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An Islamic Perspective on the Body, Mind, Spirit Connection

            We had hoped that the Imam from the local mosque would be here today, but he had another commitment. So I will be sharing with you my views on the Islamic Perspective on the Body, Mind, Spirit Connection.

            The summer team asked me to speak on this subject because I have some first-hand acquaintance with Islam, having lived in Pakistan for many years. I worked there as a founding Administrator of Al Hajvery University, which was named after the Sufi who brought Islamic enlightenment to India. I also wrote a weekly political column in a national English daily newspaper there. My late husband, Haneef Ramay, was a Muslim and a founding member of All Faiths. He felt that many of the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of members of this congregation are those that the Prophet Muhammad would have appreciated.

            We do have a tendency to have a more favorable view of  “Our” tradition than that of the “Other”. This results not only from our own preferences, but also from the fact that we know the best of our own people and religion, while we tend to know the worst of others. We know the good people around us, but in far off lands and cultures, we see mostly the worst, because that is what is portrayed in the media.

            Today, particularly since 9/11, we are seeing a very one-sided view of the worst aspects of some Islamic extremists, who do not represent the majority of Muslims. So in order to be receptive to hearing about Islam, I ask that you try to set aside those bad images, and open yourselves up to receiving another message.

            As with all other religions, one might well ask – Which Islamic perspective? Within every religion there are various sects and groups representing a wide range of interpretations – including fundamentalists, puritans, progressives, and liberals. This is as true of Islam as it is of all the others. But there are certain core beliefs that are generally shared.

            Islam is the way of life of Muslims who make up about 1/5^th of all the people on our planet. There are about 60 nations with Muslim majorities, in Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Muslims now have a substantial presence in Europe and North America as well.

            What is Islam? The word Islam shares a common stem with the Arabic word for Peace, salaam, and it is often translated as “submission” – meaning commitment to the will of Allah. Whereas we have free will, we are to choose to exercise it in accordance with the laws of nature and Allah.

Islam stands within the Abrahamic family of religions, and also builds upon Greek philosophy. Islam’s Prophet Muhammad lived in Arabia in the seventh century. Through Muhammad, the Islamic holy book, the Quran, was revealed, but Muslims are enjoined to also respect the Bible of Christians and Jews. Muhammad did not believe he was founding a new religion, but rather that he was receiving revelations through Gabriel of the original Abrahamic monotheistic faith. Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus are all recognized as prophets of Allah. And the Quran says that Allah had sent prophets to every land. Muslims do not worship the Prophet, and the religion is not called Muhammedanism. The people who practice the faith are called Muslims, not Muhammedans. The Prophet Muhammad is honored as a role model and excellent example of what it is to be a complete human being. Michael Hart, in his book, The 100: A ranking of the most influential persons in History, placed Muhammad first, because of his remarkable success as both a religious and political leader. 

Muhammad is considered to be the seal of the prophets, i.e. the last prophet, because from that time on humans were considered to have reached such a level of maturity that they could observe, learn and understand without need of additional divine revelation.

Joseph Campbell wrote, “The great deed of the supreme hero is to come to the knowledge of the unity in multiplicity and then to make it known.” This statement would certainly apply to the Prophet Muhammad.

At the core of Islamic beliefs is a pervasive belief in Unity and Goodness.

One God – Allah – “There is no god but The God!

God is the Good God - Quran reveals predominantly a God of love. Each chapter of the Quran begins with Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem – In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. God’s compassion and mercy are mentioned 192 times in the Quran, as against l7 references to his wrath and vengeance.

Allah is immaterial and has no gender. The word, Allah, is neither male nor female in Arabic. Allah is not an anthropomorphic Father or Mother. God is God!

One World – No borders, no nations. God alone is Sovereign. Primary loyalty can never be to any particular nation state.

Good World - The Quran is filled with beautiful descriptions of the natural world, created by God. The Earth is good, the Universe is good, and they are here for our benefit. The world and our bodies are real, they are good, and they are important. They are not mere illusions. They are not evil. They are not of inconsequence to the spiritually developed person. This positive attitude toward the world and nature enabled Muslims to become leaders in science, medicine and mathematics for many centuries.

One People - Islam believes in the unity and equality of all humankind – the universal brotherhood and sisterhood of all people, the ummah. There is no pope. There are no priests. There are no people with special religious powers. Each person is to be capable of reading scripture and of understanding the world. Each person can approach God in prayer directly, without the need of an intermediary. The Quran persistently addresses itself to both men and women. There is no superiority of race. There is no superiority of nationality. There is no elite, or superior class, or caste. We are all one people. This is something that Malcolm X discovered when he went to Mecca to perform the Haj pilgrimage.

Good People – Quran: “We have created humanity of the best stature.” Muslims believe that humans are born inherently good. Bad behavior arises from ignorance. Some basic beliefs of Islam are relevant to our topic today. One is the Creation story on the origin of human beings. According to Islam, Adam and Eve were equally responsible for disobeying Allah. Eve is not presented as a temptress, and woman is not the source of evil. Because there is no concept of original sin staining the souls of all human beings, there is no need for a divine redeemer. There is no justification by faith alone. Good deeds are necessary, too. If you err, you can redeem yourself through your own positive beliefs and good actions. But Islam also has a strong social message – it is not simply about individual health and well-being, or individual salvation. You are supposed to join together with others to help to redeem society as well.

