Islam

Friday Sermon: The Concept of Gratitude in Islam

Published

2 months ago

October 4, 2024

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

Therefore remember Me, I will remember you and give thanks to Me and be not ungrateful to Me (Quran 2:152).

This verse underscores the idea that being grateful to Allah for His blessings leads to an increase in those blessings, while ingratitude may lead to divine consequences.

Gratitude is when you feel thankful for the good things in your life. This could be things people often take for granted, like having a place to live, food, clean water, friends, and family. Gratitude is taking a moment to reflect on how lucky you are when something good happens, whether it’s small or big.

The Islamic message of gratitude is “Alhamdulillah for everything I have, Alhamdulillah for everything I had and Alhamdulillah for everything I will have.” In Surah Al-Ala, ayat 7 it says, “Except what Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden. And We will ease you toward ease.”(Quran 87:7)

The Prophet (SAW) was a leading example when showing gratitude towards the creation and the Creator. Many du’ā uttered by the Prophet (SAW) include words of gratitude to Allah and he would often pray excessively for those who carried out favours for him.

Gratitude reminds us that everything that happens to us comes from God and that we shouldn’t take the many bounties in our lives for granted. The Qur’an says: “And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from God” (Quran 16:53). And gratitude is not just about giving credit where credit is due.

The 3 stages of gratitude are: Stage 1: Acknowledging what you’re grateful for in your life. We have all experienced these types of feelings, but mostly they are fleeting. Stage 2: Expressing gratitude to others. …Stage 3: Integrating the essence of gratitude into your life and psyche.

The six pillars of gratitude are: relatedness, sincerity, empathy, self-regard, integrity, and humility. To be able to move from the sense of gratitude as an emotion to gratitude as an action – or deep gratitude – requires a commitment to putting priority on the relationships in our lives.

These feelings are part of the ‘increase’ that Allah says He gives to His grateful servants: “If you are thankful, I will give you more” (Quran 14:7). The ‘more’ does not have to be ‘more’ materially, but a feeling of fullness, satisfaction in the heart, and closeness to God.

Allah is Ash-Shakur, meaning the most grateful, the rewarder of good deeds, and is most appreciative.

It is Allah who has created us, made us an intelligent species, and favored us with many blessings. Whatever good we achieve – whether relating to material, professional, personal, or spiritual life – is ultimately from Allah. As He states in the Quran, “And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, humankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful.” (Quran 14:34)

The above ayah emphasizes the need for frequently expressing gratitude to Allah. However, many of us are unaware of how exactly to do so – what constitutes gratitude and what does not? Here are ten practices and attitudes for showing thankfulness to Allah.

1) Contemplate His blessings in your life: Begin by reflecting upon all that is worthwhile in your life – including your relationships, abilities, possessions, and achievements. If you are not consciously aware of what there is to be thankful for, then you simply cannot be thankful for it. Also think about what could have been worse in your life: imagine being deprived of something valuable or picture yourself living in a homeless shelter. These scenarios, disconcerting as they may seem, allow you to appreciate your situation in life, and not take things for granted.

2) Be content at heart: Do not yearn for what others have; rather, be content with what you can acquire, without overworking yourself or trampling upon someone else to get there. If you constantly compare your financial status or perceived well-being with anyone else, you are not going to achieve peace of mind. And without peace of mind, there is no contentment of heart.

3) Express gratitude with words: Call upon Allah each day to express how grateful you are for His favors. Praise Allah by saying “Alhamdulillah” every time you eat or drink something, and whenever something good comes your way. Remember Allah frequently, call upon Him without any intermediary, and praise Him for His beneficence and generosity.

4) Obey the commands of Allah: Obedience to the commands of Allah is the most practical form of gratitude. Therefore, make every effort to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. Strive for the truth even if it goes against you or those close to you.

5) Value your relationships: Appreciate the people around you who add value to your world. Think about what each important person in your life does for you. Make sure you don’t take anyone for granted – whether your parents, spouse, children, friends, relatives, co-workers, or anyone else you routinely interact with. Never let a disagreement or an unpleasant exchange with one person adversely affect your conduct towards others. Think of ways to improve your relationships, knowing that it is Allah who has placed you in the midst of certain people.

6) Thank people who do good to you: Express gratitude to any person who does something for you – no matter how small.

7) Share your blessings with others: Everything that you possess ultimately belongs to Allah; you are merely its custodian and beneficiary for a period of time. It thus makes sense to share your blessings with fellow humans.

