Spirituality in The 21st Century
A speech delivered by Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro (the Grand Mufti of Syria)

San Francisco, USA August 15-21, 1990


In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Lord of all Heavens, Earth, humans and Creatures.

I am grateful to the Assembly of the World's Religions for giving me the opportunity to make this speech about spirituality in the 21st century.

Whenever humans examine their universe closely, they will inevitably reach the conclusion that there is an Omnipotent Creator. The universe is an integrated, well-organized system, proving the existence of an Organizer, a Ruling, Consummate Mind. Now that we are able to explore outer space, we see even more clearly the magnitude of God's creation and the position of humans within it. Humans' intellect comprehends more than just physical observations; it is able to perceive the spiritual aspects of the universe as well.

Divine compassion is revealed as it comes to humankind through certain individuals, upon whom Allah has bestowed a spiritual capacity, that makes them capable of receiving the underlying secrets of the universe and its mysteries through their souls and transmitting it to others. We call these people Prophets and Messengers.

Abraham earnestly sought the Creator by rejecting the worship of the sun, the moon, and the idols of his people. He, thus, confirmed for himself that God is the Maker of the heavens and the earth. Now it is most befitting for humans in the 21st century to strive hard to find the relationship between themselves and their Creator. This is particularly important as humans investigate the frontiers of modern science, making new discoveries in order to ascertain the greatness of our Creator and to quench their spiritual yearning for truth and reality. However, today humans have stripped themselves of this noble purpose, pursuing only material gain, causing them to lose themselves in a desert of sensuous desires without any shade, oasis or brook.

Humans cannot attain salvation except by following the example of the prophets. Divine providence protected Abraham from Nimrod, and allowed Moses to part the Red sea. It was by the authority of God that Jesus Christ brought the dead to life, and that Muhammad vanquished the heathen armies with the aid of a handful of sand. These Prophets and Messengers represent the human ideal, for they were able to quench the yearning of their spirits and become absorbed in their love of God. Their lives followed the straight path, in the footsteps of their predecessors, confirming the revelations of the Prophets that came before them.

Crises and calamities have befallen humans throughout their entire history. These events almost inevitably lead to a moral decay that undermines the stability of society. This is no more true than in the twentieth century, where human security and happiness have reached an all-time low. This trend will continue into the 21st century if humans do not promptly return to true spirituality.

Religions, which are supposed to be the ever-overflowing sources of spirituality, are now, owing to the abuse of some clergymen and their ineffective practices, in utter failure. They have not been able to grant humans their aspirations or peace. On the other hand, our materialistic advances, in which humans have placed much of their hope for happiness, have proved a disappointment too. Human society now suffers from the plagues of bestial desires, savagery and atheism, which rob humans of their tranquility and peace of mind. Consequently, humans' very life is threatened by different forces of their own thoughtless creation, such as pollution, desertification, famine and the menace of a nuclear holocaust.
I believe the people of the earth cannot live except under the God's laws, which provide for both our spiritual and moral lives. By following these laws, humans can attain the happiness of this world along with its bounties. However, humans have neglected to take care of their spiritual life. They have given free rein to their carnal appetites, to greed and egotism, which are opposed to true faith and has led to the misery that eats at the fabric of society.
The solution to human's problems lies in their return to a rational spirituality, which is the essence of all divine teachings. Besides, it complements humans' inner nature and structure in a symbiotic relationship that guarantees for humans the happiness of body and soul that they so much desire, securing for them the two paradises of heaven and Earth. God says,
" But for those who fear the majesty of their Lord there are two paradises." T.Q., 55:46.
The combination of the material and spiritual go together to form the foundation upon which the revealed religions are built. Their combination is a balance that if tampered with would uproot this foundation, robbing humans of their link to the Creator.

Perhaps what accounts for most people's abhorrence of spirituality are the cultural additions that have crept into religion over the millennia, and the battles that have taken place over such innovations. They have marred the once beautiful vision of the Here and the Hereafter and deprived religion of its original purpose. In my view, the responsibility for this state lies with all of us, the patrons and sponsors of religion. We have failed to recognize or admit that the essence and truth of divine revelation is one, and that it came through successive Messengers, with one complementing the other. There is neither enmity nor malice in the essence and reality of religions. They do not contradict reason and are indispensable for humans' peace and welfare.
Discord in religions today is the lack of understanding and narrow-mindedness from which some suffer, as well as from lack of learning, despite the source of the revealed faiths being one and their Messengers essentially complementing one another. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) illustrated this point in the following tradition: "The comparison between the earlier prophets and me is like a man who constructed a house so beautifully but left the place of a brick empty. People came and walked round the house admiringly and said, 'Why has not that brick been laid? I was that brick and I am the last of Prophets.'". Sahih Al-Bukhari.
The Holy Qur'an illustrates the unity and the convergence between the revealed religions, which confirm one another. Almighty Allah says addressing all true believers:
"He has ordained for you that religion which He commanded unto Noah, and which We revealed to you )O Muhammad), and which We ordained for Abraham, Moses and Jesus, saying, ' Establish the religion and be not disunited in it.'" T.Q., 42:13.
From time to time Allah sent Prophets to solve the problems of their people and to bring them happiness, tranquility and fraternal love. These Prophets were like schools for they were their people's instructors and educators. Moreover, the Holy Qur'an says:

