Spiritual Health and Purification of the Soul

[Cordoba]

Don't become a hermit

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The words ‘isolation’ and ‘seclusion’ have a special meaning in our religion - to stay away from evil and its perpetrators, and to keep those who are foolish at a distance. As a consequence, you will have an opportunity to reflect, to think and to graze in the meadows of enlightenment. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]When you isolate yourself from things that divert you from Allah’s obedience, you are giving yourself a dose of medicine, one that doctors of the heart have found to be a most potent cure. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]By secluding yourself from evil and idleness, your brain is stimulated into action. The results are increases in faith, repentance, and remembrance of Allah. [/FONT]

http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/tafakkur/dont_be_sad13.html

 

[Cordoba]

The Disease Of Jealousy

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Before we can show mercy to others we must first show it to ourselves.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]By being jealous of others, we are feeding misery with our flesh and blood and we are giving our sound sleep to others. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The jealous person lights a fire and then jumps into it. Jealousy begets grief, pain, and suffering, thus destroying what was once a calm and virtuous life. The curse of the jealous one is that he disputes with fate and contends that his Creator is unjust. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]How like a disease is jealousy, yet unlike other diseases - the one afflicted by it receives no reward in the Hereafter. The jealous person shall remain in fury until the day he dies, or until the good fortune of others departs from them.[/FONT]

http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/tafakkur/dont_be_sad16.html

 

[Cordoba]

Don't Follow the Crowd - be Yourself!

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Do not transform yourself into someone else: do not mimic others. Many are those that feign to forget their own voices, movements, idiosyncrasies, and habits, in order to imitate others in their ways. Among the consequences of such behaviour are artificiality, unhappiness, and a destruction of one’s own entity. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]From Adam to the last born baby, no two people are exactly the same in appearance. Why then should they be the same in manners and tastes?[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]You are unique - none have been like you in the past and none shall be like you in the future....[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Be as you were created and do not change your voice or modify your walk. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Cultivate your personality by following what is found in revelation, but do not render your existence void by imitating others and by depriving yourself of your individuality. [/FONT]

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]'And let not one of you be an imitator of others.'[/FONT]

http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/tafakkur/dont_be_sad11.html

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The Search for Inner Peace (part 1 of 4): [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]by [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Dr. Bilal Philips - Published on 24 Sep 2007 [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The Obstacles to Achieving Inner Peace[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The topic of inner peace addresses a universal need. There is nobody on this planet that does not desire inner peace. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]It is not a desire that is new to our time; rather, it is something that everybody has been searching for throughout the ages, regardless of color, creed, religion, race, nationality, age, sex, wealth, ability or technological advancement.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]People have taken a variety of different paths in trying to achieve inner peace, some through accumulating material possessions and wealth, others through drugs; some through music, others through meditation; some through their husbands and wives, others through their careers and some through their children’s achievements. And the list goes on.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Yet the search also goes on. In our time we have been led to believe that technological advancement and modernization will produce for us physical comforts and through these we will attain inner peace. ...[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]If we look at the obstacles in life we can put them under a variety of headings: personal problems, family issues, financial dilemmas, work pressures and spiritual confusion. And there are many issues under these headings. ...[/FONT]

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/633/

 

[Cordoba]

Accepting Destiny

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]In The Search for Inner Peace (part 2 of 4[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif])[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]by [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Dr. Bilal Philips[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]We have so many problems, so many obstacles that they are like illnesses. If we try to deal with them one by one we will never get through them. We need to identify them, put them in some general categories and tackle them as a group as opposed to trying to tackle each individual obstacle and problem.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]To do this we have to first of all remove obstacles that are beyond our control. We have to be able to distinguish which obstacles are within our control and which ones are beyond our control. While we perceive the ones that are beyond our control as obstacles the reality is that they are not. They are the things that God has destined for us in our lives, they are not really obstacles, but we have misinterpreted them as being obstacles. ...[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]These are all things that were and are beyond our control. We did not choose which family to be born in to; we did not choose which body for our spirit to be blown into, this is not our choice. So whatever we find of these kinds of obstacles then we just have to be patient with them and realize that, in fact, they are not really obstacles. God told us:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]“…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. God knows but you do not know.” (Quran 2:216)[/FONT]

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/634/

Accepting Destiny is indeed an important secret towards finding inner peace. Those factors which are beyond our control, we should simply accept and be content with as they are not our choice, but the choice of our Creator.

