Living The Quran
From Issue: 662 [Read full issue]
Secret of the Spirit
Al Isra (The Night Journey) - Chapter 17: Verse 85
"They ask you concerning the spirit: say, 'the spirit is of my Lord's command. Of knowledge, what you have been given a little."
Our human nature, at its very core, is believed to be somehow in direct touch with the Divine, and for this reason the human heart or spirit is left undefined in Islam, indeed just as God is left undefined, known only by attributes that reflect aspects of the Divine nature but never capture the totality of God's essence.
Interestingly, this ambiguity concerning the true nature of the spiritual "heart" or spirit was put to the test during the Prophet's (peace be upon him) own lifetime. Of the many groups and individuals who resisted and resented Muhammad's claim to prophecy in the seventh century, some sought to confound him with religious and spiritual questions of considerable nuance and subtlety. One of the most famous of these questions concerned the spirit or soul. According to the account of the earliest biographer of the Prophet, when Muhammad was pressed to explain the spirit's true nature, he waited, seeking God's help. Divine help eventually came, but in a way that raised more questions than it answered. The Prophet offered them nothing more than this verse, and his companions and subsequent generations of followers all agreed that the Prophet's restraint in this matter was binding upon them all. In this way, the Islamic tradition came to cover the mystery of the spirit or soul with a heavy silence. Even after, the matters was referred to as the "secret of the spirit" and was deemed to be among the restricted topics concerning which open discussion and speculation were forbidden.
Compiled From:
"In the Light of a Blessed Tree" - Timothy J. Gianotti, pp. 123,124