SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver.

ByProfDatoYusufMorales

Introduction:

Understandingandresearch formsanessentialpartofknowledgebuildingandknowledge generation in the human sciences. Human sciences such as sociology, antropology and education are sciences that focus on understanind of human dynamics and how humans interactwitheachother. Questionsariseintheacademethattriestospringanswersintodaysmodernworld,tryingto seeifthereexistsadifferenceinspiritualityandreligiousity. Being Muslimintellectualsandresearchers,thechallengeliesisto seekanswersto these questions.IntheeyesoftheMuslimsthiswouldnotappearclearlysincethedividinglines betweenreligionandcultureisnotasdefinedasitisinasecularsociety.BecausetoaMuslim allaspectsoflifearepartofIslambeingdefinedasawayoflife,andthateveryactionis consideredanactofworship. Seculardefinitionsofthesacredandreligiousityappeartohaveclearcutdefinitionsthatmay appearnotsignificanttoMuslimsunlesstheyoungMuslimhasbeenbroughtupineithera purelysecularenvironmentoreducatedinaseculareducationalinstitution. ButbeingexposedtoacommunitythatconsidersUrf(custom)andaddat(traditions)tobe integralofbeingaMuslimandergoanextensionofhisreligiouspersuasion. Beforewegofurtherindefininganddelineatingthem,letusfirstcontextualizethemindframe ofhowaMuslimviewshisworldview.

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales Primarilly, he views the world as part of his worldview, sees that there is no separation betweenthesecularandthereligious.SeeingIslamasawayoflife,Islampervadesboththe religious,spiritual,secularandmaterialplane,thisinvaryingdegreesaccordingtoaMuslim's depthofunderstanding. WheredoesaMuslimtakesourcesforhisunderstandingofhisworldview? A worldview istaken from onesunderstanding and processing of knowledgethat ismade availabletohim. AndinGeneralthesourcesforsuchknowledgethataMuslimgenerallyobtainsfromarethe following: (a) TheQuranalsoknownasUmmulKitab(motherofallbooks)theQuranistheprime foundational document of all Muslims which is one of miracles of the Prophet Muhammad(saw).Itissaidtocontainbothgemsofknowledgeinfieldsoftheology, scienceandothersciences. (b) TheOraltraditionsoftheProphet.alsoknownashadith,thiscorpusofnarrationsare thewordsactionsandprescriptionsoftheprophetMuhammadinhislifetimetohis companions. Thishugecorpusofpersonaldictumshasbeenhandeddownfromone generationtoanother,andwhoseauthenticityisguaranteedbybothnaratorsandthe QuranitselfasanynarrationthatrunscontrarytotheletterandspiritoftheQuranis considered"inauthentic". (c) Ijma(concensusofthescholars/learned)TheMuslimscholarshavewhatiscommonly knownasIntellectualconcensuswhereinwhenanissueisnotfoundwithinthewritten texts(nusus)whichistheQuranandtheHadith,inwhichthey,individuallybytheir

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales ownanalogy(Qiyas)haveagreedalongwithotherscholarstogiveoutaverdict(fatwa) based on parallel sylogism and analogy (qiyas) which becomes legally binding on Muslims. (d) Qiyas(analogy)theProphet(saw)remindsusthat,"AlIslamaldeenilAql"(Islamisa religionofanalogy (e) Secondarytextsofsciencestransmittedthroughthescholars,allScholarsofislamasa generalrulewriteprofuselywhichasaresultprovidesecondarysourcesofknowledge, examplesareIhyauloomuddinofImamGhazzali,TibbAlQanunbyAvicenna. (f) other sources of knowledge such as modern day references and secu;ar sources of knowledge ToaMuslimtherearetwotypesofknowledgethatprimarillyshapeshisunderstandingoflife asheseesit: 1. Uloom Ilahiyah (divine or revealed sciences) these are the sciences that define spiritualityandthetheologicalworldviewofMuslims,thisdefinesthreeareasaqaed (beliefs/)ahkam(rullings)andakhlaq(ethicsandgnosis) 2. UloomNaqliyah(textualorintellectualsciences)providesmoreofthematerialaspect oftheworldviewofaMuslim.Thisinvolvesmantiq(logic),falsafah(philosophy),ilmul hisab(mathematics)aswellasotherphysicalsciences. Bothofthesefieldsofknowledgecontributestoatotalworldviewandeschatologyofmanand showsthatthereisavaguelinedividingsecularismandspiritualityinIslam.Asaresult,since all fields of knowledge and understanding are considered part of islam, cultural norms commonlyknowninMorocultureas"addat"(customarylaw)becomesinformallybecome partoftheIslamiccorpusofbeliefs.

