No Fear Nor Grief: Employing Islamic Wisdom to Address Contemporary Spiritual Challenges

Abstract

ABSTRACT Muslim chaplains face a plethora of challenges. Notably, two directly focused on the chaplain are: (1) attuning to and triaging the spiritual and emotional needs of Muslims they are serving and, then, (2) accompanying them on their spiritual journey. These challenges are amplified even more during the COVID-19 pandemic when people are turning to spirituality for coping. In addition, communities that are disproportionately burdened by disease morbidity and mortality, as one study of Black Americans showed. This paper seeks to critically examine the difference between Islamic spiritual gnosis and spiritual bypassing. For chaplains, this differentiation is essential to provide effective and meaningful Islamic pastoral care because it helps the client to powerfully leverage sacred beliefs and regulate while trying to navigate challenging experiences rather than glossing over or avoiding dealing with these challenges. I believe a potential solution to both is found in humility.