In front of my house, in New Delhi, there is a full-grown tree, in whose shade I am in the habit of sitting. I call it my spiritual tree. In fact, this tree is my teacher, although a silent one. The previous summer, this tree, like many other trees, shed its green leaves. Gradually, it became simply like dry wood. I was doubtful whether it would ever again turn green. But in the spring, the whole scenario changed. My spiritual tree again became a tree with lush green foliage.

The rebirth of this tree was a great lesson. My spiritual tree turned into a speaking tree. It gave me a significant message: “Don’t be hopeless in any situation. After every dry season, there is a good harvest. After every spell of hopelessness, there is new hope, and after every failure, there is great success. After every dark night, there is a bright morning.”

My spiritual tree never left its allotted space. It did not protest against anyone; it never demanded that others find new, living leaves. It remained in the same place and started a new process within itself. What was this process? The process was to get its food from below as well as from sunlight. The strategy worked. The whole of nature came to its aid and after some months, it gained its lost greenery once again. This is the lesson I learned from my spiritual tree.

No protest, no complaint, no demand, no street activism or stage activism: simply trust your own natural abilities and work silently. Try to reshape your destiny. And very soon you will be glad to discover that you have regained your life.

In this life often, you face experiences when a person abuses you, troubles you, provokes you. In that case, you have two ways of responding to them. One is the way of ‘tit for tat’. Just as you have been troubled, you do the same to the other person. You also abuse him, trouble him or harm him. You are provoked by another’s provocation. The one who responds in this manner develops a negative personality in him. On the contrary, another person is the one who responded in a positive manner to negative behaviour: the one who was abused by others but himself did not abuse anyone. Others tormented him but he did not torment others. The one who was harmed, but did not harm others. These are the characteristics of a truly enlightened and wise person, one who has learned well from nature.

Source: The Seeker’s Guide

Spirituality is the culture of nature. Nature demonstrates this spiritual culture in various ways. Take the case of a rose bush. It is a combination of two opposite parts: flowers and thorns. Both flowers and thorns live together on the branches of the bush. There is no clash between the two. It is this culture that makes a rose bush such a very beautiful scene to behold. This indicates what the better way to live in society is. Man should live in society as a rose bush lives in the wilderness.

If positive men and women are like spiritual trees, their applied behaviour, or their applied spirituality, makes the society in which they live a spiritual garden. Applied spirituality is the multiplication of spiritual values. Applied spirituality is beneficial to both the spiritually-advanced person as well as his neighbour. It makes the person a happy person, and his neighbourhood a problem-free society.

Spirituality means giving more importance to non-material values than to material values. Spirituality promotes the culture of simple living and high thinking. A person with a simple lifestyle becomes a no-problem person. Someone who develops high thinking becomes a truly selfless person, concerned about the whole of humanity. Clashes between people over conflicting material interests often lead to all manner of inhuman actions. When you go beyond these interests by developing spiritually you will no longer find yourself constantly fighting with others. You will become a healthy member of society, and a society that consists of large numbers of people of this kind is bound to emerge as a peaceful society.

Source: Spirit of Islam January 2014

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet of God said: 'Such people will go to heaven whose hearts are like those of little birds.' (Musnad Ahmad)

Small birds possess a unique feature that is absent from all other animals. That is, the birds are free of feelings such as hatred and vengeance. All other animals have an instinct of attacking when threatened, but birds are completely free of such instinct. Looking at a little bird, you will immediately recognize that it is an embodiment of sweetness, tenderness, and innocence. That is why the dove has been universally declared a symbol of peace.

According to the above-quoted Hadith, this is the heavenly quality that every individual who is desirous of Paradise must have. A heavenly personality is one that is completely free of all negativity. A bird has this positive quality by virtue of its instincts, whereas a heavenly personality has this quality as a conscious choice.

A heavenly person is one who has moulded himself in such a way that his heart is completely devoid of feelings such as hatred and vengeance; who is able to control anger; who does not react negatively to situations; who can respond with love despite hatred from others; who can do good to people selflessly; who is able to live amongst people while considering all of them as his brothers and sisters; who averts all evil, seeking out the company of angels; who patiently bears all complaints; who carries out his duties and asks his rights from God—these are those superior qualities which will make a person deserving of entering Paradise.

Source: Spirit of Islam April 2014