8) Do not waste your blessings: Wasting food, water, and other resources is a sign of indifference towards Allah’s blessings. Millions of people around the world are deprived of basic necessities such as regular meals and clean water.

9) Exercise patience in difficult times: What better way is there to counter a difficulty than to show patience and determination? Instead of feeling dejected or angry, trust Allah to help you, and take you over the line. As Prophet Yaqub said, “Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.” (Quran 12:87)

10) Remain committed in times of ease: In good times, it is easy to imagine that nothing can go wrong. Hence, one may end up neglecting the remembrance of Allah, and becoming absorbed into worldly life.

If you appreciate Allah’s favors, He has promised increased Rahma or mercy for you. Allah’s reward for your gratitude is unlimited and unconditional. “If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and more” (Quran 14:7).

Islam does not only teach us to thank Allah, but we are also told to thank our parents, our spouses, our friends, our neighbors, and all those who do any good to us. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Those who do not thank people, they do not thank Allah.” (At-Tirmidhi).

Islam forbids ingratitude in all forms. Like the Yorubas say; ‘eni ti ase ‘loore ti ko dupe, bi olosa akoni leru lo ni’. The ingrate is like a thief who carts our valuables away.

Studies are showing that there are endless health benefits of a regular gratitude practice. It turns out that cultivating a gratitude practice reduces the stress and physiological indicators of stress. Expressing gratitude can also increase feelings of happiness and satisfaction in life.

Gratitude is an emotion similar to appreciation. The American Psychological Association more specifically defines this phenomenon as a sense of happiness and thankfulness in response to a fortunate happenstance or tangible gift. Gratitude is both a state and a trait (Jans-Beken et al., Gratitude and Health: An Updated Review. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(6), 743-782. 2020).

Gratitude comes from the Latin word “gratus” meaning “thankful” or “pleasing.” Being grateful is a feeling of appreciation for acts of kindness and thankfulness for what we have, such as supportive friends, family, coworkers, pets and service animals, fulfilling careers, and good health.

Matthew 6:25-34, puts everything in perspective. . In everything thank God…

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin and yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith?”

“Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ for it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all of these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Allah has promised us in the Holy Qur’an (14:7) that if we are grateful He will give us more. “More of what?” we may ask. Imam Ghazali furnishes the answer when he says that Allah will grant us more of His blessings.

In order to encourage us to be grateful, Allah discloses part of His limitless love and mercy to us when He categorically states that if we are grateful He will not punish us. He first promises this in the form of a question in the verse: What can Allah gain by your punishment, if ye are grateful and ye believe? Nay, it is Allah that recognizeth (all good), and knoweth all things.(Quran 3:147)

In one of his admonitions, Bearer Adeniji Kazeem SAN wrote: Live in gratitude, when you are thankful for what you have, you are always rewarded with more. There is an old saying that, if you have forgotten the language of gratitude, you will never be on speaking terms with happiness. It is good to see people do good, do good, be humble, life is always enjoyable, we just have to learn to steal pleasure from small things, it is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy, stay positive, may Allah(swt) strengthen our faith, accept our good deeds.

Barka Juma’at and happy weekend

Islam

Friday Sermon: Concept of Giving and Receiving

Published

6 days ago

November 15, 2024

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

Giving and receiving are two aspects of the same flow of energy in the universe. It’s important to be both a good giver and a good receiver. Giving can inspire positive change and healing in a world so needing it. The attitudinal healing definition of giving and receiving comes from an egoless place.

The principles of giving are regular giving, participatory giving, intentional giving, proportional giving, anticipatory giving, effective giving, and accountable giving.

In the Christian faith, the forms of giving are; Tithe, Offertory, Pledges and Thanksgiving which we must give according to proportion and purpose, out of love, generosity, conviction and willingness, because God loves a cheerful giver.

It is written in 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 about the ‘The Cheerful Giver’: The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully[a] will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency[b] in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

In Islam, giving and receiving are both encouraged, and are considered to have many benefits:

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) taught that giving charity, or sadaqah, brings blessings, or barakah, into one’s life. Those who give generously may be rewarded with gains, success, and a sense of prosperity.

The Quran says, “Whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah” (Quran 2:110).

Among the benefits of giving to charity are: It makes you feel good; Giving to charity strengthens personal values, It’s more impactful than ever. Giving can reintroduce friends and family to the importance of generosity.

