MUSLIMS & THE STRAIGHT PATH: Part - 1-Q - Religiosity versus Spirituality

Muslims & The Straight Path  [Published 2010]

Part - 1-Q

RELIGIOSITY VERSUS SPIRITUALITY

The problem of nearly all religions in contemporary times is that spirituality has died a silent death on the pyre of materialistic religiosity. Spirituality is something within, where the person continuously endeavours to elevate his inner self and the after effects of the person’s inner endeavour is visible outwardly in his character; in his supplications and prayers and in his dealings with all the rest of God’s creations. Religiosity is altogether opposite of spirituality where the person gets involved in outward rituals and customs in vain hope that this would elevate his inner self. The religiosity today is out there on the streets, even leading to traffic jams on roads, long serpentine queues outside mandirs and mazaars, big religious congregations and processions and the immediate aftermath of such frenzied religiosity is attempt to trample other religions, demolishing their places of worship and even riots and acts of terrorism against members of other religious community, who are themselves only immersed in outward religiosity, thereby aggravating the wedge so created, further.

There is a need to rescue spirituality from religiosity which, in the final analysis, is an amalgam of myths, fetishes, superstitions, and anachronistic customs and rituals. If, therefore, religion is to have any meaning to the rising and future generations, it must rid itself of obscurantism, harmonize with modern science and human reason, and be what inquiry will strengthen, not destroy.

The religious customs like a foot-march to get Ganges water back home, a trek uphill, a procession on Moharram or even weekly or daily assembly of worshippers at temples, churches and mosques were designed as the first lessons towards initiation into the deeper and spiritual aspects of religion. At the same time, such get-togethers were designed so that the masses will get to interact with those who have climbed on the ladder of austerity and spirituality and learn a lesson or two from them. This has ceased to happen any more! These rituals and customs alone have been understood as religion by nearly the entire masses.

God is supreme as per all religions and all religions emanated through God’s avatars (prophets) have kept inner elevation as the prime quest of life. Salvation (nijaat or shahadat) is only for a person who dies with his soul pure. The level of degradation that has entered our lives today can be gauged from the fact that even the religious heads have ceased to lay emphasis on the need for spiritual elevation and their prime concern is limited to initiating a devout into customs and rituals.

Those who desire to serve God can best do so through strict self-molding of their organs of action and senses, as per the likings of their Creator and then through service to mankind which, surely, is the scheme of nature, at all times doing this only for development and elevation of soul rather than seeking other material benefits from the service. The real purpose of religion is to develop to the utmost our capabilities and qualities, to strive to wipe the tear from every eye, to work for the deprived and the downtrodden, to love thy neighbour, to care for children, to fight discrimination and obscurantism, and even to pay our taxes and not cheat each other. Religion, in short, is to be faithful to the intellect we have, to develop the powers which have been entrusted to our charge, and to employ them either in worship of God or in the service of humanity, which itself becomes worship if done keeping the God and no self-interest in mind. This is true religion.