Spirit of Islam October 2017

24 Spirit of Islam Issue 58 October 2017 FROM THE SPIRITUAL TREE There is a tree beside my house. I call it the 'Spiritual Tree'. I derive spiritual inspiration from it. A tree is an ever- growing being that was initially a seed possessing the potential of becoming a full-grown tree. A seed takes food from the universe around it and then grows into a tree. The same is true with spirituality, the desire for which is intrinsic to, and an integral part of, the very nature of, every human being. To realize this spirituality, Man must derive spiritual food from the universe around him. A tree converts carbon-dioxide into oxygen; a spiritual person is one who can take positive lessons from negative situations. From this perspective, a tree is an embodiment of a spiritual personality. — Maulana Wahiduddin Khan LOVE OF GOD G OD has created man so that man may discover God. For this man is bestowed with the faculty of thinking. By using this faculty one can develop one’s intellectuality and thereby discover God. This discovery gives one the greatest joy and happiness. Discovering God in this manner will develop in us a strong bond with God. The result will be the emergence of a new personality. We will live in the glory of God and our days and nights will be spent in thoughts of God. Our soul will find sustenance in the remembrance of God. Since the last few days, I was not able to remember God at a deep level. This had troubled me. Today when I woke up in the morning before dawn, I prayed to God with tears welling up in my eyes. I cried: “O God, will You abandon me?” Then, once again I was able to feel connected to God. Love of God means to begin to live in thoughts of God. When you develop true love for God, you will see blessings of God everywhere. An ordinary person from a village was made a member of parliament by the help of a political leader. After becoming an MP, he moved to a new well-furnished house. To whoever came to meet him, he would keep repeating that whatever he had was a gift given by his political