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales OnemustunderstandthatcultureisanessentialelementinMuslimlife,andthatcultureplays anessentialroleinimplantingwhatelementsarerequiredtoensurethatthechildisaMuslim bothinmindsetandidentity. PartoftheMuslimmindsetistheconsciousnessoftheKhilafatulArd(God'sTrusteeonEarth), MuslimsaretaughtthatpartoftheirdivinecovenantwithAllahuTa'alaistoactasHisregent onearth(Khalifa)aselucidatedinthefollowingAyah: Weofferedthetrust(amanah)totheheavens,totheearthandtothemountainsandtothe restofcreation,andyetonlyMankindtookthetrust,andmanwaspronetotyrannyand foolishness1. Thisamanahthathasbeenestablishedinthewordsof thelateTuanNassirDaham,asufi scholarduringthelate1980'stolate1990's,MagipatsinDunyaibansinkaumantandasin tiyabukniyainamanatpiyagkunsianniyaibansinTuhanniya 2(totakecareoftheearthand thecommunityasasignthathehasacceptedthetrustthatwasacovenantbetweenhimand hisLord). SpiritualityismanifestedindifferentformsamongyoungMuslims.Thosewhoareinfluenced by the strongly literalist salafi movements would tend to be very zealot in approach and appearstobepuritanicalinanattemptinwhattheyseeasalienelementsoftheirreligion, consideringthatanythingalienintheirperceptionwouldappeartobeunislamic.Whatthey see as alien is what is western and what is culturally alien from the set of values they possesses. This is best manifestated by a fear of gharbzadeghi (westoxification), and dewestoxifyingistheirresponsebyrunningtowardsasalafizationofIslam.
1 Al-Quran 33:72 2 Selected discourses of al-Marhum Ustad Nassir Daham unpublished manuscript.

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales ThereareotherswhofindhoweverlikethefollowersoftheNurcuMovement,alsoknownas ResaleNoormovementandtheGulenMovementfoundedbytheTurkishspiritualreformist FethullahGullen,bothgriupswereinfluencedbythelifeandthoughtofBediuzzamanSaid Nursi,oneofthewellknownreformersofIslaminmoderndayTurkey.Theyviewmodernity asasocialvaluethatmustnotbeconfrontedbutdealtwith,sincethecrisisofmodernityisnot thecrisisoffearofthewest,butthelackofmoralityandvaluesaswritesNursiinhismagnum opus,ResaleNoor. ThefollowersofmoderndayShi'imovementsparticularlytheshiayouthindifferentcountries findthattheHussainitraditiontheyareproudofallowsthemtointegrateproperlywithout losingtheirIslamicIdentity. Themanifestationoftheirspiritualitywillbeelaboratedfurtherinthesucceedingparagraphs aswetrytolookintohow youngMuslims findincreasingdissonancebetweentheirnew foundbeliefsandtraditionalbeliefs,howissacredconceptualized,interrogatedornegotiated? YoungMuslimsfindModernity,secularismastheexcuse fornewbeliefstheygetfromthe environment,specificallythingsthatmayruncountertoestablishedmoresandbeliefswhich areconsideredcontrarytoislamicteachings.Thiscanbelargelyattributedtohowwestern influencehasmadeanimpactonsecularinstitutions. Thereisasenseofappreciationthatthisbeliefsthatmayseeminglyruncountertowhatthey perceiveasIslamic,as"callsoflistlessyouthfullness"thatwouldeventuallybetemperedwith time.Andthatintheiryouth,theyhaveasenseof"pausestatus"withthingsthattheyseemto findtotallyagainsttenetsandeventuallydevelopasenseofbeingona"statusquo"untilthey arereadyto"letgo"ofthesebeliefsorpractices.