The spiritual definition of giving is that it reflects God’s character as a generous provider, emphasizing selflessness, generosity, and the desire to bless and assist needy people. Men are expected to model the behavior by giving according to the good books, which means giving freely, joyfully, and without anticipating anything in return.

The golden rule of giving is: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

The basic idea behind the Law of Giving and Receiving is to consciously participate in the dynamic flow of abundance that is the nature of life itself.

Generosity and acts of giving have been linked to improved mental health. Engaging in selfless actions can reduce stress, anxiety, and feelings of isolation, leading to greater overall well-being and happiness. Giving can strengthen interpersonal bonds.

What is the concept of giving? One is able to give to others without the assurance that he/she will receive something in return. Giving is only giving if it is done unconditionally. For a person to behave generously, the inner equivalent of gratitude has to be present. No person can act with generosity if there is not gratitude in his/her heart. He cannot give what he does not have.

For a Muslim, giving and receiving gifts is a righteous deed that can be a way to express love and respect, seek Allah’s blessings, and strengthen bonds between people:

• Gifts should be given with a pure intention, and not as a bribe or charity. The Prophet Muhammad(SAW) said, “Actions are only judged according to the intentions behind them”.

• It’s considered impolite to refuse a gift, and it can hurt the other person. If you can’t reciprocate with a gift, you should at least respond with thanks.

• Gifts should be given in line with your financial means, and should be suitable to the other person’s needs and wishes.

• Avoid ostentation when giving gifts.

• Gifts promote harmony and love between Muslims.

• Giving to others can help you develop compassion and empathy for others.

• Giving to others is a reminder that nothing we own in this world belongs to us, and that it can be taken away just as easily as it was given.

When giving and receiving gifts it should be given with a sincere intention and be a means of expressing love and respect. Sadaqah literally means “righteousness” and refers to the voluntary giving of alms or charity. In Islamic terminology, sadaqah has been defined as an act of “giving”.

Gift-giving in Islam should always begin and be based on pure and sincere intention. Giving gifts is one of the good manners that maintains and strengthens relations between the giver and the recipient. It is a Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and he recommended Muslims also do this. Aisha (ra) said: “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used to accept gifts and reward people for giving them.”

Was Sick But You Did Not Visit Me (Hadith Qudsi). Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: Allah will say on the Day of Judgment, ‘Son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me. ‘My Lord, How could I visit You when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ ‘Did you not know that one of My servants was sick and you didn’t visit him? If you had visited him you would have found Me there. ’Then Allah will say, ‘Son of Adam, I needed food but you did not feed Me’. ‘My Lord, How could I feed You when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ ‘Did you not know that one of My servants was hungry but you did not feed him? If you had fed him you would have found its reward with Me.’ ‘Son of Adam, I was thirsty, but you did not give Me something to drink.’ ‘My Lord, How could I give a drink when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ ‘Did you not know that one of My servants was thirsty but you did not give him a drink? If you had given him a drink, you would have found its reward with Me.‘ (Al-Bukhari)

Just as the Prophet (SAW) was sent as a mercy to mankind, so should we be a mercy to everyone whose lives we touch. In serving others and giving to others, we find our Lord. In His mercy, the path to Him is one of peace and improving the world around us. Only by helping others can we help ourselves. We cannot live a life of consumption and selfishness and expect to win the pleasure of Allah along the way.

It is out of the mercy and wisdom of Allah that He made serving others and creating a peaceful, compassionate earth one of the landmarks in the journey to Him. We cannot afford to ignore the suffering around us, because in those pleas for help is a call to getting closer to our Creator. In this hadith, the Prophet (SAW) tells us that if you ever hoped for a direct route to the pleasure of Allah, here it is.

Therefore, we have to revive our sensitivity to the simple acts of service we can do everyday. When we hear of someone who is sick or in need, the impulse that we feel to help should be so strong that it is impossible to ignore. Instead, many of us have desensitized ourselves to suffering because it is out of sync with the lifestyles we choose. At most, we may be persuaded to donate, but usually not more.

Yet, in the feeding of the poor, relieving the thirst and suffering, and comforting the sick lies an incredible closeness to Almighty Allah, so much that He says that He is there Himself, Glory to Him.

May Allah be pleased with us and grant us Jannatul Firdous here and in the Hereafter. Ameen

Barka Juma’at and Happy weekend

Islam

Friday Sermon: Mysteries of Life and Death 4: Esoteric Beliefs

Published

2 weeks ago

November 8, 2024

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

“Some seem to take the mystery to be that we cannot know or even conceive of what being dead will be like. This might be thought to follow from the fact that most of us who are living have no recollection of ever having been dead, and thus we lack first-hand experience of what death is like.”