Other than that, we should do our best to improve the factors which are within our control for a better future for us, our families, our societies and the whole world

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Patience and Goals in Life[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]In The Search for Inner Peace (part 3 of 4[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif])[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]by [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Dr. Bilal Philips[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]“Do not look to those above you who are more fortunate, instead, look to those below you or less fortunate…”[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]This is because no matter what our situation is, there are always those who are worse off than us. This should be our general strategy with regards to the material life. Nowadays the material life is a huge part of our life, we seem to be obsessed with it; gaining all we can in this world seems to be the main point that most of us focus our energies towards. So if one must do this then they should not let it affect their inner peace.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]While dealing with the material world we should not keep focusing on those who are better off than us otherwise we will never be satisfied with what we have. The Prophet said:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]“If you give the son of Adam a valley of gold he would want another one.” (Saheeh Muslim)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The saying is that the grass is always greener on the other side; and the more a person has the more a person wants. We cannot achieve satisfaction in the material world if we are chasing after it in such a way; rather, we should look to those who are less fortunate, this way we will remember the gifts, benefits and mercy that God has bestowed upon us with regards to our own wealth, no matter how little it may seem.[/FONT]

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/636/

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Inner Peace is reached by submitting to God[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]In The Search for Inner Peace (part 4 of 4[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif])[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]by [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Dr. Bilal Philips[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]In summary, the search for inner peace involves recognizing the problems that we have in our lives, recognizing our obstacles, recognizing that inner peace will only come when we identify those obstacles and understand which of them we can change and that we focus on those obstacles we can change, the ones which are related to our self.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]If we change our self then God will change the world around us and give us the means to deal with the world around us. Even though the world is in turmoil God gives us inner peace with it.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Whatever happens we know that it is God’s destiny and that it is God’s trials and we know that ultimately it is for our good and has good in it. God created us in this world and the world as a means to attain Paradise and the trials of this world is our own spiritual growth. If we can accept all this, accepting God in our hearts then we can find inner peace.[/FONT]

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/637/

 

[Cordoba]

A Balance between Hope and Fear

Scholars say that we must combine hope with fear - when we worship Allah, we should have hope as well as fear of Him.

Fearing Allah is a positive thing. The more we fear Allah, the closer we get to Him. The more we fear Allah, the more calm and at peace we will be. This is unlike the natural 'fear' where if we fear something, e.g. a fire or a dangerous animal, we will try to get away from it.

Scholars say that we should have an equal amount of hope to the amount of fear. This is so we will have a better status of Iman (faith) - there is no despair and at the same time there is no excessive hope (over-confidence) which could lead to laziness and the non-fulfillment of our obligations. This is why we need to combine hope and fear, as well as love Allah the most and have trust in Him.

http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith04.htm

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]All That Glitters Is Not Gold [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Contrary to what some people believe, attaining a higher degree of spirituality does not have to be through renouncing material wealth.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]It can be a blessing for one to be rich, but it is important to note that this blessing doubles when the material wealth is used in such a way that the person grows spiritually and this is what Islam teaches[/FONT]

Full article:

http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1190886417746&pagename=Zone-English-Discover_Islam%2FDIELayout

 

[Cordoba]

A Balance between Hope and Fear

Scholars say that we must combine hope with fear - when we worship Allah, we should have hope as well as fear of Him.

