The spiritual wayfarer and moderation in social behavior
- Updated On Friday, 27 June 2014
- Written by A group of writers
- Editor Kawther Rahmani
- Supervisor Sayyed Roohullah Musavi
- Published on Sunday, 31 October 2010
- Hits: 476 views
- Hits: To what extent should a wayfarer renounce social customs and formalities in his spiritual journey?
The wayfarer must refrain from all those formalities which are related to mere customs or stylish living and which are a hindrance in the way of the spiritual traveler who is required to live among the people but to lead a simple and balanced life. Some people are so absorbed in social formalities that they always observe them too minutely in order to maintain their position in society and often indulge in useless and even harmful practices which cause nothing but inconvenience and worry. They give preference to unnecessary customs over the real and important necessities. Their criterion for judging what is proper and what is improper is the appreciation and disapproval of the common people. They do not have any opinion of their own, and simply follow the common trend. At the other end there are some other people who lead an isolated life and ignore all rules of society and thus deprive themselves from all social benefits. They do not mix with other people and come to be known as cynics. To be successful in his objective the spiritual traveler should follow the middle way. He should mix with the people neither too much nor too little. It does not matter if he looks different from other people because of his distinct social behavior. He should not follow others and should not worry about any criticism in this regard. Allah says: 'They do not fear the criticism of any critic in the way of Allah' (5:54). That means that the true believer sticks to what he thinks is right. As a principle it may be said that the spiritual traveler should weigh every matter seriously and should not blindly follow the wishes or opinions of other people.