If spirituality is the closeness to the divine, then it is something that could be measured through how effective this closeness is. I guest no matter what your religion is, you have some recommendations and rituals that you do on daily basis to improve on your spirituality. It may be meditation or prayers or other forms of worshipping and honouring the divine such as loving your neighbours as yourself, giving alms and learning much more . But even if we conceder that you have been doing that perfectly, probably not everything will work the way you like. When you are a devotee, you will search for more knowledge to improve your shortcomings.
However, You might in doing all that still not be on the path of your religion, or not really come close to the divine. Indeed many people can violate the commandments of God in the sense that they were revealed in some religions and still be very successful in leading their communities through assistance, building of infrastructures, etc. And if you were a very curious person you must have noticed that the origin of wealth in many cases is linked with things that are ethically forbidden even-though is can be put at the service of society later. If you are a Muslim you must know that the prophet prohibited many kinds of trades with the argument that their fruit is not permissible. According to this only what you have earn in righteousness will help to build a righteous basis for you. In many cases those who go astray are convinced that they are improving their lives because of their ignorance. But you could still argue that they are satisfied with their situation.
Is it then so that religion is just a lie and there is nothing you can rely on to measure religiosity and
ethics ? You will sometimes see someone you really trusted misbehave and you might doubt of morality and start asking yourself questions such as :
What then is the measure of spiritual growth? What makes Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad(pbuh) different from some saints and enlightened beings we encounter on our spiritual path? Indeed is it not the number of disciples but their conviction in carrying on their duty and their persuasion through the application of ethical principles. And here is the ultimate sign you can use to measure your spiritual growth. The prophet Muhammad(pbuh), and I guess many others will advice you about the differences between the miracles of a deceive and the signs of God. And he the main sign is link to the application of the laws of ethics. Thus if a person was to healed all kinds of sicknesses , flight from roof to roof to find provision for his people, build palaces and places of worship for a whole village or town or even nation but is a liar, a drunker and a fornicator then he is not spiritually evolve. He might be enlightened in the Asian sense of new age spirituality but is not a man of God. Thus the submission of one’s will to God is not blind fate. It is reasonable and observable in the actions of the believer. Sins makes you weak. And you can remember that our forefathers were ashamed when they sinned. Because you loose your dignity and you are succeptible to blackmail you are not growing spiritually. If you are righteous you can still make agreements with opponents. The prophet Muhammad(pbuh) is said to have accepted cohabitation to agree with enemies, but he was not blackmailable because he was truthful.
The second thing that will happen to a person who is coming closer to God is that he will start to grasp the principle of cause and effect as it is the ultimate law that link creator to creations and everything together. Everything that happens to you is the result of you own actions and you will have to take your responsibilities according to your freewill. And Knowledge of God opens your understanding to theses simple facts. These are signs you will see everyday. Some things that you might have thought to be bad has a purpose and is probably linked to something that is far better. And this is due to the Omniscience of God. God knows everything and can prepare in his plan some kinds of cause and effect that will serve as lesson . Thus he who knows the commandments of God in his own heart will clearly understand the difference between the plans of Iblees and the plan of God. Whereas the plans of Iblees are based of lies and deception and mostly indulge people to an attachment to the things of the world the plan of God will make you a better person in the sense of gaining more understanding about the purpose of life and enjoying true happiness. You will understand that there are conditions to be fufilled for things to happen and that every creature plays a role in that.
The third measure is how you feel the urge to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. And this is the major reason why many who are advanced spiritually will feel the necessity to teach others. Is is your duty as a spiritual aware being to teach others either through examples as God almighty does all the time or through inviting them to worship God alone. Believe me you don’t have to be an expert to convert the message of God. If you have only a single advice you can be helpful to a neighbour, a friend, a colleague, etc… Enjoining good includes acts of worship. A Muslim will spiritually advanced if he keeps his deen(Divine Service, etc..). If you keep your prayers and duties towards Allah no matter what happens then you can be sure that you are growing spiritually. If something was to happen that will prevent you from worshiping your Lord then you have to doubt because if you were to die at that moment it will be difficult for you.
