A Critique of the Theory of Diversity between Religion and Spirituality

One of the most important issues which is worth discussing in philosophy of religion and when studying spirituality is the relationship between spirituality and religion. The various motivations of and approaches to the study of spirituality have been the cause of the different interpretations of the reality, roots and results of spirituality. Some believe that spirituality not only differs from religion but also contradicts it. The present paper seeks to review the concepts of "religion" and "spirituality" in order to bring out the difference between true spirituality and false spirituality through classifying the different types of spirituality and examining the basic components of real spirituality. Also, it touches on the relationship between spirituality and intellect, and the necessity of the existence of agreement between the different interpretations of spirituality and rational axioms. Then, it assesses and rejects the arguments of those who assume that there is contradiction between spirituality and religion and confirms the causal relationship between religion and spirituality to conclude that spirituality is exclusive to religious spirituality, and to Islamic spirituality in particular. A documentary- analytical method is used in this research, which seeks to prove the main claim by analyzing and criticizing the arguments offered by those who support the idea of diversity between spirituality and religion.