The nexus between life and death cannot be overemphasized. While the idiosyncratic nature and meanings of ‘life’ and ‘death’ appear to a layman as clear and distinct, it seems to be a controversial subject of debate among scholars on what these terms actually entail.

One mystery which relates to life after death is the issue of metempsychosis. Metempsychosis, also known as reincarnation, is the belief that a soul is immortal and passes through cycles of life and death in different bodies.

The theory may have originated from the teachings of Pythagoras, who may have been influenced by the Indian concept of reincarnation.

Metempsychosis is a belief that is common to many religions and philosophies across the world. It was once prevalent in many parts of the world, but is now more commonly associated with Asia, especially India.

Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism have different beliefs about rebirth. Christianity and Islam have largely rejected reincarnation, though some sub-sects are still interested in it. Theosophical society and other mystic and esoteric schools have their own unique descriptions of rebirth.

It is natural for humans to be curious about death, including the death of others. Death is a universal human experience, and understanding it can help us make sense of our own mortality and the meaning of life. Additionally, death is often surrounded by mystery and uncertainty, which can make it even more intriguing.

Transmigration of souls is a topic which evokes emotive arguments but which is never resolved because it relates to spirits, paranormal and supernatural phenomenon that are not amenable to empiricism. However, there are some aspects which defy rational explanations, hence the mystery. One of such phenomenon is the Akudaya syndrome.

The same goes for the Abiku phenomenon which with the advances in healthcare and improvement in infant mortality the scourge has been considerably reduced, but cannot be dismissed.

According to late Professor Sophie Oluwole, “African Traditional thought claims three types of justification for the belief in reincarnation (Oluwole, 1996). The first is family resemblance, in which case, children resemble their dead ancestors, having some physical and mental features identical with theirs. Secondly, the unnatural and circumstantial marks made on some people, such as gunshot and deliberate deformities on the dead do also reappear on the child that is born. This cannot adequately be explained as a biological family trait. The deformities mete out on the bodies of the babies out of desperation to stop them from coming back, appear on those children when they are reborn. The third justification is memory transfer. This is attested to by the stories of children who could recount real life experiences of their ancestors with astonishing details, yet had no first hand access to the stories of such ancestors. All these justifications for reincarnation are well maintained among the Yoruba people as well.”

The mystery of life and death along with the concept of soul and body is a deep philosophical matter and it requires great rationality, prudence, contemplation, observation and intensive study and analytical research to understand it.

Akudaya is a supernatural phenomenon in Yoruba culture that involves the dead coming back to life, often after burial, and in places where they were not known in life. The story of Iya Risikat narrated here is a case in point.

Dayo, a job seeker in Lagos relates his experience: “Iya Risikat was a popular Ewa Agonyin seller in Brown Street in Ipaja, Lagos. After my secondary school, I left Ekiti to settle down in Lagos with my eldest brother in Ipaja. After my first week in Lagos, I decided to familiarize myself with my new environment. After walking some distance, I saw the shop of the famous Iya Risikat, the Agonyin beans seller.

“On getting there, I was shocked to see Iya Titi; a woman who had died in an auto crash along with her husband many years ago in my village in Ekiti.

“I could not believe it and immediately I ran home and narrated my finding to my brother. He picked up his phone and called our mother in the village to tell her that “Iya Titi is not dead”. Before he could hang up the call, my mother had already told her neighbors that Iya Titi was seen in Lagos selling beans.

“Before dusk, her relatives had already sent emissaries of five family members to investigate the assertion. Before the emissaries could get to Lagos, the news of Iya Risikat’s death had already gone viral throughout the whole area.

“The emissaries arrived in Lagos, but Iya Risikat’s body had already been laid to rest according to the Muslim rite. When they got there, they met everyone crying including her husband and the kids. The emissaries never believed until they saw a big family picture of her sitting beside her husband and children”.

Not only had she started another family in Lagos but had died twice. How do we explain this? Yet: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

It would not be the last of such stories. A man died in Zimbabwe and was seen by his cousin in New York, he claimed he was there on holidays. Another woman died at childbirth in Lagos and was sighted at Alagomeji entering a bus going towards Oyingbo; she claimed her husband sent her to Oyingbo market. Kunle picked up a lady at a party and brought her home, after getting into the act, he saw her off to her house. She entered her yard in his presence. Next day he went to visit her. After the people in her house interrogated him, they then told him the lady in question had died months ago and could not have been possible. How then do we explain the bizarre story?

