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It is pity that so much effort is being
wasted in transcendental meditation (TM) to revive human consciousness (the
soul) to the supreme Reality of the Universe. A cursory study of history shows
that this technique was never really effective even in the old days and was only
confined to a few hermits and Rishis. It was an intellectual exercise of the
mind which was practiced by a very few individuals of very high calibre to
quench their thirst for the Divine Union and was practically beyond the
comprehension of the common man in the street. It is a mental exercise which
quietens the mind so long as the person is in that state of meditation but has
no permanent effect which can give an individual peace of mind in a practical
way.
Transcendental meditation (TM) without any conscious objective cannot bring
permanent peace of mind It is a negative approach to human problems and history
bears witness to the fact that such intellectual and mental exercises have never
achieved anything permanent. It has, however, a temporary effect. It is true
that one experiences a soothing effect when in the state of transcendental
meditation, but this effect is not confined to this method alone. Any kind of
mental exercise, in TM in Subdue, or in any other form, will effect the body's
physiology and thereby cause changes in an electroencephalogram (EEG or brain
waves) and produce similar effects. But it is yet to be proved that such changes
do produce any effect of a permanent
nature. The human mind is affected by various kinds of creative mental exercises
(based on the science of creative intelligence) but such exercises have long
been confined to intellectuals or hermits among Hindus or Christians. They are
beyond the comprehension of ordinary individuals. Moreover, mental exercises
which provide some temporary comfort to an individual cannot be effectively used
to solve the complicated problems of mankind.
Above all, it is a mental exercise in a vacuum without any conscious objective
or goal. One practises T.M without any clear goal before him going from nowhere
to nowhere and such an exercise cannot really be expected to produce fruitful
and beneficial results of any permanent value. In the olden days, Rishis and
hermits did practice it, but they had a clear vision of their objective. They
wanted to achieve nearness to their Creator through creative reflections
meditations It was not an exercise in a vacuum, like modern T.M. But even this
did not achieve very encouraging results for it remained an
intellectual luxury of the few and was never considered a recipe for the ills of
mankind..
Now the question arises: do we need such mental exercises for fun, or momentary
excitement and comfort, or something which may provide a real solution to our
problems? Obviously mankind is in need of something positive, practical and
realistic that may help to secure peace, and happiness at individual as well as
at national level. People have lost peace of mind through over-indulgence in
pleasures and neglect of their celestial and spiritual needs. A philosophy of
life which can bring proper coordination and understanding between the physical
and spiritual needs of man could solve many of the problems that face him today.
Man has lost his relationship with the Creator and is new wandering around in
the wilderness of abstract thinking in search of peace. Surely he can regain his
peace of mind through re-establishing his link with his Creator. And the
shortest route to renew their relationship is to open dialogue with Him through
prayers.
It seems very likely that there exists every intimate relationship between the
performance of prayer and Divine favors. Presumably the physical postures and
movements of prayer have a deep significance and important function in
revitalizing and re-igniting the potential of enlightenment and energy inherent
in every man. Prayer is composed of four main postures or movements of the body,
i.e., qiy'am, ruku, sajdah and qaadah. It is very important that these four
movements in the prayer are performed exactly in the same manner as taught by
the Messenger of God. We offer our prayer to God because the Holy Prophet told
us to do so. It is, therefore, absolutely essential that it must be performed in
its every detail in the way it was performed by the Messenger of God himself.
Prayer is an obligatory duty and mere performance of it will no doubt absolve a
believer of his duty to God, but if he wants to nourish and develop his self and
soul, he must perform it in the way it was performed by the Messenger of God
himself. The Holy Prophet laid great emphasis on the right performance of every
act of prayer. Qiy'am must be performed properly; one must not bend forward or
backward or lean sidewards but stand straight with eyes fixed at the place of
sajdah and not looking around. Ruku must be moderate, neither too low nor too
high but in line with the body as taught by the Holy prophet. There must be a
reasonable gap between ruku and sajdah and between the two sajdahs, as advised
by the Holy Prophet.
The importance of the proper performance of each part of prayer is emphasised by
the Holy Prophet o Anas reported God's Messenger as saying, " perform the bowing
and the prostration properly, for I swear by God that I can see you behind me"
According to Abu Masud A1 Ansari the Messenger of God said, "A man's prayer do
not avail him unless he keeps his back steady when bowing and prostrating
himself." (1) Abu Qatada reported the Messenger of God as saying, "The one who
commits the worst theft is he
who steals from his prayer." When asked how one could steal from his prayer, he
replied, "By not performing his bowing and prostration perfectly".
