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Muraqabah: Etymology and Meaning
Muraqabah: Etymology and Meaning
Murāqabah (Arabic: مراقبة, lit.: "to observe") is Sufi meditation. Through murāqabah a person
watches over their (spiritual) heart and gains insight into the heart's relation with its creator and
its own surroundings. Murāqabah is a core concept in commonly found ṭarīqas (Arabic: "Sufi
orders"). The objective of murāqabah is to purge one's base characters and develop lofty
character in its place.[1]
The outside of a zāwiyah, a place where sufis would conduct their murāqabah sessions which was usually in a private
section of a masjid.
In ancient Arabic, the word murāqabah referred to one who would watch the night sky. They
would scan the sky in hopes to see the first signs of early stars to begin their journey. Due to the
intense heat and difficult terrain of the Arabian Peninsula, the ability to recognize the
constellations and their seasonal divergences was a critical skill. In the classic poem, “the
observer of the night is as vigilant as a fish in search of water”.[4]
This etymology can be connected to the modern linguistical and technical meaning of what
murāqabah is understood to be today.[5] Murāqabah is seen to be of twin perspectives, both with
a connotation of persistence and exertion. According to al-Qushayrī (d.465/1072) and al-Jurjānī
(d.816/1413)[6] murāqabah is for one to be aware that their Lord is perpetually aware of His
subordinates. Not only is the person continuously in a state of mindfulness but they are also
cognizant that their Lord is aware as well, creating a reciprocal relation.[7]
One of the most significant sentiments of the great philosopher and theologian Al-Ghāzālī
(d.505/1111) centers around God-consciousness; he propagates that it is the obligation of the
creation to be in constant awareness of its Creator. That is to constantly obey him. The Creator’s
eternal knowledge encompasses the ephemeral existence of mortals, from before their
conception to the ages after they have passed on. His Knowledge envelops the external, the
internal and the metaphysical. He is the Lord and Creator, Glorified Be He. Once one understands
this, they must follow a level of etiquette and protocol which are but not limited to:
Staying silent and only speaking when appropriate, as it is mentioned in the narration, “the one
who believes in Allah and the Last Day should only speak good or stay quiet”.[8]
Continuous reflection on one’s internal state and the world around them.
Inside a zāwiyah, a place where sufis would conduct their murāqabah sessions which was usually a private affair.
To continue to progress in murāqabah one must be consistent for a lengthy period of time to
experience the aforementioned benefits. Although it may prove difficult in the beginning, one
may always regain their state of mindfulness after recognizing a change from their initial state.[1]
Stages
Here are the Maqāmāt (Arabic: مقاماتstages) in which Sufis have broadly categorised their
journey of ascension. The categorization is an arbitrary one, and each level is generally further
divided into several sublevels. During the process of enlightenment, some stages can merge or
overlap each other.
Fanāʾ Fī al-Shaykh - Become One or Annihilated in or with the Master, Guru, Teacher or Murshid
Fanāʾ Fī al-Qurʾān- Become One and Annihilated with or in Quran and its commandments.
Somnolence
This is the starting level of meditation. A person who starts meditation often enters a somnolent
or sleep state (ghanood )غنود. With the passage of time, the person goes into a state between
sleep and wakefulness. The person can remember seeing something but not specifically what it
is. This topic is well known and practiced among scholars of dream interpretation.
ʾIdrāk
(Arabic: إدراك- cognition) With continuous practice of meditation, the sleepiness from meditation
decreases. When the conscious mind is not suppressed by sleep and is able to focus, the person
can receive the spiritual knowledge from his subconscious mind. At this stage, the person is
unable to see or hear anything but is able to experience or perceive it.
Wurūd
(Arabic: ورودcoming, beginning) When Idrāk (experience) becomes deep, it is exhibited as sight.
The stage of Wurūd starts when mental concentration is sustained and somnolence is at its
minimum. As soon as the mind is focused, the spiritual eye is activated. The conscious mind is
not used to see through the spiritual eye so concentration comes and goes. Gradually, the mind
gets used to this kind of visions, and the mental focus is sustained. With practice, the
visions/experience becomes so deep that the person starts considering himself a part of the
experience rather than considering himself an observer.
Kashf / ʾilhām
Kashf or ʾilhām (Arabic: الهام/ كشفunveiling of arcane knowledge or intuition) is the stage of
starting to get information that most other people are unable to observe. In the beginning, this
occurs suddenly, without personal control. With practice, the mind gets so energized that it can
get this knowledge by will.
Shuhūd
(Arabic: شهودevidence) A person can get any information about any event/person at will. This
stage is broadly categorized according to activation of the senses:
5. These are all spiritual senses, known as Ḥawās al-Bāṭin (senses of the innermost).
Fatḥ
(Arabic: فتحopening, victory) Closing eyes is no longer necessary for meditation. The person is
freed from both space and time and can see/hear/taste/touch anything present anywhere in
time and space.
Gnosis of Allah
Fanāʾ
Sair illallah
(Arabic: سيٌر الى اهللjourney towards the God) The person starts his spiritual journey towards the
ultimate reality of the universe, God. It is also called Safr-e-Urooji.
Fana fillah
(Arabic: فناء في اهللExtinction of the self in God) One of the important phases of mystical
experience is attained by the grace of God by a traveller on the mystical path. Now, the person
becomes extinct in the will of God. It is important to mention that this is not incarnation or union.
Most Sufis passing through this experience have preferred to live in the greatest depth of
silence, which transcends all forms and sounds and to enjoy their union with the beloved.
