In the recent decades we have seen a lot of talks about personal development. Indeed this recurrent subject is bringing people to wonder: has Islam promoted self development or is this something new?
Despite the modern society treating meditation as a new trend, it is clear that it has always existed but in different shapes and in different nations.
In Islam, the Quran relates to personal development in many verses.
As an example, Dr. Shabir Ally is quoting the verses of different Surah to highlight this vast subject:
“He has succeeded who purifies the soul, and he has failed who corrupts the soul.” [Surah Ash-Shams(the sun) 91:9-10]
“Have We not made for him two eyes? And a tongue, and two lips? And have shown him the two ways?” [Surah Al-Balad (the city)90:8-9-10]
“Allah will rise in degrees, those of you who believe and who have been granted Knowledge.” [Surah Al-Mudjadilah (the pleading woman) 58:11]
Purifying the soul isn’t just about meditation and prayer; it is as well about doing good deeds/charity and striving to keep a heart free of grudge. As well we are fully equipped to develop our knowledge; hence our personal growth is facilitated if we are willing to work for it.
Dr. Shabir Ally explains that every bit of knowledge is good to take, not just Islamic subjects.
Furthermore there are two concepts in Islam that he includes in his explanation:
Muraqabah: it can be translated as “knowing that Allah is watching over us”. Hence we have to be mindful and reflect upon his creation.
Muḥasabah: it is often translated as accountability and religious self-examination or self-analysis.
Both concepts are linked and we should take time, for example before sleeping, to practice introspection.
In order to increase our knowledge, spirituality and well-being we have to question ourselves and feel that there is always room for improvement.
To resume, Dr. Shabir Ally concludes saying that:
“[…] a Muslim lives with a fine balance between hope and fear. Hope for the mercy of God and fear that we haven’t actually done well enough to please God. So […] we need to continue working on that, doing the best we can to rise in degrees […]. Keep up […] in terms of the good spiritual things not the material things.”
For more insight about meditation in Islam compared to other religions, you can check this interesting article from Pr. Shahul Hameed:
https://aboutislam.net/spirituality/meditation-in-different-religions/
The post Q&A How does Islam Encourages Self-Development? appeared first on About Islam.
source https://aboutislam.net/multimedia/videos/qa-islam-encourages-self-development/
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