“Verily,
in the Remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” [Qur’an 13:28]
Muraqaba – Divine Meditation
Muraqaba is a form of Zikr, which involves the act of turning
one’s heart towards Allah through meditation and deep focus. By concentrating
the heart solely upon the Creator, one is able to feel His Presence intensely
and contemplate on His Remembrance. For the saalik (seeker of the spiritual
path of Tasawwuf) this leads to an increase in Taqwa; it brings
life to the heart’s core using the divine knowledge that, He is fully aware of
our deeds and actions: “And Allah is [fully] acquainted with what you do.” [Qur’an
2:234] And that He is indeed also aware of the state of our hearts: “Allah
knows well the secrets of your hearts.” [Qur’an 5:7]
The origin of muraqaba comes
from the practice of the Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and
blessings be upon him, who would frequently resort to the Cave of Hira at
night to seek comfort in the Remembrance of Allah.
Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be
pleased with her, narrates:
“The commencement of the Divine
Inspiration to Allah's Messenger was in the form of good dreams which came true
like bright day light, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He
used to go in seclusion in the Cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah
alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family...” [Bukhari:
Vol 1, Book 1, Hadith no. 3]
From this, we can establish that the
Beloved Messenger of Allah would isolate himself in the cave for days,
described by his beloved wife Sayyida Aisha as ‘love of seclusion’, so that he
could worship Allah in total submission and engage fully in Zikr.
Status of Muraqaba as a Form
of Zikr
The Beloved Messenger of Allah says
in a Hadith, “…If your state of mind is always the same as it is at the time
of Zikr (remembrance of Allah), the Angels would shake hands with
you and would greet you on the path by saying, ‘Assalamu alaykum.’” [Muslim:
Book 37, Hadith no. 6624]
In his commentary of Sahih Muslim,
Imam al-Nawawi says regarding this Hadith, “This kind of sight is shown to
someone who persists in meditation (muraqaba), reflection (fikr),
and anticipation (iqbal) of the next world.”
It is said that every saint
performed muraqaba, attaining proximity to Allah through it, although
not all saints prescribed it to their followers; some kept it private. The
wisdom behind this is best left to the Shaykhs themselves; it could be
that they gave preference to other forms of Zikr for their Mureeds
(disciples, or those under their spiritual guidance).
Regarding the preference of silent Zikr,
it is reported that the great Imam and Master of the Naqshbandi Tariqa, Khwaja
Shah Baha’uddin al-Naqshband said, “There are two methods of Zikr: the
silent and the audible. I preferred the silent because it is stronger and more
advisable.”
It is said that ordinary people
receive guidance in their dreams, the elite during Muraqaba (meditation),
and the elite of the elite “in a waking state”.
This can be explained by the fact
that through constant Zikr, one is able to reach such a level that
his/her heart is constantly in deep contemplation (fikr or tafakkur) of
Allah, which grants such a closeness to Him that they are enlightened by Him
throughout their journey.
Such an example of guidance is
reported in the Holy Qur’an regarding Sayyida Maryam, the greatest Walia or
lady saint of God, during her time of hardship. Whilst she was enduring labour
pains, she ran to a palm-tree in her anguish where she heard a Voice calling
out to her with words of Guidance. Thus she received guidance from Allah in a
waking state due to her piety, purity, patience and steadfastness in faith:
“And the pains
of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried (in her
anguish), ‘Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing
forgotten and out of sight!’ But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the
palm-tree: ‘Grieve not! For your Lord has provided a stream beneath you; And
shake towards yourself the trunk of the palm-tree, it will let fall fresh ripe
dates upon you. So eat and drink and be contented...” [Qur’an 19:23-26]
Methods of Muraqaba
For muraqaba, it is advisable
to sit quietly and alone in a dark peaceful room where one is able to focus all
thoughts and attention on receiving enlightenment.