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Fearing Allah is a positive thing. The more we fear Allah, the closer we get to Him. The more we fear Allah, the more calm and at peace we will be. This is unlike the natural 'fear' where if we fear something, e.g. a fire or a dangerous animal, we will try to get away from it.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Scholars say that we should have an equal amount of hope to the amount of fear. This is so we will have a better status of Iman (faith) - there is no despair and at the same time there is no excessive hope (over-confidence) which could lead to laziness and the non-fulfillment of our obligations. This is why we need to combine hope and fear, as well as love Allah the most and have trust in Him.


http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith04.htm
[/FONT]

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Contentment[/FONT]

The concept of being content is a very important asset in our daily life. If one is content, he will live in peace, harmony and happiness. These qualities can't be purchased or acquired through wealth or fame.

If a person is not content, he will inevitably drive himself crazy. He will do his best to satisfy his needs, but never ever will he be happy or satisfied. ...

In order to live in peace and harmony, in order not to be deceived with worldly entertainment, and not to be distracted with what others may have and in order to be content and satisfied with what you have: our Prophet peace be upon him advised us to look at those who are lower than us.

By looking at the situations of those who have a lesser wage/salary, less position, less property or less wealth, we should be grateful to Allah for all the blessings we have in life.

To avoid anxiety and to avoid worries and uneasiness, one has to be content and satisfied with what he has. To fulfil your needs, desires and your worldly requirements, one has to look at the situation of those who are less fortunate

http://www.inter-islam.org/Lifestyle/contentment.htm

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Q: How do you attain spiritual fulfillment?[/FONT]

A: “Spiritual fulfillment is possible only when we strive with all our body, mind, and soul to live in conformity with Allah’s will.

Stated differently, we cannot attain fulfillment or felicity in life unless we strive to fulfill the very purpose of our existence. The purpose of our existence, as defined by our Creator and Lord, is none other than rendering worship unto Him. Allah says in the Qur’an, “I created the (species of) jinn and humankind solely to worship Me.” (Az-Zariyat: 56). So no matter how accomplished and successful we are in life, we will never gain fulfillment unless we conform strictly to the above stated purpose, for it alone will determine our ultimate success or failure.

I list below a few tips to help us achieve the goal of spiritual fulfillment:

1. The first step towards spiritual fulfillment is to sincerely repent of all sins ...

2. Purify our heart, mind, and heart of all base thoughts and destructive emotions, beliefs, and concepts.

3. We must observe the laws of Allah openly and secretly.

4. We must role model ourselves after the Messenger of Allah by emulating his excellent morals and behavior such as simple life-style, magnanimity, generosity, his attitude, noble morals.

5. Celebrate dhikr (remembrance of Allah) consistently.

6. Develop the habit of reflecting and contemplating, and think of the transient nature of life. Meditate frequently upon death and afterlife and visualize standing before the Lord of the worlds for reckoning.

7. Develop the virtues of sincerity, truthfulness, gratitude, patience, generosity, simplicity, humility, magnanimity, love of Allah

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503547678

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Knowing Allah Leads to Love and Inner Peace[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]One of the great causes [that leads to having love of Allah] is the specific knowledge that comes about through pondering over the creation of the heavens and the earth and what Allah has created. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]In the Quran, there is much mention of the signs of Allah that indicate His Greatness, Power, Majesty, Perfection, Eminence, Compassion, Mercy, Strength, Subjugation and other of His beautiful Names and exalted Attributes. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Whenever one's knowledge of Allah is strengthened, one's love for Him is also strengthened and one's love for obeying Him is also strengthened. He will then experience the pleasure of worship, whether it be in prayer, remembrance or other forms of worship[/FONT]

Source: ([URL="http://www.haqaonline.com/"]http://www.haqaonline.com/[/URL])

