marqaba

What is Muraqaba?By Shaykh Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi Patriarch, Sufi Order of Azeemia When we try to learn a new skill or try to gain knowledge about a specific subject, we follow a guideline or a system, which demands that we pay attention to the subject to fully understand it. Our mind becomes curious to know the where, how and what of it. When we pay attention to the minor details, that minor point itself gains value. However, when we ignore the most important part and do not pay any cognitive attention to it then even that major point loses its value and importance. Through contemplation we gain knowledge about any object and the deeper that knowledge, the more we learn about that object and its qualities. Muraqaba (Sufi meditation) is the name of that contemplation through which man is able to gain the knowledge which is the primordial knowledge of his Ego, Self, or Soul. After gaining that knowledge, any man can gain access to his Ego or Soul. It appears that the person performing Muraqaba (Sufi meditation) is simply sitting in a pose with his or her eyes closed. However, merely shutting the eyes and assuming a specific pose does not serve the purpose. Muraqaba (Sufi meditation) is in fact an angle of perception through which the person doing the Muraqaba (Sufi meditation) frees himself or herself from outward senses and begins their journey in the inward senses. Now we are going to look into whether or not the Muraqaba (Sufi meditation)-like conditions or states exist in us, without adopting the specific pose of Muraqaba (Sufi meditation). Freedom from outward senses happens in our daily life, both involuntarily and voluntarily. For example, we go to sleep and while sleeping our brain disconnects from outward senses. It is true that this disconnection is temporary however; this condition could not be termed as anything but disconnection from outward senses. Hence, we can say that Muraqaba (Sufi meditation) is in fact a way of imposing a state of sleeping without going to sleep. Every human being, from the time of birth to death spends life in two states. In other words, in the human mind there are two types of conditions that prevail every moment of our life. One of these conditions or state is wakening and the other sleeping or dreaming. In the wakening state, they are trapped in Time and Space while during dreaming they are free from the confines of spatiotemporal limitations. This freedom of Time and Space is sought through Muraqaba (Sufi meditation) by converting the state of sleeping or dreaming into an awakened state. Because during Muraqaba (Sufi meditation), a person goes through the same conditions that he or she goes through while sleeping or dreaming. The notion that dreams are nothing but thoughts is not correct. In all scriptures including the Quran (Koran), dreams have been mentioned. The dreams that were mentioned in the Quran show that the realm of dream is free from the restrictions imposed by Time and Space. When a person tries to impose the state of dreaming through Muraqaba (Sufi meditation), they free themselves from that spatiotemporal boundaries and they journey through the realm of dream the way they travel while fully wake. All existing things need foundation; without it they could not survive. This is not something that is hard to comprehend. For example the foundation of a chair is its legs. A house remains erect only when inside the earth its foundation is laid. Similarly, we can only learn a subject or a branch of knowledge when we know its basics. These basics (or formulas) are considered as the foundation of any branch of knowledge. God has revealed it in the Quran, Al-Lah is the Light of the heavens and earth.
