Abstract
Irrespective of what Professor Toynbee meant by 'inward
development', I take it to mean 'spiritual development' A focused
understanding of spiritual values, or spiritual development for that
matter, necessitates an insight into what we mean by 'spirit'. The
English word 'spirit' is derived from the Latin spiritus meaning 'breath'
and 'wind'. Now wind is that which can not be seen or perceived except
through the effect that it creates such as the blowing of leaves or the
fluttering of a flag. Similarly, we distinguish between a living body and
a dead corpse by pointing out that there is this invisible thing which we
call spirit and which pervades the former and is absent in the latter and
thus may be termed 'the source of life'. It is not coincidental that this
invisible thing is called rub in Arabic deriving from the same root word
(RWH) as rih meaning 'wind'.
development', I take it to mean 'spiritual development' A focused
understanding of spiritual values, or spiritual development for that
matter, necessitates an insight into what we mean by 'spirit'. The
English word 'spirit' is derived from the Latin spiritus meaning 'breath'
and 'wind'. Now wind is that which can not be seen or perceived except
through the effect that it creates such as the blowing of leaves or the
fluttering of a flag. Similarly, we distinguish between a living body and
a dead corpse by pointing out that there is this invisible thing which we
call spirit and which pervades the former and is absent in the latter and
thus may be termed 'the source of life'. It is not coincidental that this
invisible thing is called rub in Arabic deriving from the same root word
(RWH) as rih meaning 'wind'.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Hawliyyat al-Jamiah al-Islamiyyah al-Alamiyyah |
| Volume | 15 |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |