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ISLAMIC MEDITATION
It is reported
- and Allah knows best - that Ja'far Al-Sadiq, a friend of
God - may Allah be pleased with him - said, "In the death of
the self lies the life of the heart."
On the subject of
what is popularly called "meditation" it is usual to
distinguish three types in Islamic spirituality. These are:
Dhikr (Remembrance), Muraqabah (Contemplation of Scripture)
and Tafakkur (Contemplation of Nature). Islam does not have
a tradition of withdrawn meditation like yoga (with
complicated postures and breathing, etc.), but it does have
these three forms of inner contemplation. It is important to
remember that all three forms of "meditation" are framed by
the liturgical prayers, the salat, which place everything in
perspective.
Dhikr
This is the perpetual prayer of Islam and
the foundation of the whole religion just as the Name of God
is the expression of the Divine essence. As a formal
practice it consists of repeating the Name (Allah) silently
in the heart perpetually, dedicating every heartbeat to God.
It is the simplest and the greatest of meditations. Sit
quietly and hear the Name in your heart - Allah! Allah!
Allah! Then hear the Name in your heart throughout your day,
in the world, wherever you may be, at all times. The Dhikr
is the journey to the oasis of the moment. More concentrated
forms of this sublimely simple meditation are to be found in
the special practices of the Sufi brotherhoods.
It is reported
- and Allah knows best - that al-Junayd, a friend of God -
may Allah be pleased with him - said, "A servant should
overcome his soul, and be continuous in the remembrance of
his Lord, establishing the rights of his Lord, focusing upon
Him with his heart, the light of fear setting ablaze his
heart, whilst drinking from the vessel of pure love, and
certain hidden realities being unveiled for him. So when he
talks, it is due to Allah, when he speaks, it is from Allah,
when he moves, it is by the Command of Allah, and when he is
serene, then it is from Allah. He belongs to Allah, is for
Allah and is with Allah."
Muraqabah
Muraqabah is the practice of dwelling
upon the implications of certain passages of the Koran.
These passages concern the essence and attributes of God
such as the "nowness" and "hereness" of God. Here is one
such verse:
Whichever way you
turn, there is the face of God.
Koran 2:109
In the practice of muraqabah, you take
this verse and begin to think it over. Sit quietly and apply
your thoughts to this verse. If this verse is true, what are
its consequences? Then begin mulling over this verse during
your ordinary day. Think about it wherever you go, wherever
you turn your face. Think about it when you are talking to
others. Wherever you look, whoever you talk to, there is the
face of God.
Here is another suitable verse from the
Holy Koran:
God
is with you wheresoever you may be.
Koran 57:4
And here is another:
He
is the First. He is the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden,
and Who knows all things!
Koran 57:3
Muraqabah consists of directing your
thoughts to the full implications of these revelations. Too
often we only read the surface levels of the Koran. Too
often we do not absorb the truths we read. We fail to
realise them except on the most surficial, intellectual
level. In this form of meditation we dwell upon God's
revelations, absorb them, internalize them, take them into
our heart, make them real, achieve a deeper level of knowing
than just the word-play of the mind.
It is reported
- and Allah knows best - that Ali, the Prince of Believers -
may Allah be pleased with him - said, "The word of God is
the medicine of the heart. "
It is reported - and Allah
knows best - that Muhyidden Ibn Arabi, a friend of God - may
Allah be pleased with him - said,"It is He who is revealed
in every face, sought in every sign, gazed upon by every
eye, worshipped in every object of worship, and pursued in
the unseen and the visible. Not a single one of His
creatures can fail to find Him in its primordial and
original nature."
Taffakur
And of His signs is
this: He shows you the lightning for a fear and for a hope,
and sends down water from the sky...
The third type of meditation in Islam is
called taffakur. This is the contemplation of Creation or
meditation on nature - the signs (ayat) of God in the
natural world. It is sometimes defined as "purposeful
thinking" - it is thinking on a subject deeply. Just as
maraqabah is meditation upon the Koran taffakur is
meditation upon the Book of Creation. The Koran invites us
to do this. Consider such passages as the following:
Lo! In the
creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of
night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with
that which is of use to men, and the water which ALLAH sends
down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its
death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and
in the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds
obedient between heaven and earth: are signs of ALLAH's Sovereignty for people who have sense.
Koran 2:164
*
Lo! In the creation of the
heavens and the earth and in the
difference of night and day are tokens of His Sovereignty for men of understanding.
Koran 3:190
*
Lo! your Lord is ALLAH Who
created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then mounted
He the Throne. He covers the night with the day, which is in
haste to follow it, and has made the sun and the moon and
the stars subservient by His command. His truly is all
creation and commandment. Blessed be ALLAH, the Lord of the
Worlds!
Koran 7:54
*
And of His signs is this:
He created you of dust, and behold you human beings, ranging
widely! And of His signs is this: He created for you
helpmeets from yourselves that you might find rest in them,
and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo! herein
indeed are portents for people who reflect. And of His signs
is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the
difference of your languages and colours. Lo! herein indeed
are portents for men of knowledge. And of His signs is your
slumber by night and by day, and your seeking of His bounty.
Lo! herein indeed are portents for people who heed. And of
His signs is this: He shows you the lightning for a fear and
for a hope, and sends down water from the sky, and thereby
quickens the earth after her death. Lo! herein indeed are
portents for people who understand. And of His signs is
this: The heavens and the earth stand fast by His command,
and afterward, when He calls you, lo! from the earth you
will emerge. To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and
the earth. All are obedient to Him. He it is Who produces
creation, then reproduces it, and it is easier for Him. His
is the Sublime Similitude in the heavens and the earth. He
is the Mighty, the Wise.
Koran 37:20-27
The verses of the Koran and the things of
the natural world are both regarded as "signs" (ayat) for
contemplation. The Koran invites us to look at the world of
Creation - the sun, moon, stars, the earth, the rain, the
winds, the clouds, the trees, the animals - for these are
all revelations. Through the creation we can come to know
the Creator. Meditation upon Allah's creations is called
taffakur.
It is reported - and Allah knows best
- that Shahbistari, a friend of God - may Allah be pleased
with him - said, "You fancy this world is permanent of
itself and endures because of it's own nature, but really it
is a ray of light from the Truth, and within it the Truth is
concealed."
Sufi
Stories
As well as these three forms of
meditation or contemplation there is also a rich tradition
of teaching stories associated with the Sufi brotherhoods.
These are often enigmatic, paradoxical, funny or perplexing.
In many Sufi Orders students are given stories by their
teacher and told to meditate upon their meaning. They
contain spiritual lessons. At first they may seem trivial or
silly or even outrageous, but they have been designed to
impact upon the mind, heart and soul, to loosen the chains
of the ego and to open the believer to the lessons of the
Path. They are part of the immense treasures of classical
Islam. Today there are many popular volumes of Sufi teaching
stories readily available in translation.
It is reported - and Allah knows best - that Hasan of Basra,
a friend of God - may Allah be pleased with him - said, "I
once asked a child who was walking with a candle, "From
where comes that light?" Instantly he blew it out and said
to me "Tell me where it is gone - then I will tell you where
it came from."
It is reported - and Allah knows best - that Kabir, a friend
of God - may Allah be pleased with him - said, "All know
that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the
ocean merges into the drop."
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