A good example of transmigration or bodily resurrection is the all-time story of the resurrection of Jesus in 33 AD. See (John 20:11-18). Jesus wasn’t the only one believed to have risen from the dead. Stories of resurrection appear in ancient cultures around the world. See History Channel.

Jesus said of John the Baptist, “He is Elijah who is to come” (Matt 11:14), which some say is figurative and means that Jesus was talking about the spirit of Elijah coming on to John the Baptist. Spirit or body, it is still a phenomena of transmigration.

The most common view has been that, at death, the soul immediately goes to be with God and there is a continuity of personal existence. There is no interruption of life at the end of this life, but we continue to be alive in our personal souls upon death.

Why then are we scared of death? This can be related to fears of the unknown, of non-existence, of eternal punishment, of the loss of control, or fear of what will happen to the people we love.

In a sense, death is the ultimate purveyor of perspective. It helps us see trivial things for what they are—and face up to the fact that much of what we worry about and consume ourselves with isn’t so important after all. Reflecting on death can help us stop fretting about things that are outside our control. Thi ngs that are metaphysical and supernatural.

One of the most important teachings of the Qur’an is the survival of the soul after separation from the body, and that death is not the end of human life, but is an appendage to another life. All verses in the Quran which are about resurrection also indicate the immortality of the soul.

However, not everything can be known by man with our current mind and intelligence that are far limited to perceive such paranormal phenomenon.

But, one thing is very clear: Human mind’s greatest weakness is to make concepts that fit into its belief and then believe it is the absolute truth. Such diverse beliefs have led to the origin of religions. Each religion and each spiritual teacher differs in their view of existence or mechanism of rebirths. However, there cannot be many truths. So it appears that the “Truth” is beyond the reach of the mind. The only sure thing is that death is inevitable. Thus, we all will find out sooner or later!

At the end of the day, the sterling truth about death is that it is the greatest relief from intractable sickness, miserable life, excruciating pain caused by incurable disease, and a life of misery and pain. Death puts an end to all these and brings succor to the family of the dead.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. Last Friday we lost Alhaji Bashiru Ayoola Bakare a director of Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc., and former Executive Director of First Bank Plc. Bashiru was a childhood friend, just as his late father Justice Bakare was my father’s childhood friend too. May Allah admit ‘Bashey boy’ to Jannatul Firdous.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend

Milestone: Hurray! Our amiable sister, Dr. Yetunde Aderemi (Hajja Yets), will climb to the seventh floor of life as she celebrates her 70^th birthday tomorrow, 9^th November. We wish her a Happy Birthday. May Allah preserve her, bless and bless her children, bless her new age and grant her good in this world and in the Hereafter; May her days be long.

Islam

Friday Sermon: Mysteries of Life and Death 3: The Soul

Published

3 weeks ago

November 1, 2024

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

One of the mysteries of life and death is the concept of the soul which needs to be addressed before examining the other mysteries of death as it has a bearing on the concept of rebirth, resurrection, transmigration and reincarnation.

The doctrine of transmigration of souls, or tanasukh, is not accepted in Islam: Ibn Sina argued that transmigration is untenable because every living being is governed by one soul.

The soul is a controversial concept that is defined from several perspectives. Since the soul is an immeasurable material, it is impossible to prove whether or not it actually exists. The concept provides an abstract perspective on the notion of life, and who we are as individuals.

Generally speaking, the human soul is the unphysical part of the human being. Various disciplines (religion, psychology, and neuroscience) use different terms to describe the human soul, but they are all referring to the same general concept.

“Soul” is a term that is most commonly used within the Christian context while academic disciplines and other religions may use the term interchangeably with other terms.

Psychology uses words such as “consciousness”, or “mind” to describe the soul while neuroscience uses the term soul but do not fully believe in its existence.

Before modern science, humans defined the concept of the soul from a religious point of view. They portrayed the soul to be a mystical and divine non-visible entity that existed within the body. As science advanced, the concept has evolved into a physical/materialistic viewpoint.

For a long time, it was not socially acceptable or technologically possible to research the human soul.

In What Becomes of The Soul After Death, Sri Swami Sivananda, said Soul is spirit. “It is immaterial. It is intelligence or consciousness. It is this individual soul that departs from the body after its death and goes to heaven, with the senses, mind, Prana, impressions, desires, and tendencies. It is endowed with a subtle astral body when it proceeds to heaven.”

