Meditation in Islam

** Meditation in Islam **

** What does Islam say about meditation?**

Meditation has not only spiritual benefit but worldly benefit, and can be a means for healing and finding creative solutions to difficult problems. One form of meditation is called Tafakkur and refers to reflection upon the universe or pondering the creation of Allah. It is a means of intellectual development that awakens and liberates the mind to help it achieve higher levels of growth. Many of the great Islamic scientists were said to engage in a meditative practice of Tafakkur to help guide their intellectual pursuits. Tafakkur is the means by which some people recognize the signs of Allah in the Creation.

Meditation is an integral part of Islam. Those who are under impression that meditation is alien to Islam, are in serious error, either in understanding Islam or meditation.



Meditation is one of the most important aspects of a successful Islamic lifestyle......  To further elaborate,when we consciously adopt Islam,it is through recognition and cognizance of the Oneness of God and HIS signs( In arabic Ayah) scattered in the universe. We contemplate and recognize the Oneness of the Supreme Creator Who is above everything and Who encompasses everything. We recognize Truth in His words and in the guides ( Vedas, Bible,Quran etc.) he send to us time to time in all the ages for the benefit of mankind. None of this is possible without contemplation, reflection, concentration, observation, and presence of mind.

** Meditation in Islam **

Meditation in Islam can be described as the development of the presence of body, heart, and mind in worship and religious contemplation. It is essential to spiritual development and acceptance of and benefit from prayers(salaat). Without meditation, Jihad Akbar (struggle against the self’s temptations) cannot truly take place.

During prayer (Salaat), a Muslim is supposed to concentrate and meditate on God. This meditation during these acts opens and strengthens a connection between God and the human being. That connection helps that person to be guided to Truth and maintain internal peace despite all of life’s distractions and challenges. The prayers provide a beginning to the remembrance of God and wakeful meditation and worship throughout the whole day, even while the person is engaged in necessary tasks.

** Style of Meditation **

There are many styles of meditation developed in various world cultures around the world, islamic prayer (salah or Namaz) is one of them. All of them can help prepare to achieve better benefit and spiritual connection to God..

The Prophet Muhammad was well-known for his meditation practice. People often related that he would go to the cave in Mount Hira for meditation, contemplation, and prayer. It was during this practice that he first received Qur’anic revelation. Thus, meditation opened the door of revelation.

I have collected below verses of Quran which invites it’s reader to practice meditation :

“ They are steadfast, truthful, submitting, charitable, and MEDITATORS at dawn. Quran” :3:17

“They are the repenters, the worshipers, the praisers, the MEDITATORS, the bowing and prostrating, the advocators of righteousness and forbidders of evil, and the keepers of GOD's laws. Give good news to such believers.” Quran-9:112

“During the night, you shall MEDITATE for extra credit, that your Lord may raise you to an honorable rank. And say, "My Lord, admit me an honorable admittance, and let me depart an honorable departure, and grant me from You a powerful support."Quran-17:79-80

“The worshipers of the Most Gracious are those who tread the earth gently, and when the ignorant speak to them, they only utter peace. In the privacy of the night, they MEDITATE on their Lord, and fall prostrate. And they say, "Our Lord, spare us the agony of Hell; its retribution is horrendous. It is the worst abode; the worst destiny." Quran-25:63-66

“And put your trust in the Almighty, Most Merciful. Who sees you when you MEDITATE during the night. And your frequent prostrations. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.” Quran-26:217-220


“Is it not better to be one of those who MEDITATE in the night, prostrating and staying up, being aware of the Hereafter, and seeking the mercy of their Lord? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.” Quran-39:9

“ ... praise and glorify your Lord before sunrise, and before sunset. During the night you shall MEDITATE on His name, and after prostrating.” Quran-50:39-40

**Muslim scholars say about meditation**

There are many muslim scholors who have written extensively about the importance of meditation in Islam. Jaluddin Rumi and Allama Iqbal is worth Quoting here :

In silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and watch how the pattern improves -Jalaluddin Rumi

If you could get rid of yourself just once, the secret of secrets would open to you -Jalaluddin Rum...

Apne Mann Mein Doob Kar Pa Ja Suragh-E-Zindagi

Tu Agar Mera Nahin Banta Na Bann, Apna To Bann

Delve into your soul and there seek your life’s secret;
Will you not be mine? then be not mine, be your own right! - Allama Iqba...

To summarize, according to Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, muraqabah is realized in four aspects:

1.           Knowledge of Allah Almighty.

2.           Knowledge of the enemy of Allah, Iblis (Satan).

3.           Knowledge of your soul’s capacity to suggest evil.

4.           Knowledge of deeds to be done for the sake of Allah.[14]

It is this third aspect—awareness of one’s own heart and mind—that exercising mindfulness within an Islamic framework can help us achieve, “To know which things characterize (the self), what it wants, what it calls to, and what it commands.”[15] This type of exercise is a method of training the mind to identify the way thoughts and feelings behave inside us, with the aim of exerting more control over them and thereby enriching our mental and spiritual well-being.....

For Muslims, mindfulness of the inner life is simply one aspect—albeit a critical and often neglected one—within the greater framework of muraqabah. Altogether, Islamic mindfulness involves a comprehensive awareness of the basics of Islamic creed, law, ethics, and of one’s own subtle psychological make-up.

To begin putting these insights into practice, we still need to know why it is so important to learn to enjoy simply being present in silence, without distraction or noise from the world, our own words, or our inner monologues.

The Virtue of Silence and Seclusion

The famous proverb says, “Silence is golden.”[16] The righteous predecessors understood that silence (al-samt) was the preferred default state of being, according to the saying of the Prophet ﷺ, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak goodness or remain silent.”[17] Whatever words come out of our mouth should be true and beneficial; otherwise we should remain quiet. If we have nothing good to say, we should not say anything at all. Certainly, there are times when we definitely should speak up, to support a good cause or to oppose an evil deed. The Prophet ﷺ said, “May Allah have mercy on a person who spoke rightly and was rewarded, or who was quiet and remained safe.”[18] Speech that is neutral, neither benefitting nor harming, is still permissible, but for spiritual and moral reasons it is better to become accustomed to silence.

Silence has an important effect on our hearts and character, because a habit of bad or frivolous speech results in an impure heart. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The faith of a servant is not upright until his heart is upright, and his heart is not upright until his tongue is upright.”[19] The heart and tongue are inextricably linked, so to guard our speech is to also guard our hearts. Towards this end, learning to not just tolerate, but enjoy, silence is an aspect of positive character development. The Prophet ﷺ said to Abu Dharr (ra), “You must have good character and observe long periods of silence (tuli al-samt). By the one in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no one can behave with deeds more beloved to Allah than these two.”


The sad part of story is current muslim world because of their distance from the core teachings of Islam have led to their distance from meditation, which actually is the soul of their Five times daily mandatory prayer(Salah or Namaz).

Non-religious or neutral mindfulness practices advocated by therapeutic psychologists focus on this third aspect, without grounding it in a theological worldview, to give it a wider appeal to the diversity of their patient populations and to pluralistic society at large. Sometimes these are practices that originated in Buddhist or Hindu traditions but have been secularized from their religious ontological premises. This non-religious approach, by itself, still produces health and wellness benefits in people’s lives. It will sharpen the mind, no doubt, but the mind is a tool that can be used for good and evil. Neutral mindfulness practices can be potentially utilized for evil by people ungrounded in an ethical worldview. Mental clarity gained from mindfulness may be used by a predator aiming to deceive or harm others. Of course, such would be an abuse of mindfulness; all the more reason to approach the topic critically according to Islam’s guidance.

Spiritual excellence is the essence of faith, its spirit, and its perfection by perfecting presence (al-hudur) with Allah Almighty, and mindfulness of Him (muraqabatihi), encompassing fear of Him, love of Him, knowledge of Him, turning to Him, and sincerity to Him.

**Focus attention**

Meditation yields a surprising number of health benefits, including stress reduction, improved attention, better memory, and even increased creativity and feelings of compassion. But how can something as simple as focusing on a single object produce such dramatic results? Here’s what the growing body of scientific evidence is telling us about meditation and how it can change the way our brains function.

Before we get started it’s worth doing a quick review of what is actually meant by meditation. The practice can take on many different forms, but the one technique that appears most beneficial, and which also happens to be among the most traditional, is called mindfulness meditation, or focused attention.

Facebook.com/Articlesbyshumaila

***********************************************************************