The Conceptual Features of the Conventional (Secular) Spirituality
The term spirituality is widely used in contemporary literature. Usually, works that deal with man's relationship with a being beyond the material world, use this word or its synonyms. Moreover, spirituality and its applications can be seen in sources that address issue such as religion, psychology, psychology of religion, education and even the parts of the economics and management that deal with increasing the efficiency and productivity of an organization. As far as the analysis of conventional definitions of spirituality provided by Western thinkers is concerned, three points can be mentioned:
A) There are attributes considered in the conventional approach to spirituality, that are very similar to spirituality in the Islamic view, such as giving meaning and purpose to life, causing tranquility, and being inspiring, which in turn indicate that spirituality is rooted in human’s instinct.
B) None of the conventional definitions relates spirituality to one's relationship with God, rather, it is the man and his motivations, feelings, emotions and powers that without any connection to his Creator and spirituality would play a central role; this is a negative point for secular spirituality.
C) In the secular and modern society, spirituality is a rediscovered phenomenon that is lost or at least hidden in the materialistic world. Spirituality has been seen as an attempt to cultivate sensitivity to other people, non-human beings, and perhaps God, or to reach human perfection. This is how spirituality finds objectivity and is varied among different cultures and religions.
Spiritualization of Power in Imam Khomeini's Political Thought
Within the movement and the path of spirituality and in a stage and position higher than Islam, faith and sincerity, one may conceptualize the position of the Devoted Friends of God and then acknowledge that they reach such a level and closeness that they see nothing but God given the possession of such infinite spirituality and divineness which is flourishing all the time. They consider God as the only Master and root cause and have been annihilated in Him. At this level, there is no indication of God being the real cause, dependence on Him, independence or representation from Him, or doing things only for His sake. Rather, the divine-spiritual person acts as though it is God's hand that takes something, and it is God's eyes and ears that see and hear things.
In the case of attaining such divinity, spirituality and light, spiritual power occurs, which should not be compared with hard and soft worldly powers, because its nature, type, sources and effects are divine and enlightening and cannot be compared with and adopted to human material power (including hard and soft powers.). For those who are not spiritual and enlightened, the more they got separated from the divine guardianship the more they would be subject to the guardianship of Satan who will influence them in such a way that he acts, sees, hears, and talks on behalf of them. On the contrary, one who appreciates and corrects his relationship with God and takes the path of spirituality will enjoy divine guardianship which is the blessed fruit of living a spiritual and enlightened life.
The Central Role Religious Values Play in Understanding and Exercising Power
Imam Khomeini (RA) said, “We have initiated this movement for Islam.” “No power can equalize with the power of religion. Politicians and military men are mostly under the influence of religion.”
The Role of the Will of People in Power
In this regard, Imam Khomeini (RA) stated, “This country is governed according to a national consensus and it is the nation here that has the government in its own hands. The nation has elected these government bodies and it is not permissible or possible for any of us to go against the will of the nation.”
The will and consent of the people have no place in liberal-democratic governments and only the will of those who possess power and wealth due to their affiliation with factions, cartels, trusts, etc. would be imposed. Therefore, defining democracy as the rule of the people over the people is a big lie.
The Role of People's Satisfaction in Power
As far as the position of people in power is concerned, Imam Khomeini (RA) said, “Do not do anything that will make them afraid of you. Do something to attract them to yourselves, to be kind to you and support you.” This pattern addresses both the human aspects of power- focusing on the two important factors namely the will and consent- and its spiritual ones- focusing on education, upbringing and religious values- creating an appropriate and efficient combination which clearly is exemplified by religious democracy.
Typology of Spiritual Power
Since society and politics, like the individuals, may also be characterized as spiritual, three types of spiritual power should be mentioned:
The Individual Spiritual Power
For Imam Khomeini (RA), human nature potentially possesses spirituality and every person can reach its high levels by flourishing his inner spiritual world, of which spiritual power is one of the most important results. “What distinguishes man, you and we from animals, are those potential traits that only human beings are privileged with, and these potentials must be translated into actualities. These are the divine spiritualistic traits in man and must be developed all the time. It is then that a single one among you would turn into an army and then you are not a single person anymore. One human becomes humans and a single drop grows into a sea.”
Social Spiritual Power
The Almighty God ascribes this type of spirituality to believers. A group that believes in God and adorns the faith with acting for the sake of divine pleasure. “The kinds of people who can protect their own country and save their national identity are the ones who are imbued with spirituality. If there is no spirituality in people and material worldliness is the ultimate objective for the people of a country, then they would stick their heads in any feedbag even when that feedbag has been fashioned for them by the U.S. for that matter.”
In the view of Imam Khomeini (RA), the secret of social spirituality lies in the wisdom of the rituals and acts of worship of Islam in which the management of society is rooted. Therefore, it is the attention to the social orders of Islam that leads to social spirituality. He stated, “The acts of worship in Islam are basically associated with the politics and administration of society. For example, for Muslims, Hajj and Friday congregational prayer have political as well as spiritual, moral and ideological effects.”
Political Spiritual Power
According to Imam Khomeini (RA), the main difference between the Islamic system and other systems is its spirituality, and all other societies are seeking materialistic objectives. “The notion that the difference between a humane, Islamic government and the other ones is that there is justice in the former is correct. But this is not the only difference. There are differences. One of these concerns social justice. None of the world’s regimes have paid attention to the spirituality of human beings with the exception of the monotheist regime of the prophets. The other ones had never thought of promoting spirituality. All of them sought to benefit from the material aspect and to set up a materialistic system in the world.”