In this Universe, there are several worlds and galaxies. The Essence and Reality of God is something only God knows or those with whom He has shared His Secrets. How much of this information God has shared with His chosen servants is not our concern. However, we do know that God created this entire universe for us humans. It is stated on several occasions in the Quran that the foundation of this universe is the Light (nur) of God. Based on this fact it is imperative that Man and all of his abilities be centered on one foundation. It is our daily observation that not all of our actions, motions, whims, thoughts, imaginations, and feelings are dependent on the body of bones and flesh. Because when the Spirit disconnects its link with the physical body then this body of bones and flesh is unable to act on its own. As long as the Spirit is attached with the body, all the needs, and functions necessary for life are present. In other words, Spirit (ruh) is the foundation of the body. According to the Quran(Koran), a limited knowledge of the Spirit is given. Nevertheless even this limited knowledge is still knowledge. What we are trying to emphasize is that what we consider Man is a body of bones and flesh, though that Man is nothing but fiction. The real Man is the one that protects that skeleton of flesh and keeps it in motion, whom the Quran calls ruh (Spirit). This ruh, in order to fulfill the needs of life uses a medium. We call this medium, chromosomes. In the Quran, God has said that, We poured Our ruh in him (Adam). In other words, ruh created a medium and after that gave him the senses. ruh is in fact a component of the Divine and in it all the knowledge of Divine Discretions and Attributes are present, which God so Willed. Just how this knowledge was acquired by the component, is a Divine Mystery, which could never be explained. There are eleven thousand generators (latifa, plural lataif) at work inside the Man. According to Sufism, there are eleven thousand Divine Names as well. Every Divine Name is an Attribute and every Divine Attribute is knowledge (ilm). This knowledge further expands into more and more spheres to become a manifestation of the Divine Attributes. To enter the unseen world (al-ghayb) or to behold anything beyond Time and Space, we have to first free ourselves from the clutches of spatiotemporal restrictions. This is only possible when the vision that sees Time and Space frees itself from its boundaries. To activate that vision, certain exercises have been created through which even if the human mind is not totally free at least it is able to come close to it. Now the next question is to how and when the human senses could be freed from that restriction. One example is the state of dreaming. Sleeping actually is getting freedom from the diurnal senses, which are Time and Space. When we go to sleep then our senses are transferred to a realm where the state of Time and Space do exist but not in the chronological order in which we spend our life. The Second way is that while wake human mind could focus on any object with full concentration. For example when we read an interesting book, we often lost track of the time. When we finally look at our watch, we then realized that so much time had elapsed, though we were not aware of it. In the Quran, the event of Moses receiving the Torah is mentioned in the following verse, And We promised Moses thirty nights and fulfilled it in forty nights. Day and night are mentioned in Quran in the following verses, And We enter night into the day and let the day enter into the night. We take the night out of the day and take the day out of the night. We cover the day onto night and night into the day When we contemplate these verses of Quran, we realized that day and night are in fact two senses. In other words, our life is divided into two senses. One of the senses is day the other one is night. During the day senses (diurnal senses) restricted with Time and Space while during night senses (nocturnal senses) we are free from these restrictions. The Divine Statement that We promised Moses thirty nights and fulfilled it in forty nights, is interesting. Because Moses did not simply spend forty nights there, his entire stay was forty days and forty nights. It was not that he was spending the nights at the place and coming back during the day. He did spend his entire stay at the Mount. Interestingly God did not mention days in the verse instead mentions only night. It clearly suggests that during those forty days and forty nights, Moses was under the influence of nocturnal senses. The same nocturnal senses, which free us from the restrictions of Time and Space. Hence, anyone who would impose the nocturnal senses during the period of day and night on themselves would be free from the confinement of Time and Space. This freedom from spatiotemporal restriction is the way to exploring the unseen realm and getting intuitive information. During a battle, an arrow injured Amirul Momineen Ali ibn abi Talib. It had entered his thigh and the pain was excruciating. The surgeons could not operate on it. Because of extreme pain he would not let them even touch it. One of his companions suggested to surgeons that they wait until Imam Ali began his prayer. When Imam Ali began his prayer, the surgeons were able to operate on him without him showing any sign of pain. By the time he was done with his prayers, Imam Ali realized that the surgeon had already performed the surgery and the wound had already been stitched. This event is another example of the negation of Time and Space. When Imam Ali started his prayers, his senses went from diurnal state into nocturnal state. The moment his mind entered the nocturnal senses his focus was shifted away from the diurnal senses (restriction and pain). The foundation of Spirituality is based on the reality that Man has two senses, two brains, and two lives. Just like the two sides of a coin, it has two sides.One life is restricted; the other one is free. Constrained life is day, wakefulness, and consciousness. On the other hand, free life is the name of night, joy, peace and the contentment of the heart. To gain that life the easiest method in Spirituality is Muraqaba (Sufi meditation). Muraqaba (Sufi meditation) is in fact the name of an exercise, effort and the angle of perception. Through it, anyone can enter the nocturnal senses while keeping the diurnal senses active as well.
