Spiritual Excellence in Islam
Islam asks its believers to have devotion to Allah, seek his spiritual guidance, and to believe in Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as God’s final messenger. Islam teaches peace and love amongst humanity. As Muslims’ we have to obey a set of rules known as the 5 pillars of Islam. These consist of having faith (Shahada), daily prayers, Zakat (donations), Fasting, and performing Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). We believe in loving Allah and accepting his love for us. However, how can one embrace spiritual excellence in Islam? Throughout this essay, I will discuss the concept of Islam, and how to fully embrace it.
To begin with, there are 2 primary types of Muslims- …show more content…
In Islamic context, Spirituality refers to having faith in Allah and performing prayers to him. Also, it involves obeying the guidelines that Islam puts forth, such as the 5 pillars. A basic prayer that Muslims recite is the Shahada: “La ilaha illa’llah Muhammadunun Rasulallah.” This simply means that there is no God but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. The oneness of God is known as Tawhid. Another powerful Muslim term is “Alhamulillah” This means that all praise is due to Allah. Before we start something we say, “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,” which means In the name of Allah the Most Beneficent the most Merciful. As humans, we commit sins and wrongdoing. Allah knows this and is always ready to forgive us. A powerful piece of art that I came across during my research read, “Allah said: Even if your sins reached up to the clouds in the sky; I would forgive you.” This shows Allah’s love for his followers. One of my Muslim friends once told me that if you take one step closer to Allah, he will take 7 steps closer to you. Anytime of the day or night when we call on Allah, he is listening to us. Everyone goes through hard times, but as men and women of faith, we are lucky enough to be able to fall back on our religion. One of my favorite verses from the Quran is “Remember Me, I will remember you” This relates to the Hebrew Bible when it says, “Keep my word, and I will take care of you.” In order to have a relationship with …show more content…
The Prophet was orphaned at a young age and raised by his Uncle. As he progressed in his life, he would often go to a cave (Mt Hira) and pray, until one day he received an impactful message that God had sent down to him through Angel Gabriel. The initial message was “Iqra” meaning read. Throughout 20 years, the Quran, holy book of Islam, was revealed to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). His followers became known as Muslims and continue to believe in his teachings and try to follow the Sunna (Way of the Prophet). On pg 153, Safi writes that a man once came to Prophet Muhammad and asked him what does surrender mean in Islam? The Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied, to surrender is to testify that there is no God but God, And that Muhammad is his messenger, to perform the prayer, bestow the alms, fast Ramadan, and make if you can, the pilgrimage to the Holy House.” In order to gain any spiritual enlightenment we must surrender to the fact that we are Allah’s slaves. Like the Prophet said, we are obligated to fast the whole month of Ramadan, donate to the poor, pray, and make the Pilgrimage to Mecca, and have faith in Allah. During Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat or drink from sunrise to sunset for the whole month. Indeed, this is tough, but will build a Muslims courage and faith. He or She straves in the
Islam asks its believers to have devotion to Allah, seek his spiritual guidance, and to believe in Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as God’s final messenger. Islam teaches peace and love amongst humanity. As Muslims’ we have to obey a set of rules known as the 5 pillars of Islam. These consist of having faith (Shahada), daily prayers, Zakat (donations), Fasting, and performing Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). We believe in loving Allah and accepting his love for us. However, how can one embrace spiritual excellence in Islam? Throughout this essay, I will discuss the concept of Islam, and how to fully embrace it.
To begin with, there are 2 primary types of Muslims- …show more content…
In Islamic context, Spirituality refers to having faith in Allah and performing prayers to him. Also, it involves obeying the guidelines that Islam puts forth, such as the 5 pillars. A basic prayer that Muslims recite is the Shahada: “La ilaha illa’llah Muhammadunun Rasulallah.” This simply means that there is no God but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. The oneness of God is known as Tawhid. Another powerful Muslim term is “Alhamulillah” This means that all praise is due to Allah. Before we start something we say, “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,” which means In the name of Allah the Most Beneficent the most Merciful. As humans, we commit sins and wrongdoing. Allah knows this and is always ready to forgive us. A powerful piece of art that I came across during my research read, “Allah said: Even if your sins reached up to the clouds in the sky; I would forgive you.” This shows Allah’s love for his followers. One of my Muslim friends once told me that if you take one step closer to Allah, he will take 7 steps closer to you. Anytime of the day or night when we call on Allah, he is listening to us. Everyone goes through hard times, but as men and women of faith, we are lucky enough to be able to fall back on our religion. One of my favorite verses from the Quran is “Remember Me, I will remember you” This relates to the Hebrew Bible when it says, “Keep my word, and I will take care of you.” In order to have a relationship with …show more content…
The Prophet was orphaned at a young age and raised by his Uncle. As he progressed in his life, he would often go to a cave (Mt Hira) and pray, until one day he received an impactful message that God had sent down to him through Angel Gabriel. The initial message was “Iqra” meaning read. Throughout 20 years, the Quran, holy book of Islam, was revealed to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). His followers became known as Muslims and continue to believe in his teachings and try to follow the Sunna (Way of the Prophet). On pg 153, Safi writes that a man once came to Prophet Muhammad and asked him what does surrender mean in Islam? The Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied, to surrender is to testify that there is no God but God, And that Muhammad is his messenger, to perform the prayer, bestow the alms, fast Ramadan, and make if you can, the pilgrimage to the Holy House.” In order to gain any spiritual enlightenment we must surrender to the fact that we are Allah’s slaves. Like the Prophet said, we are obligated to fast the whole month of Ramadan, donate to the poor, pray, and make the Pilgrimage to Mecca, and have faith in Allah. During Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat or drink from sunrise to sunset for the whole month. Indeed, this is tough, but will build a Muslims courage and faith. He or She straves in the