According to the Public Relations Office of the Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought, an academic session titled “Philosophical Foundations of Spirituality in Islam and the West” was presented by Dr. Mehdi Abbaszadeh, a faculty member of the Department of Epistemology and Cognitive Sciences at the Research Institute, on Tuesday, 21st of Khordad 1403. The online session was organized by the Research Institute’s Center for Growth and Innovation in collaboration with the Russian Center for Islamic Studies.
At the beginning of the session, Dr. Abbaszadeh introduced the different types of spirituality. He stated that spirituality is generally divided into two categories: religious and secular. Religious spirituality is rooted in divine religions and constructed from revealed teachings. It seems that, at least in Abrahamic religions, due to the divine nature of these religions, spirituality possesses a unified essence. Secular spirituality, which is spirituality devoid of religion, has become widespread in our time and comes in various forms and branches. This diversity seems, on the one hand, to be due to the multiplicity of thoughts and desires of its proponents, and on the other hand, to its lack of substance and depth (a core and a unifying point).
The Deputy Director of Educational and Research Affairs of IICT then addressed the topic of spirituality and religion. According to him, spirituality in the Islamic approach is derived from “authentic religious sources” and inferred from “Islamic sacred texts.” These authentic religious sources include the Quran, the Prophet’s tradition (his sayings, actions, and approvals), the sayings of the infallible Imams, and reason. The sacred Islamic texts include the Quran and reliable hadith collections.
Dr. Abbaszadeh discussed the relationship between spirituality and human existence, stating that Islamic spirituality manifests itself in the “four dimensions of human existence”:
- **Insight** – referring to one’s worldview and individual or collective beliefs.
- **Character** – referring to individual or collective ethics and behavior.
- **Inclination** – referring to one’s interests and tastes.
- **Action** – referring to one’s behaviors and deeds.
He also emphasized that Islamic spirituality is closely connected to the “fourfold relationships of man”:
- The relationship with **God**.
- The relationship with **oneself**.
- The relationship with **others**.
- The relationship with the **world**.
These four relationships should not be viewed as independent of each other; the relationship with God has a profound and encompassing influence on the other three relationships and affects them hierarchically, meaning the relationship with God organizes and governs the other three according to divine principles.
Regarding the philosophical foundations of spirituality, Dr. Abbaszadeh explained that since the issues and propositions of each of the human and religious sciences are always based on specific principles, any scientific and methodical inquiry into spirituality must logically begin with “general principles” and then proceed to “particular issues.” The most important “philosophical foundations of spirituality” can be categorized into ontological, epistemological, and axiological foundations.
On the topic of the ontological foundations of spirituality, Dr. Abbaszadeh said: Ontology, derived from the Greek words *Ontos* (being) and *Logia* (speech or logical discourse), refers to the study of existence. The main questions are: What things truly exist in the world? And what is existence itself? Several verses of the Quran explain the realms of existence:
– “His is the creation and the command” (Al-A’raf, 54). ألا له الخلق و الأمر
– “They ask you about the spirit, say: the spirit is from the command of my Lord” (Al-Isra, 85). یسئلونک عن الروح قل الروح من أمر ربی
– “To Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth” (Hud, 123). لله غیب السموات و الأرض
– “Knower of the unseen and the visible” (Al-An’am, 73). عالِم الغیب و الشهاده
Islamic ontology divides existence into two realms: the realm of *Malakut* (the command/unseen) and the realm of *Mulk* (creation/visible).
– Malakut refers to the unseen dimension of existence, while Mulk refers to the visible, material dimension.
– Malakut is the inner reality of existence, while Mulk is its outward, material form.
– Malakut is the true essence of existence, whereas Mulk, in comparison to Malakut, is symbolic.
Islamic philosophers, drawing on rational arguments and Quranic verses, further divide existence into four realms:
- **Lahut** – the divine realm that reigns over all other realms, representing God’s unique essence and attributes.
- **Jabarut** – the realm of purely intellectual and immaterial beings, such as angels.
