A Conceptual Examination of Islamic Spirituality and Its Relationship with Islamic Mysticism

This study aims to define spirituality and explain its truth, and to examine the relationship of this term with other related terms, one of the first reflections on this scientific topic. This article has considered the examination of the elements involved in the truth of spirituality, and the investigation of the relationship between spirituality and mysticism in the context of Islamic thought. The present research, using the method of extraction and ijtihad, has analyzed the components of spirituality in Islamic thought and its relationship with Islamic mysticism. According to the findings of this study, Islamic spirituality means a devout and ambitious effort to be close to God through a bias towards religious values at the levels of thought, tendency, decision, and behavior. In addition, Islamic spirituality has different relationships with different perceptions of Islamic mysticism in the fields of opinion and practice. In the author's opinion, despite the important relationships between Islamic spirituality and Islamic mysticism, there are important differences in the level of evidence between them, and this is the reason why spirituality is considered an example of mysticism. The main reason for this difference is the intuitive nature of mysticism, which is not necessary in the spiritual approach.