi and Rabia Terri Harris
al-Jerrahi. Putney, VT: Threshold Books, 1992.
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