- **Malakut** – the realm of immaterial forms or images, having shape and size but not materiality.
- **Nasut** – the physical, material realm that is subject to change, time, and space, encompassing humans, animals, plants, and inanimate objects.
In Islamic thought, the universe and everything within it are understood to have both an origin (God) and a destination (returning to Him).
– “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return”أنا لله و إنا الیه راجعون (Al-Baqarah, 156).
Islamic philosophers also explain the origin and return of the universe and its beings through the concepts of the “arc of descent” (the process of creation from God to the material world) and the “arc of ascent” (the return of creation from the material world back to God).
Islamic spirituality concerns realms beyond the material world and refers to the origin and destination of existence. This means that the “ontological foundation of spirituality” is rooted in higher realms of existence, which are, based on Quranic verses and rational arguments, real and encompass the beginning and end of the universe. However, in secular thought, spirituality lacks this ontological foundation, as the secular worldview is primarily focused on the material and tangible, and does not acknowledge an origin or return. Therefore, any mention of spirituality and spiritual practices in this context refers to “spirituality derived from materiality” (e.g., yoga, music, recreation). Secular or non-religious spirituality seems to be a contradictory term – a “spirituality devoid of spirituality,” in other words, a “meaning without meaning.” Secular spirituality is not true spirituality; for how can one discuss spirituality without acknowledging an origin and return?
Dr. Abbaszadeh then addressed the epistemological foundations of spirituality. He explained that epistemology, derived from the Greek words *Episteme* (knowledge) and *Logia* (discourse or study), refers to the study of knowledge. Key questions include: What is knowledge? What can humans truly know? What are the boundaries of their knowledge? In this context, two questions arise: “Does spirituality possess a cognitive aspect?” and “Is spirituality knowable?”
In response to the first question:
In Islamic thought, spirituality does possess a cognitive aspect, meaning spirituality leads humans to a specific type of knowledge, the object of which is the unseen world and the spiritual aspects of existence. In the Western positivist approach, however, spirituality lacks a cognitive aspect and does not lead humans to any positive or substantive knowledge; at most, it has an emotional or affective aspect.
In response to the second question:
In Islamic thought, spirituality is “knowable” at both the individual and societal levels. However, in the Western positivist approach, spirituality, as it cannot be studied through empirical methods (observation and experiment), is not considered knowable.
It is clear that without “indicators” to measure the realization of spirituality, it is practically impossible to assess the level of spirituality in an individual or society. In Islamic thought, concepts such as “a sound heart,” “a good life,” and “a tranquil soul” are indicators of the realization of spirituality, whereas their opposites indicate the lack of spirituality.
At the conclusion of the session, Dr. Abbaszadeh discussed the axiological foundations of spirituality. Axiology, derived from the Greek words *Axios* (value) and *Logia* (discourse or study), refers to the study of value. The main question is: What things are considered valuable? And what is value in the first place? Values are those things that are deemed “desirable” by individuals or societies.
From an ethical or aesthetic perspective, values are classified as:
– “Good and bad” – ethical values.
– “Ugly and beautiful” – aesthetic values.
From a rational or religious perspective, values can either be:
– Those considered inherently valuable or lacking in value according to reason, independent of religious commands.
– Those whose value or lack thereof depends on religious commands.
Values can also be categorized into:
– **Positive and negative**: For example, “knowledge” is a positive value, while “ignorance” is a negative one.
– **Intrinsic and extrinsic**: For example, “justice” is intrinsically valuable, while “fear,” although inherently negative, becomes extrinsically valuable if it pertains to the fear of God.
– **Ultimate and instrumental**: For example, “closeness to God” is an ultimate value, while “worship” is an instrumental value.
From the perspective of positive or negative value, intrinsic or extrinsic value, and ultimate or instrumental value:
– The values promoted by religion may sometimes differ from the values promoted by modernity and secular thought.
– The values and anti-values in religious and secular approaches are sometimes “different” and in some cases “contradictory.”