There are details of qiy'am, ruku and sajdah in the hadith to help the believers
to offer their prayer perfectly. According to A'isha, "God's Messenger used to
begin prayer with takbir and the recitation of Surah Fatiha when he bowed, he
neither kept his head up nor bent it down, but kept it between these extremes;
when he raised his head after bowing he did not prostrate himself until he had
stood erect; when he raised his head after prostration he did not prostrate
himself again until he was in the proper sitting position."
If there is any slackness on the part of a believer in performance of any part
of prayer, his prayer becomes void and he does not gain anything from it.
According to Abu Hurairah, a man entered the mosque when the Messenger of God
was sitting in it and
offered his prayer. He then came and said, " peace be upon you" and God's
Messenger replied, " peace be upon you. Go back and offer your prayer, for you
have not prayed." He returned and prayed, then came and said, "peace be upon
you." The Messenger of
God replied, And peace be upon you. Go back and pray again, for you have not
Prayed.." On the third or fourth occasion he said, "Teach me, Messenger of good
God." So he said, "When you turn to the qibla and say, Allah u Akbar, then
recite a convenient
portion of the Quran; then bow and remain quietly in that position; then raise
yourself and stand erect; then prostrate yourself and remain quietly in that
position; then raise yourself and sit quietly."
This hadith confirms our assumption that performance of each part of prayer
properly and perfectly as taught by the Holy Prophet is essential. Any variation
or alteration in the performance of any part of prayer from what was taught by
the Holy Prophet renders it a meaningless exercise.
This great emphasis on the proper performance of prayer, even in minute details,
is a testimony to the fact that there is a close relationship between the
various postures and movements in prayer and the acquisition of Divine favors
and enlightenment. The Holy Prophet emphasized again and again the deep
significance of the actual performance of the different parts of prayer. It must
therefore be performed exactly in the way it was taught by the Holy Prophet,
otherwise it will not be a prayer but an exercise of the body performed to
please yourself or just an habitual act.
There seems to be an intimate relationship between the movements of prayer and
Divine blessings. If it is offered perfectly, then it help man to benefit from
his inner potential energy in the development of his self and his soul. In daily
prayer, God has given man the shortest and the quickest method of obtaining His
Grace and Blessings. People in the past have spent ages, and sometimes, all
their lives, to obtain a glimpse of His Glory and many have failed and died in
the wilderness of disillusionment. A very few have received some form of
enlightenment after years of hard and strenuous effort. People have starved
themselves to annihilate their physical self in order to strengthen their soul
and receive Divine Enlightenment, but without success. Some have spent all their
lives with very little food and water in the jungles and in the valleys of
mountains in the hope of rekindling and rejuvenating the dying light in their
souls but with no, or only partial, success.
Prayer is a wonderful gift of God. There is no need in Islam to go to the
mountains or jungles to kill your physical self in order to obtain dhyan
(unbroken concentration) and through these forms of selfannihilation to reach
for salvation. Prayer provides all the essential requisites for preparing the
mind and transforming it into an extraordinary state capable of receiving the
Divine Light. It provides physical as well as mental exercise in such a balanced
way that neither is ignored over-emphasized. This harmonious functioning of body
and mind at the correct level and in the most balanced way is achieved only
through prayer. All the movements of the body from the standing position to the
prostrating position, are the expression of the extreme humility of the body
before the Supreme Being. It is, in fact, total submission of the physical self
before the Supreme Authority. Recitation of Divine words and praises of God in
prayer have a cumulative effect on the mental powers of man, And in this process
of submission of the body and the mind to the Divine Will through the
synchronization of movements and recitation of the Quranic verses in prayer, the
spiritual power of man becomes stronger and gains full control over the physical
self and gradually lifts it up to the Supreme Being.
This process of the total submission of the body and the mind before the
Ultimate Authority is explained in the words of the Holy Qur 'an: "When you
threw (a handful of dust), it was not your act, but God's. " (8:17) The action
of the Holy Prophet in throwing
stones at his enemies was entirely in obedience to the Command of God and there
was no personal motive or any realisation of his own physical self. In fact
every action of the faithful servants of God, performed in obedience to His
Command, can be ascribed to God Himself.