The highest stage of fana is reached when even the consciousness of having attained fana
disappears. This is what the Sufis call "the passing-away of passing-away" (fana al-fana). The
mystic is now wrapped in contemplation of the divine essence (Nicholson, The Mystics of
Islam, p. 60).
(Arabic: سير من اهللjourney from the God) Here the person comes back to his existence. It is also
called Safr-e-Nuzooli.
No one can subsist with God, and to believe as such is shirk. What really happens is the person's
awareness of God increases so much so that he forgets his own self and is totally lost in his
magnificence.
Baqaa billah
(Arabic: بقاء باهللeternal life in God The Creator) This is the state in which man comes back to his
existence and God appoints him to guide the humans. The individual is part of the world but
unconcerned about rewards or position in the world. The doctrine is further explained in Sahih
Bukhari, which states that God said:
And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined
upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or
doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing
with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips,
and his leg with which he walks.[13]
There is another verse from Qur'an that is used to explain this concept:
When Sufis have come out of the Fana fillah state and enter Baqa billah, many of them have
produced works of unsurpassed glory, especially in the fields of philosophy, literature and music.
Such works have crowned the culture of the entire Islamic world and inspired Sufis and non-
Sufis for generations. As the great Persian Sufi poet, Hafez of Shiraz, fondly remembered as the
"tongue of the unseen", said centuries ago: "He whose heart is alive with love, never dies". The
Qur'an says:
"Lo, indeed, the friends of God have no fear, nor are they grieved" (10:62).
Types
There are many different kinds of muraqaba practiced in various Sufi schools in different parts of
the world. Here is a list of the most common ones.
Beginning muraqabas
1. Muraqaba of light
These are usually used for beginners, or for cure of various diseases.
Violet
Indigo
Blue
Turquoise
Green
Yellow
Orange
Pink
Red
2. Ihsan
6. Allah (Proper name of God): the final level of Muraqaba of names of God.
Middle muraqabas
1. Maot (Arabic: موتDeath): getting acquaintance with life after death
3. Wahdat (Arabic: وحدهUnity): getting acquaintance with the reason behind cosmic unity,
God's will
5. Fana (Arabic: فناءAnnihilation): the annihilation of self, getting acquaintance with the alpha
and omega of universe.
Higher muraqabas
1. Tasawwur-e-Sheikh (Arabic: تصور الشيخFocusing mind on master): to facilitate the transfer of
spiritual knowledge from master to student.
The Naqshbandi Mujaddidi order has 35 lessons. They are all related to getting closer to Allah
and receiving faiz and nur.
See also
Nafs
Tazkiah
References
1. Ashraf ʻAlī Thānvī (2010). A Sufi study of ḥadith. London: Turath Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 9781906949044.
OCLC 809075744 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/809075744) .
3. al-Muṣṭafawī, Ḥasan (1995). Al-Taḥqīq fī Kalimāt al-Qurʾān al-Karīm (in Arabic). Vol. 4 (1st ed.). Tehran:
Wizārah al-Thiqāfah wa al-ʿirshād al-ʿislāmī. pp. 200–204. ISBN 964-9965-05-X.
5. "( "نضرة النعيم في مكارم أخالق الرسول الكريم • الموقع الرسمي للمكتبة الشاملةhttps://web.archive.org/web/20181114
224552/http://shamela.ws/browse.php/book-22798/page-4082) . shamela.ws (in Arabic). Archived
from the original (http://shamela.ws/browse.php/book-22798/page-4082) on 2018-11-14. Retrieved
2018-11-14.
6. Al-Sayid al-Sharīf al-Jurjānī, ʾAli ibn Muḥammad (2012). Kitāb al-Taʾrīfāt (in Arabic) (3rd ed.). Beirut: Dār al-
Nafāʾis. p. 293.
7. al-Qushayrī, ʿAbd al-karīm ibn Hawāzin (2014). Badyūwī, Yūsuf ʾAli (ed.). Al-Risālah al-Qushayrīyah (in
Arabic) (1st ed.). Beirut: Dār al-Yamamah. pp. 293–297.
8. Al-Nawawī, ʿAbū Zakriyā Yaḥyā ibn Shraf (2010). Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn (https://archive.org/details/waq107340/
page/n2) (in Arabic). Abdullah al-Turkī. p. 294.
9. al-Qushayrī, ʿAbd al-karīm ibn Hawāzin (2014). Badyūwī, Yūsuf ʾAli (ed.). Al-Risālah al-Qushayrīyah (in
Arabic) (1st ed.). Beirut: Dār al-Yamamah. pp. 298–303.
10. al-Ghazālī, ʿAbū Ḥāmid (1993). ʾAzb, Muhammad (ed.). Bidāyah al-Hidāyah (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Cairo:
Maktabah Madbūlī. pp. 63–64.
11. Akhtar, Muhammad (2017). Reformation of Character. Union City: Nur Publications. pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-
0991482306.
Further reading
1058-1111., Ghazzālī, (2010). The beginning of guidance: the Imam and proof of Islam,
complete Arabic text with facing English translation. Al-ʻAllāf, Mashhad., Ibn Yusuf, Abdur-
Rahman, 1974- (2nd rev. ed.). London: White Thread Press. ISBN 9781933764061. OCLC
629700834.
Mim., Keller, Noah Ha. Sea without shore : a manual of the Sufi path. Beltsville, Md.
ISBN 9781590080665. OCLC 704907779.
Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (2005) Muraqaba: The Art and Science of Sufi Meditation.
Houston: Plato, 2005, ISBN 0-9758875-4-8
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