The relationship and attitude toward God is spelt out in the word 'Islâm' ... it has embodied within it, the complete technique of the highest form of worship as well as everyday living! Qur'ânic passages are self-explanatory in pointing out the way of worship by total effacement of the self in surrender and submission; to the exclusion of every other interest or entity; not only in prayer but in every aspect of life.
Sûrah al Baqarâh 2:19-20.
Lo! The religion before Allâh is surrender (Islâm)... if they surrender, then will they truly be rightly guided in prayer.
Sûrah 23: 77
O, Ye who believe, completely efface your selves in self-surrender when worshiping your Lord, and do good that happily you may prosper.
This excerpt is from the hadith about Islâm, Îmân & Ihsân:
'...Then Jibraîl (as) asked: Tell me about Ihsân (goodness/beauty). The Prophet Muhammad (saw) answered: 'It is that you worship Allah as if you see Him, and even though you do not see Him, you know that He sees you....'
This practice of visualization and being in the Presence of Allâh, in a meditative state as you offer your Salât, is a powerful experience to keep one's full awareness in prayer.
Meditation is soothing for the mind and soul. It is a good way to get in tune with oneself. While in Mecca Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to go to Mount Hira and sit in the cave where he pondered and meditated.
There are different ways to meditate, and you can try each one to see which suits you the best or alternate each one.
Prayer
The best known and most widely practiced example of meditation is prayer.
The best known and most widely practiced example of meditation is prayer.
Contemplate
Many people benefit from reading the Qur'ân silently or aloud, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on the meaning that the words bring to mind. You may want to write your reflections in a journal.
VisualizeMany people benefit from reading the Qur'ân silently or aloud, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on the meaning that the words bring to mind. You may want to write your reflections in a journal.
In this type of meditation you focus your attention on Allâh, weaving feelings of love and gratitude into your thoughts. You can also close your eyes and in your mind's eye gaze at the Asma al Husna as if written in air. You can choose a different one each day.
Sensate
Feel as if you are sitting in the Presence of Allâh, as if He is in front of you, you can feel His awesomeness, His grandeur, His grace and His love. Imagine He is watching you, you will want to hide from yourself as you become aware of how short we fall in our dedication and effacement in surrender, how full we are of our self and how little we think of Him as we go through our everyday living. (This does not imply imagining an image but focus on the awareness of His presence)
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There are two concepts or schools of meditation in Islam. One is that which is described in the Qur’ân and Sunnah, another is that which has been developed by the Sufis in later times (that is, after the first phase, considered the ideal phase of Islam).
The original concept of meditation is based on contemplation, called 'tafakkur' in the Qur’ân. That is, reflection upon the universe to gain food for thought. To put it differently, this is a form of intellectual development that emanates from a higher level, i.e. from God.
This intellectual process through the receiving of divine inspiration awakens and liberates the human mind, permitting man’s inner personality to develop and grow so that he may lead his life on a spiritual plane far above the mundane level.
The second form of meditation, the one developed by the Sufis, is largely based on mystical exercises. However, this method is controversial among Muslim scholars. One group of Ulama, Al-Ghazâlî, for instance, have accepted it, another group of Ulama, Ibn-Taimia, for instance, have rejected it as an innovation.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
http://www.alrisala.org/Articles/mysticism/meditation.htm
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Does Islam Permit Meditation?
A Muslim need not go to any Ashram for meditation if he knows how to perform Salât. Salât is a meditation of the highest order but most Muslims have forgotten it. They read Namâz or recite Namâz or even offer Namâz but they do not meditate in it though it is a pre-requisite. A Salât does not even start without the state of meditation. The Prophet (Pbuh) instructed a person in Salât to meditate upon the presence of God who is watching the devotee. A state of trance is reached when he really meditates upon it. Then comes the voice of The Word of God from the lips of the Imam. If he really started Salât with a state of meditation, the voice of the Imam seems to be coming from a spiritual source. The words of the Qur’ân (if he knows Arabic) work as suggestions in a trance and he gradually starts believing in the orders and teaching of those words. There are repetitions of Allâh u Akbar and the Tasbihât of Ruku' and Sajda etc. They all work wonders in a state of trance. They are autosuggestions. An individual Salât (Sunnah and Nafl) is based completely on autosuggestions where there is no outside voice but his own recitation works as autosuggestion. Remember what Qur’ân said about Zikr (Remembrance and not merely chanting)? "Beware! In remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace" (13:28) Salât, while offered properly and associated with meditation of Allah's presence and His watchfulness is the remembrance of the highest order and must provide peace. Qur’ân proclaims: "Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee and establish Regular Salât: for Salât restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do." (29:45)
Qur’ân announces that Salât will prevent you from shameful and unjust deeds. Please note that it is not said that a person offering Salât should restrain himself from committing shameful acts and unjust deeds. Salât will restrain the devotee from evil. On the other hand we observe people involved in shameful acts and unjust deeds though they may be regular Namazis for years! The claim of Qur’ân cannot be false. They in fact did not offer Salât in the prescribed manner. It is high time that camps of teaching Salât with meditation be organised. Alas all our books of Salât procedures, Salât taught to the children by elders in their homes and even Salât taught by Mullahs in Madrasah is comprised of recitation and postures only. There is no meditation and hence it is neither providing peace of mind nor restraining from unjust deeds.
http://www.islamicvoice.com/april.2000/dialogue.htm
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We can understand "Dhikr" simply as the repetition of particular names of "ALLAH" or as the recitation of some prayers.