Breathing
An excerpt from Muraqaba:The Art and Science of Sufi MeditationBy Sufi Master Khwaja Shamsuddin AzeemiIn the field of spiritual sciences there are number of exercises besides Muraqaba(sufi meditation)that help enhance the mental concentration. These exercises help reduce the flow of negative thoughts, which in turn lessens the mental confusion. When these extra exercises are done along with the Muraqaba(meditation) the mind gains the needed mental focus ahead of time and the positive effects of Muraqaba emerge earlier as well.Although there are plenty of these exercises available, in this chapter we are going to list only those that are easy to practice and their success rate are also great.
Breathing Exercises (pranayama)In the emotional ups and downs and in the overall nervous system, breathing has a very essential role. During different emotional states, the rate of respiration fluctuates. In tragic circumstances breathing could become a challenge as people often feel difficulty in breathing after hearing tragic news. On the other hand, during anger the rate goes up. During peaceful moments the style of breathing becomes totally different. During this state, breathing becomes balanced and its rate goes down. However when something suddenly comes as a shock then we all simply gasp for air. Spiritual abilities and breathing are closely inter related. According to spiritual science, breathing has two sides, ascending and descending. Inhaling is ascending movement while exhaling is descending. During the ascending mode, the person is closer to his or her spiritual state and in the descending mode moves towards the gravity. We are more close to our spiritual state when the inhaling is prolonged and the breath is retained longer then usual.When respiration stops then our link to the body is disconnected. That is why in order to enter the sub-conscious senses, breathing does not have to be stopped, but it must be slowed down. A living example is dreaming or a state of deep trance. In these conditions, a person does respire however; the style of breathing is noticeably different from that of a normal breathing pattern. The rate of breathing is slower and the inhaling takes longer as well. Exhaling on the other hand is shortened. In other words, when we are under the influence of inner senses not only our breathing slow down but the duration of inhaling increases as well.When this style of breathing is intentionally practiced then the subconscious state affects consciousness during the awakened state and its effects usually last longer.PRACTICE-1:Sit in a squat position.Keep your back straight, however avoid having any part of the body tense.Exhale from both nostrils so that the lungs are free from air.Slowly inhale through nostrils.When the lungs the lungs become full, exhale through the mouth without holding it.During exhaling keep your lips round as if whistling, without holding it.This exhaling and inhaling constitute one cycle. At the beginning start with eleven cycles and gradually go up to twenty-one.This exercise helps in controlling the movements of lung muscles and it increases the duration of inhaling. The rate of respiration during Muraqaba should be as low as possible. However, it is imperative that the rate of breathing should not be slowed intentionally. Otherwise, the focus would shift to the respiration instead of the Muraqaba. The best way to avoid that is to inhale and exhale slowly for a while before starting Muraqaba. That way the respiratory rate will drop automatically.PRACTICE-2: Sit in a squat position just like the practice-1 and put your forearms in the knees. Inhale slowly from both nostrils. When the chest is full of air then hold the breath for five seconds. Then exhale through the mouth similar to whistling style. After a few moments rest repeat the process for five times. Next day increase the total to seven until the total number of cycles reach eleven. At this point, increase the hold period from five to six seconds however the total number of cycles will remain eleven. When holding the breath for six seconds is not causing any mental or physical strain then increase it to seven seconds. Unless and until one reaches full command of the practice, keep the hold period to seven seconds. Gradually it should be increased to fifteen seconds, which the maximum allowed time for hold.PRACTICE-3:After sitting in the squat position as explained in the practice-1, closed the right nostrils using the right hand thumb and inhale through the left nostril for four seconds. Hold it for four seconds. Now using the last two fingers of your hand closed the left nostril while the right nostril is still closed with the thumb. In this way, the remaining two middle fingers will be resting between the eyebrows. At this point release only the thumb from the right nostril and exhale from that nostril for four seconds and without stopping inhale from it for four seconds. Again, hold it for four seconds and close the right nostril with the thumb. Then from the left nostril release those fingers and exhale for four seconds. This constitutes one cycle. After a few moments rest repeat it three times. Increase one cycle every day until you reach seven cycles.When doing seven cycles and four-second routine becomes comfortable, increase only the hold time to six seconds while the number of cycles will remain at seven. When holding the breath for six seconds and total numbers of cycles is done with ease then increase only the hold time for two more seconds and keep it increasing until the hold time reaches sixteen seconds.When the seven cycles and holding time of sixteen seconds get easy then increase the exhale time to eight seconds. Final figures should be four seconds inhaling, sixteen seconds holding and then eight seconds exhaling.Continue practicing with these figures.All respiratory exercises should be performed at least two and half-hours after a moderate meal. The best time for doing breathing exercises is pre-dawn. At that time not only we are mentally and physically alert but the ratio of oxygen in the air is also the highest. The electro-magnetic activity in the atmosphere is also at its zenith during that time.The second best time for breathing exercises is before going to bed at night.
