Muraqabah

Let’s start from within.

Take a moment and consider:

We are a shimmering beacon of light, a spirit, pure consciousness that existed before our physical arrival into the world.

This spirit, our core identity, is perfect, beautiful, and constantly in the presence of Allah.

It does not belong to this world but is a visitor assigned the noble task of spreading goodness.

Everything wholesome, pure, and good about us springs from this spiritual identity.

Consider the breath – a wondrous, subtle gift from Allah.

As we breathe oxygen, enriching our hearts with life-nourishing elements, our hearts thrive and radiate life to our entire body.

The lungs, like trees, swell, and contract, taking in the life-giving oxygen and giving out the waste.

This miraculous process continues irrespective of our awareness, powered by the heart that beats incessantly in our chest, fueling the very essence of life.

Our hearts are precious to Allah.

The Qu’ran teaches us that Allah does not gaze at our bodies or wealth, rather, He looks upon our hearts and deeds.

So, we are challenged to shift our awareness to God’s gaze - placing our hearts at the center of our focus.

Using this awareness, let’s widen our perception, moving from ourselves to our surroundings.

Everything we perceive, every sound, every detail, and each person sharing the moment with us are all proofs of Allah’s creation, reminding us of His presence.

This extends to nature that supports us, like the nurturing earth beneath us and the protective sky above us.

It’s all interconnected and designed to benefit us.

Looking beyond the physical, the Qu’ran teaches that there are extra sensory organs that give us insights beyond this physical world.

These are activated and cultivated through remembrance (Dhikr), and meditations (Fikr), allowing us to perceive the absolute reality instead of transient sensory experiences.

We’re encouraged to remember and recognize Allah’s reality in every state - standing, sitting, or lying down.

By doing this, we activate our inner sensory organs, and they, in turn, empower us to perceive and interact with the world meaningfully and profoundly.

This constant state of awareness and mindfulness, the practice of Dhikr, brings us closer to Allah.

Fikr, on the other hand, involves quiet contemplation upon the creation of the heavens and Earth, bringing us closer to appraising the beauty, complexity, and profoundness of Allah’s creation.

Today, let’s cultivate Muraqabah (mindfulness) and through that awareness, come to a fuller understanding of our purpose, our connection to each other, and our unequivocal link to Allah.