What is Muraqba/Meditation?

"Muraqba is where we perceive our own selves. The past and future also become present before us, and with the help of these insightful rays, a happy and prosperous life prevails upon us completely." Khawaja Shamsud Din Azeemi

Muraqba differs from ordinary meditation, as practiced in some parts of the world, where the latter is a process in which the human mind concentrates on a spot materialistically, encompassing waves of light onto a central point, in order to induce its effect. For example, scientifically, a prism is used to refract light rays (consisting of 7 colors) resulting in producing extremely powerful rays, which can burn objects. Meditation is then a limited skill, which helps one to understand the material sphere.

Muraqba, as transcendental meditation, is a spiritual act, in which the focus of the act for mental concentration is the Almighty Creator (Allah/God), who is the most knowledgeable. We concentrate our thoughts to establish contact with Allah, so that we can be aware of all the knowledge present within the Universe. Belief is vital to all spiritual and universal knowledge, since every intention and every act is illuminated by the lights of belief.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (PBUH), spent a large proportion of the early part of his life in the cave of Hira, upon a mountain. Here, he used to practice transcendental meditation (Muraqba) and his training by God was conducted through the angel Jib rail (Gabriel). It takes nearly four hours to reach the top of the mountain, to enter Hira. The Holy Quran is the book, which contains the laws of nature and prophet hood was declared at the age of 40.

Can we do Muraqba/Meditation?

Yes, we can. We need to look at the spiritual lives of the Prophets of Allah, who used to perform meditation regularly, for establishing and maintaining links with the Almighty. And, to know God, we need to concentrate on our thoughts. Thoughts reach us by means of light and we refer to them as thoughts, ideas, imaginations etc. What should be noted here is that the patterns of thinking in all creatures have one point in common. It is this common point or location which informs us of the presence of other creatures.

For Muslims, this common point is Allah. Prophets, peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all, are our teachers and leaders. We have to follow their teachings and practices to be successful. Hence, the practice of Muraqba is simply an act of following our Prophets' (PBUH) teaching. We learn from teachers at schools and colleges in order to gain success in obtaining worldly knowledge, and important concepts and skills. Similarly, we are obliged to follow our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and practice his example, as he himself did for many years in the mountain cave. Even in the Holy Quran, the importance of Muraqba has been mentioned, as in the following verse:

"And remember the name of your Lord. Cut your attachments and devote yourselves entirely to him" (chapter LXXIII, Section 13-a1-Muzammil).

Every word and sentence of the Holy Quran is a law of nature for every human being, both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. These laws operate for the whole universe. There are many planets composed of different elements, but the fundamentals of law as described in the Holy Quran apply to all of them. However, its application depends on the nature and environment of the particular location in the universe, being distinguished by different compositions. This message has been mentioned in the Holy Quran several times. "There is no change in following God’s commandments"

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