According to Abu Hurairah, the Holy Messenger said: "God says, 'My servant
becomes closer to Me by performing those deeds which are obligatory on him And
he gets close to Me through constant observance of optional (nafila) prayer
until he becomes My beloved. When he becomes My beloved, I become his ears
through which hears, his eyes through which he sees, and his hand with which he
holds, and his feet with which he walks." This hadith shows that all the powers
of his body and mind come under the Guidance of God and man attains very close
relationship with his Lord.
This harmonious working of the body and the mind helps in concentrating and
thereby activating the latent energies of the physical self. This process
gradually transforms the centrifugal ( out-going ) forces operating in mind and
body into centripetal (inward-going) and unifying forces which lift man from the
world of matter into the world of spirit
and show him glimpses of the boundless spiritual world. In the course of the
transformation of the concealed energies of the physical self into active
unifying forces, the mind is slowly but surely released from the limitations of
the physical self and is then able to conceive and grasp the meaning of the
manifestations of the Supreme Being.
At this stage, man is fully prepared and ready, provided he maintains the
standard of performance of his prayer, to receive the Blessings and Favours of
the Supreme Power. In other words, he has reached the stage where he is in a
position to establish close communion with God. And why not? After all, man
represents the two important aspects of God's Creation, as stated by the Holy
Quran in these words "That which I have created with both My Hands." (38:75)
"Both hands" refers to the two aspects of God's Creation. He has a physical
body, which makes him one of the animals, and he has a soul, which makes him
supreme over all other creation, including angels. When he is at his best in
prayer, he leaps towards his spiritual world and establishes close contact with
his Lord. And this is confirmed by a
hadith, according to which a Muslim achieves audience with God (hudhur) in
prayer. "Prayer is Miraj of the believers" Muslim jurists have taken this hadhur
to mean the presence of angels in prayer.
This may be explained in another way. The harmonious working of body and mind
helps to awaken the Spiritual or super-sensory powers in man. The greater the
harmony between the former two forces of man, the stronger the awakening of the
super-sensory power in man. The proper balance between the triangular forces of
body, mind and spirit acts like an electrical wire, which transfers the
necessary electrical current from the main generating station to the electrical
lamp. Just as it is unthinkable to transfer electricity direct from the main
power house to a small electric lamp, similarly it is inconceivable to receive
Divine Light or communion with God without proper harmony between the afore said
forces.
It may, therefore, be said that an harmonious functioning of the triangular
forces in man is absolutely necessary before any progress can be made in this
direction. Unless body, mind and spirit ( or the soul) are properly functioning
in harmony, it is not possible for man to rekindle his soul from the Light of
the Power of God or to achieve any sort of close communion with Him. People have
in the past adopted various methods to achieve this harmonious functioning of
the triangular forces within the self but have often taken years for very little
or partial success.
Islam has given man a very short but effective recipe in the form of prayer to
achieve the required harmony between the triangular forces within him. Just
study the form and the words of the prayer and how it is performed, and you will
notice the wonderful combination it provides for body, mind and soul which no
other religion or system has yet suggested. This process of the activation of
spiritual or super-sensory powers in man can also be explained in this
way. Man is a psychosomatic organism- he has a body, which is the external part
of him and a mind, which is the internal part of him
His body is composed of matter which, in the ultimate physical analysis,
consists of atoms. His mind represents the entire world of ideas, beliefs,
hopes, fears and aspirations. All these belong to the world of consciousness, ie,
the inner side of man.
This consciousness (mind) of man play a vital role in relating the soul of man
to his environment. In other words, it is a vital factor in relating spirit to
matter.
There are thus two worlds in man: the physical, represented by body and, the
spiritual, represented by mind. The latter belongs to the invisible world which
exists side by side with the visible world disclosed by sense perception. The
latter is dimensional while the former is extra-dimensional. Internally man
belongs to the invisible world, that is to say, his soul or spirit belongs to
that world, externally he belongs to the visible world, that is to say, his body
belongs to that world, but through consciousness man is related to both the
Worlds. If a man looks within his self he moves towards higher levels of
consciousness and a deeper understanding of spiritual values. If, on the other
hand, he devotes himself to the external world of matter, he tends to move away
from the higher Spiritual values to the lower values of the visible world.
