Ash Sheikh S.H.M.Faleel
“Mindfulness” is a set of psychological skills for effective living, based on a special way of paying attention: with flexibility, openness, curiosity, and warmth. A hot topic in Western psychology, mindfulness us increasingly recognized as an effective way to increase fulfilment, reduce stress, raise self-awareness, enhance emotional intelligence, and undermine destructive emotive, cognitive, and behavioral processes.
In the Islamic context, mindfulness is the virtue of ‘Muraqabah ’ , a word which is derived from the root meaning “to watch, observe, regard attentively. we can see the close etymological and linguistic proximity between “Mindfulness” and Muraqabah . As a technical spiritual term, it is defined as “the constant knowledge of the servant and conviction in the supervision of the Truth, glory be to Him, over one’s outward and inward states. That is, a Muslim in a state of muraqabah is in continuous full knowledge that Allah is Aware of him or her, inwardly and outwardly. It is a complete state of vigilant self-awareness in one’s relationship with Allah in heart, mind, and body.
The practice of exercising mindfulness in the Islamic context of muraqabah , can help train our minds to become more disciplined and can thereby enhance our regular worship and daily activities.
The basis of Muraqabah is our knowledge that Allah is always watching us at all times and, as a consequence, we develop greater attention and care for our own actions, thoughts, feelings, and inner states of being. As Allah said, “Remember that God knows what is in your souls, so be mindful of Him.” We call it as ‘Ihsan’.When The Prophet asked about Ihsan he replied, “It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you.” (Narrated by Muslim)
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.
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.
According to Islamic way of life mindfulness or Muraaqaba can be achieved by following tools:
Dhikr (remembrance of Allah)
Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (Surah Ar-Ra’d: 28.)
41.“O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.42. And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon [the early morning (Fajr) and ‘Asr prayers].43. He it is Who sends Salat (His blessings) on you, and His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive you), that He may bring you out from darkness (of disbelief and polytheism) into light (of Belief and Islamic Monotheism). And He is Ever Most Merciful to the believers.44. Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be “Salam: Peace (i.e. the angels will say to them: Salamu ‘Alaikum)!” And He has prepared for them a generous reward (i.e. Paradise).” Surah Al-Ahzab
- Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding.191. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): “Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire. 192. “Our Lord! Verily, whom You admit to the Fire, indeed, You have disgraced him, and never will the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers) find any helpers. Surah Ale-Imran
Thazkiyathu An Nafs (Purification of the heart)
The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from the spoils). Surah Ash-Shu’ara’88,89.
“Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart” (Sahih Bukhari Vol. 1, Book 2, Hadith 50
Thilawathul Qur’an (Reciting the Qur’an with deep sense)
Reading the Quran itself, which has been named “the Remembrance” ( Al-Dhikr ), is one of the most powerful and rewarding forms of meditation, as Allah said, “This is a blessed Scripture, which We have sent down to you, so that people may think about its messages and those with understanding take heed”
- So, when the Qur’an is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy. (Surah Al-A’raf )
- Do they not then think deeply in the Qur’an, or are their hearts locked up (from understanding it)? (Surah Muhammad)
Salah (Prayers)
Prayer itself is a form of meditation if performed correctly, and the more one studies mindfulness, the more one is reminded of the character of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him). when the Prophet ﷺ Prayed Tahajjud,(night prayers) he would recite Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Ali `Imran and Surah An Nisa’,which are the longest chapters in Quraan, in a deliberate and slow manner. One can only imagine how long he would spend with Allah (swt) in prayer. It is reported that his feet would swell and crack. He was so connected to Allah (Swt) that he would lose track of time. It is no wonder that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called prayer the coolness of his eyes.
Allah emphasizes about the importance of the prayers in the life of a man:
“1. Successful indeed are the believers. 2. Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness 3. And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allah has forbidden).” (Surah Al-Mu’minun)
“36. In houses (mosques), which Allah has ordered to be raised (to be cleaned, and to be honored), in them His Name is glorified in the mornings and in the afternoons or the evenings. 37. Men whom neither trade nor sale divert them from the Remembrance of Allah (with heart and tongue), nor from performing As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), nor from giving the Zakat. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned (from the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection).” Surah An-Nur
Allah has condemned in the Quran those who are heedless of their prayer and Those who make show [of their deeds] those who do good deeds only to be seen (of men)-Surah Al-Maa’oon :4-6
“Truly man was created very impatient;-(19) Irritable (discontented) when evil touches him;(20) And when good touches him, withholding [of it],(21) Except the observers of prayer -(22) Those who remain constant in their Salat (prayers);(23) And those within whose wealth is a known right(24) For the beggar who asks, and for the unlucky who has lost his property and wealth, (and his means of living has been straitened);(25) And those who believe in the Day of Judgment,(26) And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord -(27)” (Surah Al-Ma’arij)
Islam’s version of mindfulness – Khushoo, particularly Khushoo in respect to the daily prayers. Khushoo means concentration and humility in worship (particularly prayers) while wholeheartedly fighting away any distractions. To attain Khushoo a person must be able to forget the world and be in the moment. One must be totally mindful that they are standing before God and engaged in worship of Him. If one is able to do this, they are then able to pray wholeheartedly and reap the rewards for doing so. They are also able to acquire traits that will hold them in good stead in their worldly lives. Having Khushoo or being mindful has been scientifically proven to be a crucial step for disentangling our minds from those ruminative thoughts. When we pray we are told that we are standing before Allah s.w.t., and as such we should give our full concentration to Him. Muslims are able to begin each day on a high note by practicing mindfulness with the first prayer of the day. Prophet Muhammad. He said to his companion; make the call to prayer so that we might be comforted by praying
Perfection-(Ithqaan, Ihsaan)
Striving for perfection or giving one’s, best is one of the characteristics of Islam.
Prophet (Sal) said that “Verily Allah has prescribed Ihsan (proficiency, perfection) in all things.” (Sahih Muslim)
The Prophet says, “Allah loves to see his servant who does a job with Itqan (meticulously).” (Narrated by Al-Tabarani)
Thus, the value of Ihsan here must spur in us a “give-our-best” spirit to attain and produce the best and excellent result in our every endeavor. Mindfulness requires the concentration.
Finally, Mindfulness exercise is not about experiencing spiritual ecstasy, even though sometimes the practice leads to pleasurable feelings. Many people attempt to meditate or engage in mindfulness practices only because they want to feel a spiritual high, but the feeling is not the point. It is about practice—training ( Riyadah )—in the same way we exercise our bodies; sometimes exercise feels good, an added bonus for sure, but the main purpose is to accumulate health and strength. Similarly, mindfulness exercise is a means of accumulating mental strength and, in conjunction with an Islamic framework, spiritual strength.
