Spirit of Islam November 2017

24 Spirit of Islam Issue 59 November 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 BREAKING A PERSON’S HEART T HE petal of a flower and the feather of a bird are very beautiful, but at the same time both are very delicate. Merely touching them with the hand can cause a disturbance in their pleasing structural form. This phenomenon is an indication that the Creator of the petal and the feather possesses subtle aesthetic tastes. He desires that human beings should behold and appreciate His beautiful creation, but not trample on or treat it destructively. The Creator wants man to draw nourishment from nature for his soul, but at the same time He does not want man to pass on his filth and dirt to the constituents of his natural environment. In this world created by God, there is something even more fragile and delicate than a petal or a feather, and that is, the human heart. There is nothing in the world tenderer than a person’s heart. Hence, someone who breaks the heart of another person will be considered guilty of committing a grave crime in God’s eyes. A person who tramples on and crushes with his feet an artist’s splendid artwork will have, according to the artist, committed an enormous crime. But guiltier of a greater crime is one who tramples on another person’s heart, destroys his peace of mind and indulges in activities aimed at jeopardizing his work.