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]God Increases His Blessings on Those Who Are Grateful [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Every person is in need of God at every instant of life. From the air one breathes to the food he eats, from the ability to use one’s hands to the faculty of speech, from being sheltered to being in a joyful spirit, one lives completely in need of what God creates and grants him. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Still, a vast majority of people do not perceive their weaknesses and that they are in need of God. They suppose that things develop spontaneously or that they acquire everything by their own efforts. This is an important error, as well as a serious ingratitude towards God. Ironically, people who render their thanks to a person for even an insignificant gift, spend all their lives ignoring the countless blessings that God gives them all through their lives. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]However, so great are the blessings granted to a person that one could never count them. God relates this fact in a verse as follows:[/FONT]

([FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]If you tried to number God’s blessings, you could never count them. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful[/FONT]) [FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif](Surat An-Nahl 16:18)[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Despite this fact, most people fail to give thanks for any of the blessings they have.[/FONT]

http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1154526126405&pagename=Zone-English-Discover_Islam%2FDIELayout

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The Search for Inner Peace[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Dr. Bilal Philips[/FONT]

The topic of inner peace addresses a universal need. There is nobody on this planet that does not desire inner peace. It is not a desire that is new to our time; rather, it is something that everybody has been searching for throughout the ages, regardless of colour, creed, religion, race, nationality, age, sex, wealth, ability or technological advancement.

People have taken a variety of different paths in trying to achieve inner peace, some through accumulating material possessions and wealth, others through drugs; some through music, others through meditation; some through their husbands and wives, others through their careers and some through their children’s achievements. And the list goes on

Yet the search also goes on. In our time we have been led to believe that technological advancement and modernisation will produce for us physical comforts and and through these we will attain inner peace. ...

Inner peace is for the most part of our lives very elusive; we never seem to get our hands on it.

Many of us mistake personal pleasures for inner peace; we achieve elements of pleasure from a variety of things, be it wealth, sexual relations or other than that. But these do not last, they come and go. Yes we have personal pleasures from time to time and we are pleased with various things from time to time, but this is not inner peace. True inner peace is a sense of stability and contentment which carries us through all the trials and difficulties of life. ...

Inner peace can only be achieved if the obstacles that are beyond our control are accepted by us patiently as part of Allah’s destiny.

Know that whatever happens which we had or have no control over, then Allah has put in it some good, whether or not we are able to grasp what is good in it; the good is still there. So we accept it!

http://www.ediscoverislam.com/search-peace.asp

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]New Year, New Plans, New Self[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,arial]10 Tips for Self-Revival[/FONT]​

• [FONT=Verdana,arial]Take the initiative. Change is a verb. You have to first change to see the change[/FONT]
• Don't procrastinate. Start from this moment
• Start with baby steps and achievable goals
• Be consistent. A small step a day, but for everyday
• Make sure you are changing towards the right direction
• Have a support group for your change
• Be patient
• Never give up. If you trip, start again
• Keep your eyes on the prize - achievement, triumphant, and satisfaction
• Always ask Allah for help

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0502-2606

 

[Cordoba]

The Road to Spirituality

The first necessity for progression along the path of spiritual development is IMAN (faith). The mind and heart of a man should always be aware: Allah alone is His Master, Sovereign and Deity; seeking His pleasure is the aim of all his endeavors; and His commands alone are the commands that are to be obeyed. This should be a firm conviction, based not merely on the intellect, but also on acceptance by the will. The stronger and deeper this conviction, the more profound a man’s faith will be.

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The second stage is that of obedience, meaning that man gives up his independence and accepts subservience to Allah. This subservience is called Islam (submission) in the language of the Qur’an. Thus, man should not only acknowledge Allah as his Lord and Sovereign but should actually submit before Him and fashion his entire life in obedience to Him.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The third stage is that of taqwa (Allah-consciousness). It consists in a practical manifestation of one’s faith in Allah in one’s daily life. Taqwa also means desisting from everything which Allah has forbidden or has disapproved of; man must be in a state of readiness to undertake all that Allah has commanded and to observe the distinctions between lawful and unlawful, right and wrong, and good and bad in life.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The last and the highest stage is that of ihsan (godliness). It signifies that man has attained highest excellence in words, deeds and thoughts, identifying his will with the will of Allah and harmonizing it, to the best of his knowledge and ability, with the Divine will. He thus begins to like what is liked by the Lord and to dislike what He dislikes. ... [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]A man who reaches this stage attains the highest pinnacle of spirituality and is nearest to Allah[/FONT]

http://www.islam101.com/sociology/spiritualPath.htm

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Spiritually Satisfied, What Else Matters?[/FONT]