. . ." For there is no nation that has not been warned by a Prophet." T.Q., 35:24.
Muhammad clarified the role of such Prophets by saying, 'We Prophets are the children of one father; our religion or faith is one but our legislation is different.'

The holy Qur'an cites examples of many such Prophets. It tells the story of Abraham, who denounced humans' worship of idols and their submission to despotism. It devotes a whole chapter to the story of Joseph, who rescued his people from famine and death by his wise planning and economic measures, after being placed in charge of the treasury of Egypt. He was a prime example of the ideal divine envoy: kind and forgiving by nature and disposition.

The Holy Qur'an also tells the story of Moses as a man of great spirituality, who secured freedom for the Israelites. He called his people to monotheism and told them to obey the heavenly law for the sake of their happiness. The victory of Christ over sheer materialism is also mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. He proved that the soul could cure itself of all ills despite the chronic diseases that infest it because of this materialism.

When ignorance prevailed in the crumbling Persian and Byzantine empires, which were suppressing the people of their regions, Allah sent Muhammad to liberate them from this imperialism. Muhammad invited people towards high morality through fasting and prayer. He worked to spread knowledge and to purify the soul, thus seeking and establishing the Utopian ideal. In less than half a century, he had set free half the peoples of the known world of his time. His struggle resulted in the forging of much of humankind into a single brotherhood, establishing the nucleus of an international state, and giving the opportunity for the emergence of people in later generations to fill the world with wisdom, philosophy, learning and spirituality.
Muhammad's approach to the divine mission assigned to him was not one of revolution. Instead, it complemented the already established schools of thought through the work of the earlier Prophets. The holy Qur'an summarizes the mission of Muhammad in the following verse:

"Say, 'We believe in Allah and that which is revealed to us; we believe in what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the tribes; to Moses and Jesus and the other Prophets, we make no distinction between any of them, and to Allah we have surrendered ourselves." T.Q., 2:136.
Allah defines the role of Muhammad in the Holy Qur'an with the following verse, and thus by it Muhammad forms the seal of all heavenly sent Messengers:
"We have not sent you except as a mercy to all creation." T.Q., 21:107.

In his capacity as the last heavenly-sent Messenger, Muhammad defined the essence of humankind's role in this worldly life by saying, "The example of the believers in one God is as the example of a single body. If an organ of this body were to complain of an ailment, the rest of the body would respond in its compassion for it with sleeplessness and fever." Thus, he called for an international, fraternal state that guaranteed paradise in this world until they reached the eternal heavenly paradise.

I appeal to all my colleagues of the revealed religions to strive hard in creating this fraternal community, so that we may realize the paradise of the worldly life. Humans suffer in this century from the atrocities of their own handiwork, such as extreme poverty and ignorance. They aggravate their sorry situation by exposing their fellow humans to the vices of pornography and the misuse of intoxicants and narcotics, and as such destroy the fabric of society. These self-inflicted diseases narrow the horizons of people, who would otherwise aspire to the more aesthetic goals of hope and optimism, given the opportunity, instead of ones that bring such despair and anguish.

I therefore call for the establishment of institutions and universities whose graduates excel in their ability to deal with humans' diseases in the 21st century, who call people to a more virtuous life, and are examples of piety and good conduct. Such men and women graduates will safeguard the interests of the human community and its welfare.

Let us be united and act jointly in this aim, and employ all the scientific and intellectual means at our disposal. Let us make the most of the modern means of communication, and educate the masses through the public media. Let us conduct free dialogue to restore the heavenly faith and the spirituality of the Prophets. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:

"Good is the reward of those that do good works in this present life, but far better is the reward of the life to come. Blessed is the dwelling place of the righteous." T. Q., 16:30.
Let us begin by sowing this seed, and nurturing the seedling, so that it will grow and future generations may reap benefit from our hard work and sincere efforts.

Peace be upon you all.