It is reported that Imam Junayd
al-Baghdadi said, “My teacher in the Way of muraqaba is the cat: One
day, I was passing in the street, and I saw a cat sitting and watching the hole
of a mouse, so absorbed in it watching this hole that not one of its hairs was
moving. I was bemused by its concentration and watchfulness, and felt a call
within me: ‘O you with the lowly determination! Do not let Me be in your
purpose less than the mouse, and you, in seeking, do not be less than the cat.’
So I awoke, adhered to this Way of muraqaba (i.e. complete focus and
watchfulness), and achieved the results that I did.”
The main forms of Muraqaba taught
in our Tareeqa, or spiritual chain, Naqshbandi Siddiqui Mujaddidi, are:
• Muraqaba-e-Isme Zaat or Tasawwur-e-Isme
Zaat – Visualising the Sacred Name:
This is when one visualises the Name
of Allah i.e. Allahu, upon his/her heart and therefore focuses on the
attributes of Allah leaving no other thought but Him. All focus must be upon
the Creator.
For this, the eyes must be closed,
visualising the words ‘Allah’ engraved onto your heart. Some also prefer to
visualise the Name of ‘Muhammad’ upon their hearts too as the Beloved Messenger
is a Waseela/intermediary for us to Allah at all times. The one
visualising must then recite ‘Allah’ in his/her mind whilst breathing in
through the nose, and recite ‘Hu’ whilst exhaling through the mouth.
In this manner, the breathing of
such a person becomes engaged in repeating ‘Allahu’ with every breath
thus making the heart say the Name of God.
It is reported that Imam al-Ghazali
said, “Zikr is, in its reality, the progressive Power of the Named One
on the heart, while the Zikr itself wears away and disappears.”
This is in reference to the deep
absorption and intensity which pure hearts are able to attain when involved in Muraqaba.
Eventually only the Presence of Allah remains in such a heart, whilst the Name,
having completed its purpose, fades away.
• Tasawwur-e-Shaykh –
Visualising One’s Shaykh or Spiritual Guide
This is when a Mureed
visualises their Shaykh’s face, allowing their own heart to reflect his
spiritual light and guidance.
The Shaykh is often described
as a bridge between this world and Almighty Allah; he is one who has journeyed
through the difficult path of tasawwuf and has emerged successfully. It
is through his knowledge and character that a Mureed is able to
progress; therefore Tasawwur-e-Shaykh is extremely important.
This form of Muraqaba allows
a Mureed to always be present with their Shaykh via the heart,
and through this route, they can eventually reach the honourable presence of
the Beloved Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.
Tasawwur-e-Shaykh allows the Mureed to receive guidance from the Shaykh,
opening a window of spiritual communication between teacher and student. For a
true Wali (saint), there are no limits to his connection if such power
and strength has permitted to him by the Beloved Messenger of Allah, may
Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.
Khwaja Shah Waliullah Muhaddith
Dehlvi states, that if a Mureed who may be thousands of miles away from
their Shaykh, requires the Shaykh’s fayz (spiritual
blessing), they should sit in a state of purity and in a respectful manner.
Then they should turn their attention to their Shaykh in a state of Muraqaba,
and visualise him through their heart. Having done so, the Mureed will
be able to enter spiritually the very same gathering in which their Shaykh
is present at, thereby receiving his fayz through this tasawwur (visualisation).
As the Mureed progresses
through strengths of Muraqaba, they will experience different forms of
communication from their Shaykh; once a connection has been established,
one begins to hear their Shaykh guiding them, some may see their Shaykh,
some experience the presence of other Shaykhs etc.
This all depends on the personal
status or maqam of the Mureed in terms of their own progress on
the path of Tasawwuf. Eventually, one who is thoroughly pure and focused
at heart is able to reach the presence of the Beloved Messenger, may Allah’s
peace and blessings be upon him.
Permission or Ijaza for Muraqaba
One must have the permission of
their Shaykh before beginning on the journey of Muraqaba, or
indeed any type of Wazaa’if (recitation); your Shaykh is your
source of guidance, and he knows what is best for your current state and
condition.
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