Telepathy & Law of Vision
By Shaykh Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
Understanding the Law of Vision is indispensable before embarking upon learning the calisthenics of telepathy. Our existence is nothing but vision. When we concentrate on an object i.e., gaze steadily at it, eyes first absorb it then bring it to the mental screen. Subsequently the mind sees it, feels it and ascribes meanings to it. According to the Law of Vision when an object is gazed, the image of that object is retained on the screen of the mind for fifteen seconds and with the act of blinking it gradually slides into memory and is replaced by some other image.
When the vision is focused on an object for more than fifteen seconds the same image keeps on recurring on the screen of the mind, registering itself in the memory. For instance when something is gazed for a long interval of time without blinking the eyes, the ability to transfix the vision infuses in the mind, putting an end to the mental distractions. Gradually this practice enables the exerciser to control his thoughts and eventually the movement of an object according to his will. It means that the concentration of vision generates the will power and it is with will power that we are able to perform various tasks.
The basic principle of telepathy is to enable us to focus one's vision on one particular point. For attaining concentration, some goal is also required to be there. Higher the concentrations, the stronger the will-power will be helping achieve the desired outcome.
When a telepathist intends to reflect his thoughts on the screen of some other person's mind, that thought is transferred to that person and he takes these thoughts as one of his own. When the recipient is a person with an undistracted mind, the thought after passing through the phases of conception and feelings becomes a manifestation. If one thought is transmitted repeatedly, the mind of the recipient receives it even if he is not attentive. Concentration helps make a thought manifested.
Telepathy is not simply the knowledge of transferring thoughts but we can fill our life with pleasant ideas after studying our life with the help of this knowledge. Life itself is a gamut of urges, desires and wishes. It is mostly a compounded mixture of wishes and urges. The first urge encountered after birth is the feeling of hunger. When the mother brings her child to her bosom he starts feeding himself as if he had learned it in the womb of the mother.
Growth is another name for achievement and fulfillment of desires. Wishes are fulfilled in two ways. One is the conscious fulfillment and the other is the unconscious. The consciousness and unconsciousness are two sides of a single coin. Impressions of thoughts and ideas on one side are bright and clear and on the other they are dim and unclear. The side with bright and clear impressions is known as unconsciousness, and the side with dim and dull impressions is called the consciousness.
In spirituality, student is made to observe within bright and clear thoughts; time and space are not there. On the other hand unclear and vague thoughts are confined in time and space at every step of the way.
When we analyze an urge and its eventual fulfillment, we come to know that ascribing different meanings to an urge makes it appear differently in reality. For instance hunger is an urge and its fulfillment is to eat something. One individual satisfies his appetite by eating bread and meat, the other with something else. A lion does not eat grass. A goat does not eat meat. One likes sweets the other is fond of salty foods.
No one can deny the fact that sorrow and happiness are directly related with thoughts. Some thoughts are very pleasing and others are very disturbing. Fear, fright, dubiety, jealousy, greed, grief, hatred, malice, showing off, false pride and vanity are all products of our thoughts. In the same way love, affection, faith, humility, modesty and sacrifice and feelings of are also thoughts.
Sometimes suddenly a thought flashes that an accident may be faced by us or by one of our children. Although no accident has actually taken place, this thought causes us to experience all the agony of an accident. Similar is the case of happiness and a happy life. When a thought after becoming an imagination, falls on a point where the images of happiness and prosperity are present, we experience happiness from within. Grief and joy are associated with imaginations and the imagination comes from the thoughts.