One Person - The principle of Unity applies also to the human individual – there is no dualism, no antagonism between body, mind, and spirit. Humans are viewed in a holistic manner. Emphasis is placed upon the full development and integration of all our aspects. We are not to be at war with ourselves. Our bodies, minds and spirits are all to be respected as God’s creation, and to be utilized properly and cooperatively.

A Muslim doctor will use holistic medicine, and treat you as a whole person. Your body, your mind, and your spirit are all considered. A Muslim doctor will first ask you why you got sick – what’s troubling you?

Good Person – Since each person is inherently good in his/her entirety, there is no rejection of the body and its natural functions. There is no monasticism in Islam. There is no preference for the unmarried condition. You are not required to despise your body, or another person’s body, as something lower than the mind or spirit.

Our Role as human co-gerents. Islam did not reject this material world. There is a deep appreciation for the wonders and beauties of God’s creation. And we humans are to be co-gerents, that is, co-creators. This concept of man’s participation in the on-going creation is something that is vital to an understanding of Islam. We are not passive victims in a fatalistic, deterministic world. We are not supposed to be in a dependent child-parent relationship with God. We are meant to be in a mature, responsible, interdependent relationship of sharing in the ever-evolving job of co-creating and nurturing life in this world. In order to do this, we must have a mature inner harmony and balance of our own bodies, minds and spirits, along with harmony and balance in our relationships with others. An essential condition for this is Peace. Muslims all use the greeting, Asalaam o alaikum – Peace be upon you.

We are to observe practices that are wholesome and good for our bodies – regular bathing and ablutions, abstention from toxic substances, and abstention from unclean foods. The five daily prayers incorporate physical movements, stretching and meditation techniques that are good for the body as well as the soul.

We are to develop our minds – the first word of Gabriel to Muhammad was Iqra – Read. Knowledge is very important to a Muslim. Evil comes through Ignorance, so it is our job to remove ignorance. The Prophet said, go even to China to gain knowledge. Muslims created the first universities, and were the purveyors of knowledge to the Western world at the time of the renaissance.

We are to develop our spirits – to achieve appreciation, understanding, and union with our world and our God.

We were created good, so we are entitled to be appreciated as our individual selves. In the 13^th century, my favorite Sufi, Rumi, called for individual personal fulfillment:

            Don’t be satisfied with stories,

            How things have gone with others.

            Unfold your own myth, without complicated explanation,

            So everyone will understand the passage,

            We have opened you.

We are all entitled to self respect and a healthy self image. We have no right to slander, dishonor or humiliate others.

Our role is to bring our spiritual energy to this world in order to regenerate society. In Islam there is no separation between the Secular and the Sacred. All is Sacred. A sense of the sacred should permeate the human consciousness.

A crucial part of this is to develop a strong sense of gratitude. It’s interesting to note that the Arabic word for infidel, kafir, means “one who lacks thankfulness”. Appreciation is thus an essential aspect of genuine belief.

Appreciation of the individual is also crucial. The individuality of the human soul is everlasting, it never dies. Each individual is to realize its own unique potentialities.

            Again, from Rumi:

            “God picks up the reed flute world and blows,

            Each note is a need coming through one of us,

            A passion, a longing-pain.

            Remember the lips where the wind-breath originated,

            And let your note be clear.

            Don’t try to end it.

            Be your note.

            I’ll show you how it’s enough.

            Go up on the roof at night in this city of the soul.

            Let everyone climb on their roofs and sing their notes!

            Sing loud!

Shakespeare put it, “To thine own self be true.”

To summarize, Islam places a great deal of emphasis upon the strong and positive connection between body, mind and spirit.

            The body is real, good, and important. It is to be nurtured, developed and appreciated.

            The mind is real, good, and important. It is to be cultivated and utilized.

            The spirit is real, good, and important. It is to be called upon and integrated with body and mind.

The spirit is the element that most distinguishes human beings from other living beings. Our special intuitions, our creativity, our enjoyment, our laughter, our sorrow, our compassion  – these all go together to complement the strength of our bodies and the reasoning of our minds in order to realize the full extent of what it means to be a complete human being.

            And then finally, if we follow the paths of the mystics and Sufis, we approach that blissful unity where we discover that All is One. Like Einstein, we want to know the mind of God. Like the Muslim female saint, Rabia, we want to share in the love of the Beloved, and like all great spiritual seekers, we want to experience that spiritual joy of merging the self with the Ultimate Reality.

So, who are you? Rumi would answer as follows:

“Not Christian or Jew or Muslim,

Not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi or Zen.

Not any religion or cultural system.

            I am not from the East or the West,

            Not out of the ocean or up from the ground,

            Not natural or ethereal,

            Not composed of elements at all.

I do not exist,

            Am not an entity in this world or the next,

            Did not descend from Adam and Eve or any origin story.

            My place is placeless, a trace of the traceless.

            Neither body or soul.

            I belong to the Beloved,

have seen the two worlds as one,

            And that One call to and know,

            First, last, outer, inner,

Only that Breath breathing human being!

Perhaps Rumi should be considered as an early spiritual humanist!

We are brought to consciousness of the divine within each of us, and the knowledge that we are all part of the One.

This is my understanding of an Islamic view of the holistic unity of body, mind and spirit.

Joyce Ramay

July 12, 2006