Oskar Ernst Bernhardt (1875-1941), founder of the Grail Movement, in Resonances to the Grail Message, conjectured, “As soon as the heavy earthly body together with the astral body has fallen away, the spirit remains clad in the more delicate cloaks only. In this condition the spirit is called “the soul” in contradistinction to the earthman of flesh and blood! He went further to emphasize “only the animal has a soul that guides it. Man, however, has spirit!”

In retrospect therefore, we find that soul and spirit are interchanged in usage: The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.

The soul or atman, credited with the ability to enliven the body, was located by ancient anatomists and philosophers in the lungs or heart, and according to Descartes in the pineal gland, and generally in the brain.

When we die, our spirit and body separate. Even though our body dies, our spirit—which is the essence of who we are—lives on. Our spirit goes to the spirit world. The spirit world is a waiting place until we receive the gift of resurrection, when our spirits will reunite with our bodies.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible allusion is made to the spirit of man and beast: For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Ecc. 3: 19-21

In theology, the soul is further defined as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity and often is considered to survive the death of the body.

Many cultures have recognized some incorporeal principle of human life or existence corresponding to the soul, and many have attributed souls to all living things.

Despite widespread and longstanding belief in the existence of a soul, however, different religions and philosophers have developed a variety of theories as to its nature, its relationship to the body, and its origin and mortality.

The Quran talks about the Soul, but the meaning of Ruh in verse 85 of Surah Al-Isra has been translated in many places to mean spirit: “They ask you, Muhammad, about the Soul (Ruh). Tell them: ‘This is confined to the knowledge of God. Whatever knowledge you have been given about that is a very little portion.’”(Quran 17:85)

When the ulama (religious scholars) talk about the Soul, they talk about its characteristics only; they do not talk about what it is. Some scholars say it is like the water in a rose or a flower, it gives it life. Others nowadays offer an analogy with electricity in a wire – if there is electricity flowing in the wire it is said to be alive, if not the wire is dead.

And there is the other question: Where was the Soul before it entered the body? Nobody knows. All we know is that the Soul is the second stage in the creation of a human being. It is often regarded as the ‘breath’ that gives life to God’s creation in the womb. Without that breath, there is no life.

In Sura Al Mu’minūn, Quran 23:14, Allah describes the process of the new creation.

Then comes the third question: When the Soul separates from the body upon death where does it go? And what happens to it?

Al mawt, or death, is a separation of the material element – the body – from the spiritual element – the Soul. The body goes back to the earth from where it came, and the Soul goes back from where it came. The Qur’an says: “From the earth We created you and to it We will return you.” (Quran 20:55) But the Soul, not even knowing what it is, and since it is a secret, we don’t know where it goes.

Some ulama think that the Soul in certain contexts continues to hear and to observe. The practice of visiting the grave, especially after ‘Asr on Thursday and on Friday morning is on the basis of this opinion because some ulama say that the Soul visits the grave in which its body was buried at those times. And those same ulama say that the Soul hears the greeting of “As Salaam” and it observes those visitors who offer the greetings.

But in the final analysis they say that the place of the Soul is with God and its position differs according to what that person did during his life. These are the ijtehad (research) of the ulama, but the Soul is shrouded in mystery.

Death is separation of the soul from the physical body. Death becomes the starting point of a new life. Death does not end your personality and self-consciousness. It merely opens the door to a higher form of life, a new consciousness.

According to the Hindus, birth and death are jugglery of Maya. He who is born begins to die. He who dies begins to live. Life is death and death is life. Birth and death are merely doors of entry and exist on the stage of this world. In reality no one comes, no one goes.

Death is not the end of life. Life is one continuous never-ending process. Death is only a passing and necessary phenomenon, which every soul has to pass to gain experience for its further evolution.

Dissolution of the body is no more than sleep. Just as man sleeps and wakes up, so is death and birth. Death is like sleep. Birth is like waking up.

Resurrection is rising again from the dead. Resurrection, judgement by God, reward or punishment are the three important tenets of Islam, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism.

The Jews, who lent this doctrine to the Christians and Muslims, themselves borrowed it from the Persians. According to some writers the resurrection will be merely spiritual. The general opinion, however, is that both body and soul will be raised from the grave; see the stories of the People of the Cave in Surah Al Kahf and that of Ezra in Surah Baqara in the Quran. There is also the bodily resurrection of Jesus in the Bible.

As to the answers to the many questions raised by the concept of Soul, Allah knows best.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend.