Centre for Meditation in Islam

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.


Does Islam Permit Meditation?
--------------------------------
A Muslim need not go to any Ashram for meditation if he knows how to perform Salat. Salat is a meditation of the highest order but most Muslims have forgotten it. They read Namaz or recite Namaz or even offer Namaz but they do not meditate in it though it is a pre-requisite. A Salat does not even start without the state of meditation. The Prophet instructed a person in Salat 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 Salat with a state of meditation, the voice of the Imam seems to be coming from a spiritual source. The words of the Qur’an (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 Allahu Akbar and the Tasbihat of Ruku' and Sajda etc. They all work wonders in a state of trance. They are autosuggestions. An individual Salat (Sunnah and Nafl) is based completely on autosuggestions where there is no outside voice but his own recitation works as autosuggestion. Remember what Qur’an said about Zikr (Remembrance and not merely chanting)? "Beware! In remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace" (13:28) Salat, 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’an proclaims: "Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee and establish Regular Salat: for Salat 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’an announces that Salat will prevent you from shameful and unjust deeds. Please note that it is not said that a person offering Salat should restrain himself from committing shameful acts and unjust deeds. Salat 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’an cannot be false. They in fact did not offer Salat in the prescribed manner. It is high time that camps of teaching Salat with meditation be organised. Alas all our books of Salat procedures, Salat taught to the children by elders in their homes and even Salat 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.
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.
“Dhikr is remembrance of God and often consists of the repetition of God’s name. It can be silent or vocal, private or shared by a group, and is sometimes done in conjunction with breathing exercises or a movement designed to disrupt normal consciousness.

Meditation
-----------
Meditation is a discipline in which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. It often involves turning attention to a single point of reference. Meditation is recognized as a component of almost all religions, and has been practiced for over 5,000 years. It is also practiced outside religious traditions. Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual and/or psychophysical practices which may emphasize different goals -- from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.The word meditation originally comes from the Indo-European root med-, meaning "to measure." From the root med- are also derived the English words mete, medicine, modest, and moderate. It entered English as meditation through the Latin meditation, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, then later evolved into the more specific meaning "contemplation.Meditation is not well understood. If it were, it would be practiced with the same regularity with which people take care of the other elements of their lives. This brief article explains the value of this idea of doing nothing as a way to experience inner depth and wisdom. The inner person has often been called the soul. This is like a seed. This seed carries the power of life. It also has potentiality that is not known. Sometimes we glimpse this potentiality in those who have been known to do miraculous things, like the saints of certain religions. The urge for life is the evidence of this seed. Life is not a mere mechanical arrangement like the wiring in a house whose electrical current “animates” various devices. Life is much deeper and more mysterious. A mystery we label as consciousness. This seed, like the shoot of a young plant, seeks always to grow. And like the young plant, it is vulnerable to the pressures of the environment and to survive must build its inner strength. Pausing then to simply be and to notice that experience of individuality, we build our inner strength and fortify it from the depersonalizing pressure of society. When this mechanism of survival is not conscious, we create a psychological shell and habits that protect. Yet when we become more aware, we awaken to our own process. Putting it another way, conscious living does not usurp the function of the unfolding seed, but instead awakens it to its own process. In this way, we do not conduct our lives as if from the outer rim of ourselves. When we affirm the value of the private person within ourselves, we make life an adventure worth living.

Quranic Verses Encouraging Meditation
-----------------------------------------
[3:17] They are steadfast, truthful, submitting, charitable, and meditators at dawn.
[9:112] 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.
[17:79-80] 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."
[25:63-66] 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."
[26:217-220] 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.
[39:9] 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.
[50:39-40] ... praise and glorify your Lord before sunrise, and before sunset. During the night you shall meditate on His name, and after prostrating.


Course, Duration & Location
----------------------------
Option -13 day course at the Mangrove Trail in Payyannur cost Rs1500/- or US$37/- per person. 2 hours each day 0700hrs to 0900hrs on Saturday, Sunday & Monday.Nestled near the beautiful Ezhimala Mountains, on a stretch of impenetrable Mangrove forest of great extent and biodiversity landscaped by great tidal creeks and water ways. The course is conducted in open air surrounded by Mangrove Forest.


Postures
----------
Any posture with a straight back could be effective in meditation.

Directors Message
-------------------
Dear Friend,Meditation in Islam is essential as it helps to concentrate more on prayers & deeds by which you enjoy the maximum blessings of praying to Almighty God.Centre for Meditation in Islam conducts courses on Meditation in Islam involving breathing exercises in conjunction with dhikr, audio support of Quran & carefully fearless way of living through which devotion, duty, dedication & determination improves along with a stress free positive experience.I welcome you to experience this wonderful system of living.Happiness is Submission to God AloneAssalamu Alaikum

Riaz Usman


Contact us
-----------
Centre for Meditation in IslamUSMAN'S, MRA A70,Marudhankuzhy, Trivandrum,Kerala, India - 695030Tel: +91 471 2364002Mobile: +91 9846573596, 9846846865
Email: riaz1964@gmail.com