Q: How can one reconcile between the material and the spiritual self? If one is spiritually satisfied with God, can the material dissatisfaction effect his spiritual relationship with God?

A: Striking an Illusion?

So, harsh as this might sound, striking a balance is an illusion, in fact a sad one that many Muslims lose years and years of their lives, spiritual and psychological capital and fuel over, with no benefit.

Sure, Allah has made some people rich. That is their trial. Some of the greatest Companions, like Abdul-Rahman ibn Awf, and Al-Laith ibn Saad, were incredibly wealthy. Even more interestingly, prophet Soliman (peace be upon him) had a kingdom that shall not belong to any after him.
Still, they are innocent from any worldly apprehension and hang ups, like those of ours. The world could have existed lavishly every where around, but not in the same hearts with which they worship Allah.

Now, answering directly to your question, I believe the following. If one is truly satisfied with Allah, majestic in His praise, a state that no creature, atom or cell in the entire universe should find any objection to, except when we are immersed in our lack of faith, distractions, desires, and self-imposed blindness, then nothing should affect this satisfaction ...

http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1188043903244&pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam%2FAskAboutIslamE%2FAskAboutIslamE

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Peace of the Heart [/FONT]
by Tariq Ramadan

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]Self control, serenity, respect of the Other, and tenderness are not natural but are acquired and exact a price of permanent personal effort. Such is the toil of men: they approach the shores of humanity through long and hard, thoughtful and measured work on one’s self. Each individual knows this, each heart feels it. [/FONT]

All literature, since the dawn of time, reflects this tension which at times quiets down, at times agitates, sometimes tears the intimacy of men. From the Bhagavad Gita to the Torah to the Gospels, from Dostoyevsky to Baudelaire, the human horizon remains the same. The Qu’ran confirms this everyday experience:


“By the soul and what balanced it and inspired its liberation and piety. He will most certainly be content he who purifies it, he will most certainly be lost, he who corrupts it.”


Both paths are explicit and instruct in a manner both superbly animated and ethical to the ever present reminder of the afterlife. Life is a test of this balance for men, for better or worse. This spiritual force is symbolized by choosing the path of righteousness, good deeds for oneself and for others ...

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,Serif]To reform best one’s inner space, to soothe one’s heart close to the recognition of the Creator and in the density of an action which is both human and generous to love in transparency and live in the light: such is the meaning of Islamic spirituality. It links the horizon of all spirituality requiring man to acquire a force of being, rather than to undergo despotic relentlessness of a life reduced to mere instinct.[/FONT]

http://www.tariqramadan.com/article.php3?id_article=438&lang=en

 

[Cordoba]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The Mainspring of Inner Peace[/FONT]

The faith in God, like a relief valve, helps regulate psychic urges which are themselves the mainspring of man's spiritual afflictions.

The faith in God gives a visage of perfect beauty to life, because when one has the conviction that everything does not come to an end with this life it creates an inner peace and makes him traverse the entire course of life with steadiness and moderation.

Acquisitiveness, greed and avarice, which are one of the factors responsible for anxiety, are moderated as a result of faith in God and observance of the moral precepts of religion. The hope of great rewards and the fear of severe punishments make man refrain from rapacity and avoid unreasonable and uncontrolled fondness for material things, glitter and ostentation.

As a result, a desirable and serene equilibrium worthy of man's humanity is brought about within his soul

http://home.swipnet.se/islam/articles/InnerPeace.htm