In the spiritual outlook of Imam Khomeini (RA), power in itself does not lead to corruption and by becoming spiritual can bring the rulers, officials and people of the society to the peak of virtues. Liberal Western culture does not contain or recognize an educational and transcendental role for power. “Whenever the government seeks to implement divine rules and establish the just system of Islam, it becomes valuable and its trustee attains more honor and spirituality ... It is the responsibility of righteous imams and jurists to use the system and government organization to implement the divine rules, establish the just system of Islam and serve the people.”
The Foundations (Principles) of Spiritual Power in Imam Khomeini’s Thought
Combining Spirituality and Materiality
The principle of combining spirituality and materiality is so important in the intellectual structure of Imam Khomeini (RA) that he considers limiting and confining the Islamic teachings to one aspect, as equal to misunderstanding this religion and even a disaster: “A disaster which has plagued Islam from the very beginning. That is, the disaster of Islam having been misunderstood... Whereas the former group propounded the subjective and the spiritual and ignored the objective and the temporal, the latter group propounds temporal concerns and disregards the spiritual. However, both of these groups are in error.”
The Originality of Spirituality
Imam Khomeini (RA) reproaches Muslims for focusing only on the material world. He notes that with the attainment of spirituality, materiality is also achieved, thus the main effort must be directed towards attaining spirituality: “Not all the cries should be for materialism alone; it is against the ideology of Islam. If spirituality is established, materialism will become spiritual and will be in adherence to spirituality.”
Spirituality and Felicity
In Imam Khomeini’s perspective, after a Muslim realizes the aim and end of spirituality and enlightenment, he is expected not to deprive his community of the spirit of spirituality; rather, he should seek to create a divine and enlightened nation and state, because the true felicity of communities depends on paying attention to spirituality. This journey to God is manifested in the thought and action of Imam Khomeini (RA). “Knowledge alone is useless; knowledge combined with spirituality is knowledge. Culture alone is of no use; culture with spirituality is culture. It is spirituality that ensures the salvation of mankind, and you should strive for the attainment of spirituality. Universities should seek spirituality; schools should seek spirituality; classical schools should seek spirituality; so that God willing, they attain salvation. May God make all of you blissful.”
Spirituality and Martyrdom
Imam Khomeini (RA) considered martyrdom as the peak of the spiritual journey, with which no attainment can be compared. The martyrs of the Revolution and the imposed war put into practice the teachings and principles of Imam Khomeini's spiritual views: “The station of martyrdom is itself the pinnacle of servitude to God and wayfaring in the world of spirituality. We should not degrade martyrdom to the extent of saying that in exchange for the martyrdom of the children of Islam, Khorramshahr and other cities were liberated…These are trivial matters vis-à-vis your goal just as the whole world is trivial compared to the Hereafter.”
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Spiritual Power and Invincibility
Although individual spirituality leads to indescribable power, this context refers to the spiritual power transferred from an individual to society and the construction of the state. The power that originated from the relationship between the individuals and God makes the structures and functions divine, enlightened and spiritual. Believing in such a notion, Imam Khomeini (RA) stated, “You observe that this is such a power that enables the fists to stand against the tanks and machineguns, encourages the old women to rush to the streets and activates the little children. This is the power of religion and spirituality. We rely on God and spirituality and no power in the world can resist it. As a nation that depends on such a power, we stand against all these powers…This is the spiritual power.”
Spiritual Power and Universality
In his message to Mikhail Gorbachev (invitation to Islam and predicting the defeat of communism), Imam Khomeini (RA) tried to explain this universal feature of spirituality to the world and the followers of other religions. In this message, he considered the world of communism to be misguided inviting its followers to realize the truth. Imam Khomeini (RA) reminded the communists and non-Islamic schools of thought that the main problem confronting your country is not one of private ownership, freedom and economy; your problem is the absence of true faith in God, the very problem that has dragged or will drag the West to vulgarism and an impasse whereas all the humans have recognized the spiritual call of the people of such societies.
Revival of God through cognition and knowledge and the revival and strengthening of spirituality within the framework of human and social relations are among the most important achievements and messages Imam Khomeini (RA) and the Islamic Revolution brought for humanity. However, these concepts have received less attention. What we see today in Western civilization is an attempt to remove God from the realm of cognition and knowledge. Being unaware of man’s divine instinct which leads him towards God and failing to eliminate the man’s desire for worship and seeking God, the Western civilization wants to prove to the man that, without God, he can have everything and lacks nothing. This type of view even goes further and claims that one can live a spiritual and moral life without the belief in and presence of God, and that the culture of liberal democracy is the answer to all human needs of the third millennium. By guiding and advancing the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) brought the spiritual individual power, derived from Islamic spirituality, into the arena of society and then to politics and government showing that felicity in this world and the Hereafter is only realized in the light of religious democracy based on Islamic spirituality and benefiting from spiritual power, and that pretentious democratic states try to enslave humanity.
Reference: Pažuhešhnâme-ye Enghelâbe Eslâmi. {A Quarterly Scientific – Research Journal on Islamic Revolution}. Vol 8, No 27, Summer 2018, Pp 1-17.
Archive of The Thought of the Islamic Revolution
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