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales OneMustunderstandthatinthecontextofMuslims,thereisnodividinglinebetweenthe sacredandthereligious,thespiritualandthedivineandviceversa.ForinIslam,specificallyin theShari'ah,therearesacredimmutableswhereinShariahseekstodefendandprotectwhich also known as dharurat Islamiyah (Islamic essentials) are as follows : Religion, Life and honor,Intellect,lineage,andProperty3. Assuch,anythingrelatedtothethefiveimmutablevaluesinshariah,isbothconsideredwithin theambitofIslamiclaw.4 ThismaymeanthatallaspectsofhumanlifeandendeavourinwithintheconfinesofIslamic lawandassucharecoveredbyIslamicrulingsandteachingsandaresubsumedunderevery humanaspectofbehaviour.Thismeansthatthereisnothingunderthesunthatisnotcovered byIslam. Doesnewreligiousmovements,newagemovements,megachurchphenomenon,andthe likeinfluencetheunderstandingofsacredinyoungMuslims? Unlikeinthewestwherenewageormegachurchphenomenonhappensduetothemonolithic nature of structured churches thus forcing people from the west to seek spiritual enlightenmentinthe"fashionable"or"vogue"cults/religiousgroups. IslamontheotherhandcomesfromatraditionofIslah(renovation/reform),whereinIslam comesasareformmovementtocorrecttheerrorsofChristianity 5,andassuchIslamhasan internalmechanismineveryhundredyearsbringsforthareligiousmovementfromwithinto revitalize and renovate Islam. The ones who push this forward are commonly known as
3 Maqasid al-shari'ah al-Islamiyah, by Mashad al-Allaf 4 Maqasid al-shari'ah al-Islamiyah, by Mashad al-Allaf 5 Renovation in the Islamic Tradition, a lecture by Sh. Hamza Yusuf at Oxford University

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales Mujadid's(reformers)whodrawspeopletotheminordertobereinspiredandreinvigorated fromtheprimarysourcesofIslamiclaw. RevivalistmovementswithintheIslamictraditiondoesnotseparateofveerawayfromIslamic orthodoxybutinfactreinforceIslamicorthodoxtenets,thiscanbeseeninthemovement initiatedbyImamMuhammadGhazzaliasmanifestedintheassimilationofsufismwithinthe classicalIslamicorthodoxy,ImamAhmadRabbanialSirhindithroughwhatiswhatisknown asthenaqshabandiMujadidirevival,theNurcumovementofBediuzzamanSaidNursi,the Gulenmovementthatisinspiredbyfethullahgulen,orthejomhuriIslami(islamicrevolution) spearheadedbyImamKhomeiniandinspiredbyAiShariati.Thesetraditionsempahsizethat Islamonlyneedsrevivers(mujadid)whowillcallpeopleagaintoIslamandreviveitspractices asifitwas"new". Assuch,youngMuslimswouldnormallybedrawntotheseAnjumanetajdidIslami(Islamic movements)inordertoregainapartoftheiridentityasMuslims. Whatarethewaysbywhichyoungpeoplemanifesttheirunderstandingofthesacredthrough communityoutreachprograms? Islamic ethos possesses whatis described askhidmat(service) better known in its turkish equivalentasHizmetIslami(ServiceinthewelfareofIslam),thisisbestreflectedinserviceto both the community and humanity. Manifested in theProphetictraditionas "40 housesin front,40housesonyourright,40housesonyourleftand40housesonyourrear" 6andthe hadith,"NonecanbecalledaMuslimifaneighborremainshungryatnight" 7,theseare propheticinjunctionsthatbestreflectthecharachterthatbestillustratethespiritualityofa Muslim.
6 Sahih Bukhari 7 Sahih Muslim