Regular prayer helps to attain the right equilibrium between the spiritual and
the material worlds of man. He lives in the world of matter, works in it for his
livelihood and satisfies all his material needs, but, at the same time, he keeps
his link with the spiritual world and further strengthens it. Prayer enables him
to develop and widen his
perception of the extra dimensional spiritual world to such an extent that he is
able to perceive and understand the things of a higher level of consciousness
which he could hardly visualize before. Establishment of prayer will strengthen
the extradimensional powers of man to such a degree that he will be able to
establish close relationship with the Ultimate Power.
It must, however, be emphasized that this link cannot be maintained without the
establishment of regular prayer. Prayer is the means as well as the end. It
helps man to establish and maintain his link with God. If the institution of
prayer or its proper performance is lost, the link with the spiritual world will
automatically be cut off. Man has not yet known any other effective means of
establishing and then maintaining his relationship with God. It is like a wire,
as explained before, connected with the main Generator. As soon as the wire is
disconnected from the main source of power, the
light goes off, and all is darkness again. This wire is prayer.
Thus prayer, through multifarious ways beyond human comprehension, acts and
reacts on the human mind until the latter is enlightened spiritually with the
Nur (Ultimate Light) of the Universe. As all men do not possess similar or equal
power, their personal experiences may very considerably. Each man gains this
experience according to his own internal as well as external powers. But regular
prayer does provide opportunities to every believer to develop his latent
energies within his self according to his potentialities and thereby establish
his link with God. The greater the perfection in the performance of prayer, the
closer the relationship with God.
Communion with the Divine Being is attained when prayer is performed perfectly
and properly in body, mind and soul as instructed by the Holy Prophet. This is
why the Holy Prophet said that prayer was a miraj for believers. It provides an
opportunity to believers to have a direct and close relationship with God as did
the Holy Prophet during the night of the mi raj. This is also explained by
another hadith when the Holy Prophet said "When you perform prayer, think that
you are standing in front of God and seeing Him with your eyes. And if it is not
possible for you to see Him, at least think that He is seeing you" When one
achieves this miraj in prayer, he is bound to rise far above the physical
barriers of this ethereal world and enter into the world of the unknown,
experiencing new and wonderful things which he could never think of in his
ordinary state of mind. The Companions of the Holy Prophet often experienced
this in their prayer.
Anas used to perform long ruku and sujud; people often thought he had forgotten
that he was offering his prayer. Abdullah bin Zubair often stood in qiyam like a
lifeless pillar and spent so much time in sajdah that pigeons of Baitullah sat
on his back taking it to be an inanimate object. once two Companions of the Holy
Prophet were on night sentry duty on the battlefield. One was sleeping and the
other stood in prayer. One arrow struck him while he was in prayer. He was
bleeding but he completed prayer. After completing his prayer, he woke up his
colleague on duty and told him that he was reciting one surah of the Holy Quran
when the arrow struck him but he did not want to finish prayer without
completing that surah. Once an arrow struck Ali; It was very deep and could not
be pulled out. Ali asked his companion to pull it out while he was in prayer. He
offered two rakat prayer and the arrow was pulled out of his leg, but he
continued his prayer without feeling any pain.
Dr. Iqbal recognises the human quest for a Divine mission in these words. "But
as I have said before, religious ambition sees higher than the ambition Of
philosophy. Religion is not satisfied with mere conception; it seeks a
more intimate knowledge of and association with the object of its pursuit. (God)
. The agency through which this association is achieved is the act of worship,
ending in a spiritual illumination. The act of worship, however, affects
different types of consciousness differently. In the case of the prophetic
consciousness, it is mainly creative, ie, tends to create a fresh ethical world
wherein the Prophet, so to speak, applies the pragmatic test to his revelations
Thus you will see that, psychologically speaking, prayer is instructive in its
origin. The act of prayer, aiming at knowledge, resembles reflection Yet prayer
at its highest is much more than abstract reflection. Like reflection it too is
a process of assimilation, but the assimilative process in the case of prayer
draws itself closely together and thereby acquires a power unknown to pure
thought. In thought, the mind observes and follows the working of reality; in
the act of prayer it ceases to be a seeker of slow-footed universability and
rises higher than thought towards Reality itself, becoming a conscious
participator in its life. There is nothing mystical about it. Prayer, as a means
of spiritual illumination, is a normal, vital act by which the little island of
our personality suddenly discovers its situation in a larger whole."