In the second sense, "Dhikr" refers to remembering, mentioning and meditating.
In a superior dimension "Dhikr" is known as persisting, dwelling on a subject to the point of its full comprehension and meditating on it.
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Murâqabah (Self-Supervision)
Fethullah Gülen
Meaning watching, superintending, controlling and living in consciousness of being controlled, murâqabah has been defined by the sufis as setting one’s heart solely on God without attachment to anything other than Him and holding one’s carnal self back from all forbidden things and acts in the conviction that the Divine Knowledge encompasses all things, and living in accordance with Divine commandments. We can also interpret murâqabah as trying to observe whatever God wills and leading a life in utmost sincerity, in the consciousness of being always supervised by God Almighty. This is possible through conviction that the Almighty sees whatever man does, hears whatever he says, knows whatever he conceives of and occurs to him and records it whatever issues from man. In the verse, In whatever state you may be, and whichever part of the Qur’an you recite, and whatever deed you do, We are witnesses over you when you are deeply engrossed therein (10.61), the Qur’an reminds us of this.
If murâqabah means that the heart of man remains closed to all recollections displeasing to God and the thoughts and conceptions separating him from God and making him heedless to the fact that God always supervises him, and to the disagreeable considerations which affect man’s behavior, and that all the channels of the spirit open to receive the radiances coming from eternity are kept open to Divine gifts and favours if murâqabah has all these meanings, then we must keep closed what we must and keep open what we must. The first step to murâqabah is to accept as great what God has decreed as great and to consider as of no value what He has decreed as worthless and prefer His will and desires over our own. Thinking of the depth of God’s Mercy increases and strengthens man’s love of God and desire to worship Him, and considering fear and awe of Him causes the loss of appetite for sins and forces man to live a careful life. As for murâqabah, it leads man, like filtering some liquids to purify them, to discard all considerations and intentions occurring to his heart which damage worship. Murâqabah is an effort of man to be able to keep pure all his thoughts, considerations and intentions, even at the times when he is alone, in the consciousness that he is always supervised.
Murâqabah is one of the most important of the ways directly leading to God without needing a guide. It has the color of the great or major sainthood attained through succession to the Prophetic mission which is conveying the Divine Message to people, without following a spiritual order. The travelers on the path of murâqabah can turn to God at any time or place in awareness of their helplessness and destitution before God and be admitted to a ‘private meeting’ with God by the document of neediness. While they are watching nature, they feel God’s constant supervision of them and keep aloof from consideration of whatever is other than God; while they are hearing things, they keep deaf to all sounds and voices not related to Him; while they are talking about existence, they sing the praises of His Beauty and Grace and regard it as useless to mention something dissociated from Him. As a matter of fact, if the eyes do not remind one of His Seeing, the ears of His Hearing, and the tongue of His Speech, what will the use of these organs be other than as pieces of flesh? Jalal al-Din al-Rûmi says: ‘God Almighty described Himself as the All-Seeing in order to warn you against evils; He described Himself as the All-Hearing to admonish you not to say anything bad, and He described Himself as the All-Knowing to inform you that He knows you and therefore to exhort you to be alert to corrupt thoughts and considerations.’ Al-Rûmi regards self-supervision as a protecting screen from evil emotions, thoughts, passions and acts, and considers it as the safest way to be attentive to Divine rights.
The first step in self-supervision is submission to Divine Will and wishes in the conviction that He is present everywhere and is aware of all our thoughts, considerations and deeds. It is certainty of the fact that God is Watcher over all things (33.52).
The second step in self-supervision is that an initiate should turn to God with a heart at rest, and patiently anticipate the flow of Divine gifts and effulgences into his heart. Such turning to Him does not require the attachment to a guide and building a connection with him from or through the heart and regular recitation of God’s Names. However, if an initiate wishes to follow a guide and regularly recite God’s Names in accordance with rules of Shari‘a, it will certainly be much better. To the extent that an initiate, whether he be on the first or second step, can act according to the meaning of the Prophetic Tradition, Perfect goodness is that you worship as if seeing God. Even if you do not see Him, He certainly sees you, and that, always seeing himself as helpless, destitute and needy before God, he believes Him to be his sole point of reliance and source of help, he may be traveling safely on the path of self-supervision and therefore be regarded as secure against deviations.
In the souls of those who can follow the path of self-supervision to that extent, there will appear over time a faculty which we may call peace of heart, by means of which their conscience will always remain open to Divine gifts and receive radiances from the One of Unity.
One of the most important mechanisms of self-supervision is muhâsabah (self-criticism). By means of self-criticism which is man’s controlling himself and accusing himself of his sins and faults in awareness of the factors and impulses inciting him thereto, an initiate can find the truth in his heart and represent it in his conduct. In his spirit, the meaning and mystery of Glory be to Him Who sees me, knows my place and hears my speech, manifests itself, and he deeply feels that the Divine Knowledge and Will always keep him under control. Wherever he is and whatever he does, he pursues God’s good pleasure and tries to always act in accordance with His wishes.
Source:
http://www.fethullahgulen.org/tasawwuf/pg19.html
