Critique of Spiritual Humanism in Secular Spirituality with an Emphasis on Prophetic Narrations

One of the most significant anthropological bases for separating spirituality from religion is humanism, which places humanity in the stead of God and does not tolerate any external authority, such as revelation or divine religions. This foundation, leading to spiritual humanism as well, has its roots in monism, where no distinction is made between material and spiritual matters. Therefore, spirituality is defined as entirely earthly and worldly, merging the notion of God Almighty with an inner deity, thus erasing any difference between the visible world and the unseen, and between what is sacred and profane. Consequently, self-deification, the alteration of the value system, and the denial of the unseen realm, are among the potential outcomes of this perspective. This study, adopting a descriptive-analytical approach and relying on library data, aims to critique this base with an emphasis on prophetic narrations. The journey towards spirituality and the attainment of authentic dignity and truth as conveyed by the honorable Prophet of Islam is only achieved through acknowledging and confessing the poverty and dependency of human existence upon its Creator and maintaining a continuous connection with Him in servitude and righteousness. As a result, human independence from God and turning away from divine revelation and heavenly religions will lead to nothing but the loss of one’s authentic identity and entrapment in the valley of alienation from the self. In turn, true spirituality and a spiritual life cannot be formed under such a notion.