"Do not think I am talking of auto-suggestion. Auto suggestion has nothing to do
with the opening up of the sources of life that lie in the depths of the human
ego. Unlike spiritual illumination which brings fresh power by shaping the human
personality, it leaves no permanent life. No I am speaking of some occult and
special way of knowledge. All that I mean is to fix your attention on a
real human experience which has a history behind it and a future before it. The
quest of nameless nothing, as disclosed in Neo-Platonic mysticism be it
Christian or Muslim-cannot satisfy the modern mind which, with its habits of
concrete thinking, demands a concrete living experience of God. And the history
of the race shows that the attitude of the mind embodied in the act of worship
if a condition for such an experience. In fact prayer must be regarded as a
necessary complement to the intellectual activity of the observer of Nature.
While discussing the real object of prayer, Dr, Iqbal says," prayer, then,
whether individual or associative, is an expression of man's inner yearning for
a response in the awful silence of the universe. It is a unique process of
discovery whereby the searching ego affirms itself in the very moment of self
negation, and thus discovers its own worth and justification as a dynamic factor
in the life of the universe. True to the psychology of mental attitude in
prayer, the form of worship in Islam symbolises both affirmation and negation.
Yet, in view of the fact borne out by the experience of the race that prayer, as
an inner act, has found expression in a variety of forms, the Quran says: "To
every people We have appointed ways of worship which they observe. Therefore let
them not dispute this matter with you, but invite them to your Lord for you are
on the right way, but if they dispute with you, then say, God best knows what
you do; He will judge between you on the Day of Judgment, in the matters wherein
you differ. (22:66-69)."
"The form of prayer ought not become a matter of dispute. Which side you turn
your face is certainly not essential to the spirit of prayer. The Quran is
perfectly clear on this point: ' The East and West is God's, therefore whichever
direction you turn, there is the face of God (2:109). And again, 'There is no
piety in turning your faces towards the East or West, but he is pious who
believes in God, and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Books and the
Prophets, who for the love of God gives his wealth to his kindred, and to the
orphans, and to ransom the slaves; who observes prayer and pays zakat, and
fulfils the contracts which he has made; and is patient in pain and hardship,
and in time of trouble; those are they who are just, and those are they who fear
the Lord (2:177).' " Yet we cannot ignore the important consideration that the
posture of the body is a real factor in determining the attitude of mind"
To sum up, prayer is the key which opens the gate of the kingdom of God. And,
according to Ibn 'Arabi, creative prayer becomes a dialogue between man and God
and provides an opportunity to the earthly creature to open up his heart before
his creator. It is creative because it is at once God's prayer and man's prayer.
Such an effective prayer opens up new horizons for man beyond the comprehension
of an ordinary being. Surah Fatiha in the prayer provides this opportunity to
man to enter into such a
dialogue and enjoy the excitement and ecstasy of Divine vision.
According to the hadith reported by Abu Hurairah, the Holy Messenger said, "God
says that I have diVided the prayer between Myself and Myservant into two parts.
Half of it is for Me and half for MY servant and I give whatever he asksme for.
When the servant says 'All praise is for the Lord of the universe,' God replies,
'My servant is grateful to me' When he says, 'Most Gracious, Most Merciful,' God
says 'My servant has praised Me.' When he says 'Master of the Day of Judgment,
'God says, "My servant has exalted Me' When the servant says, 'You do we worship
and Your help do we seek,' God says This portion is shared between Me and My
servant. I bestow whatever he asks.' When he says,' Guide me to the straight
path, the path of those whom You blessed, not of those who earned Your anger or
went astray.' God says, 'This is for My servant and bestow what he has asked
for."
This hadith throws some light on the unusual greatness and effectiveness of this
prayer. First, nothing can be better and more exalted than what is demanded in
the prayer: the servant is asking from God guidance to the right path to reach
Him In other words, he is requesting God to show him the way to get closer to
Him. Second, it starts with thanks-giving and those attributes of God which
entitle him to His blessings Third, by saying, 'We obey You and ask Your help
alone' he puts himself completely in the hands of God. He has put his entire
trust in Him and thrown himself at His door. He has cut all his relations and
come to build only one relation, i.e., with God. There is no reason why his
request should not be granted. The final words of the prayer provide the best
intercession. The servant prays for guidance to God and requests to be granted
the ability and power to tread that path which leads to Him. In these words, God
has Himself taught man how to reach Him, get near to Him and open a dialogue
with Him. |