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales Numerouscitationsinbothprimarytexts(hadith)andsecondarytextsfromIslamicsources remindtheinseparableconnectionbetweenmansactionsinworshiptowardsAllah,andmans transactions with fellow man, and ones relationship and dealings with society. The most extensivetreatmentamongprimarysourcesistheRisalatulHuqooq(treatiseonrights)by ImamAliIbnalHussain,alsoknownasZainulAbideen 8 .TheRisalatulHuqoqexplainsin detailsMansdutiestowardsthefollowing: 1. TowardsGod 2. towardsoneself 3. towardsothers(family,neighbors,associatesandevenstrangers) 4. materialpossessionsandtheenvironment 5. societyandthestate 6. otheraspectsofhumanendeavour Thisdefinitionhasledlatertootherscholarselucidatingspecificaspectsoftheseissuessome focusing onthe spiritual aspectlikeIhya uloomuddin (revivalofthe spiritual sciences)by ImamGhazzali,oronjurisprudentialissueslikeBidayatulMujtahidbyIbnRushd. Oneparticularlysimpleexampletoshowtheinseparableconnectionofdailylifeandspiritual lifeisbothprayer(salat)andtheleaderbehindtheprayer(imam). Prayerisbothanindividualandcommunalduty,andthatthisformsanintegralpartofthe Muslimcommunallife,themasjidformsastheprimaryplacewherebothissuesofdunyaand akhirah are discussed and that the Imam Jamaah (community leader), possesses both the spiritualandtemporalauthorityinvaryingdegreesinguidingandleadingthecommunity. TraditionalMuslimscholarshipshowsthattheterminologiesofImam,Ameer(commander) 8 Popularly known as the great grandson of the Prophet who witnessed the tragedy of karbala and one of the major narrators
of Hadith from both the shia and sunni traditions, he has been acknowledged as one of the major sources of powerful duas.

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales and Khalifa (caliph) has been interchanged in referrence to both spiritual and temporal leadership. One of the most significant manifestations of the Islamic consciousness in communities is communityservice. SinceKhidmatunInsani(servicetohumanity)ispartandparcelofDeenIslami(Islamicfaith), itisinseparableandthatoneofthebesttranslationsofIslamicbeliefisservingmankind. ReflectiveexamplescanbeseenintheNurcumovement(Risalenoor)whichhasshownits servicetoCommunity(cemaatislami)andtoHumanityandtheKhairulBarriyahMovement, whichconductscommunityoutreachprogramsastheservantsofImamMahdi(atfs).Both organizations regularly serve the community believing that serving the community is an extensionoftheirservicetoIslam. Yearly Muslim youth in the Philippines, particularly those belonging to the Resale Noor InstituteandtheFollowersoftheAhlulBayt(as)inthePhilippinesholdsummeryouthcamps, whosefocusinonspiritualenrichmentandinculcationoftheconsciousnessofservingthe community. Attheendoftheseyouthcamps,youngMuslimsarerequiredtoprepareprojctsthatareboth withintheambitoftheirpersonalcapacityandunderstanding.Amongtheprojectssomeofthe theseyouthsproposedwereseenasamanifestationoftheircommunityspiritsuchassupport yourmasjidprograms,CommunityGaragesale,donateyoursparebooksandhijabs amongothers. One mustunderstand thatspiritualityofyoungMuslimsalthoughraised bothinasecular environmentwithyouthsofotherfaithtraditions,comesfromalonglineageofwhatwecall

SpiritualityanditsdiscoursesamongtheMuslimyouth, lookingfromthelensofaninsiderandobserver. ByProfDatoYusufMorales integration of both materialist and spiritualist discourses and that this discourse has been proventimeandtimeagaintobethesameparadigminvaryingdegreesdependingonthe depthandphilosophicalfoundationsoftheIslamicgroupthatsupportstheMuslimyouth. Tosumup,spiritualityamongMuslimyouthnowadayscanbecharachterizedbyfourthings: 1. Strongcommunityspiritwhichisreflectiveofthejamaatislami(Islamiccommunity) charachter 2. Strong bonding with other members of their religious organization manifesting the ashabiyah(brotherhood) 3. Strong desire to have this spirituality shared with other members of the Muslim community 4. Theperceptionthatibadiwaammali(worshipandhumantransactions)arepartof onesdivinedutiestowardsGodandassuchallactionsandtransactions(inrelationto God,manandsociety). As such notions of the sacred, spirituality and religiousity show no clear dividing line for Muslimsaseachofthesetermsarestronglyintertwinedwitheachotherandthatdailylife, spiritualityandpracticearebutgarmentswornbyaMusliminvaryingdegreesandthateach foranintegralandinseparablepartofeachother.