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Muraqaba is the Sufi word for meditation. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness Literally it means "to watch over", "to take care of", or "to keep an eye". Metaphorically, it implies that with meditation, a person watches over or takes care of his spiritual heart (or soul), and acquires knowledge about it, its surroundings, and its creator. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living

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Stages of Muraqaba

Following are the maqamat (stages) in which sufis have broadly categorised their journey of ascension. Maqaam ( the station) is one's spiritual station or developmental level as distinct from one's hal or state of consciousness This categorization is an arbitrary one, and each level is generally further divided into several sub-levels. During the process of enlightenment, some stages can merge or overlap each other.

Gnosis of self

Ghanood (Somnolence)

This is the starting level of meditation. When a person starts meditation, he enters into a somnolent or sleep state often. With the passage of time, the person goes into a state between sleep and wakefulness. Sleep is a Natural state of bodily rest observed throughout the animal kingdom So the person can remember that he saw something, but not specifically what it is.

Adraak (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. MIND ( Moving In New Directions) (est 1975 is an alternative education high school in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The term subconscious is defined as existing or operating in the Mind beneath or beyond Conscious Awareness. At this stage, the person is unable to see or hear anything, but he is able to experience or perceive it. Experience as a general concept comprises Knowledge of or skill in or Observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or In Psychology and the Cognitive sciences perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory Information.

Warood (coming, beginning)

When adraak (experience) becomes deep, it is exhibited as sight. The stage of warood starts when mental concentration is sustained and somnolence is at its minimum. MIND ( Moving In New Directions) (est 1975 is an alternative education high school in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 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. Observation is either an activity of a living being (such as a Human) which senses and assimilates the Knowledge of a Phenomenon, or the recording of data

Gnosis of the universe

Kashaf/Ilhaam (unveiling of arcane knowledge)

Kashaf, or Ilhaam is the stage where man starts getting information that most people are unable to observe. In the beginning, this condition occurs suddenly without personal control. With practice, the mind gets so energized that it can get this knowledge by will.

Shahood (evidence)

When a person can get any information about any event/person with his will, this condition is called Shahood. This stage is broadly categorized according to activation of the senses:

  1. The person can see things anywhere in the universe
  2. The person can hear things anywhere in the universe
  3. The person can smell things anywhere in the universe
  4. The person can touch things anywhere in the universe (hadith)

Fatah (opening, victory)

The peak of Shahood is called Fatah. Senses are the physiological methods of Perception. The senses and their operation classification and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields Olfaction (also known as olfactics or smell) refers to the Sense of smell. At this stage, the person doesn't need to close his eyes for meditation. Here the person is freed from both space and time. He can see/hear/taste/touch anything that are present anywhere in time and space.

Gnosis of the creator

Fanaa (extinction, annihilation)

Main article: Fanaa

Through a series of stages (maqamat) and subjective experiences (ahwal), this process of absorbation develops until complete annihilation of the self (fana) takes place and the person becomes al-insanul-kamil, the "perfect man". Maqaam ( the station) is one's spiritual station or developmental level as distinct from one's hal or state of consciousness Haal (Literally "state" or "condition" plural ahwal) is a special-purpose temporary state of Consciousness, generally a product It is the disintegration of a person's narrow self-concept, social self- and limited intellect (feeling like a drop of water aware of being part of the ocean). The stage is also called Fana fit tawheed ("extinction with the unity"), and Fana fil Haq (Extinction in the reality). In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa.

Sair illallah (journey towards the God)

Here the person starts his spiritual journey towards the ultimate reality of the universe, i. e. God. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Also called Safr-e-Urooji

Fana fillah (Extinction of the self in God)

One of the important phases of mystical experience which is attained by the grace of God by a traveller on the mystical path is the state of fana fi Allah, "extinction of the self in God". In Christianity, divine Grace refers to the sovereign favour of God for humankind — especially in regard to Salvation — irrespective of actions This is the state where the person becomes extinct in the will of God. It is important to mention that this is not incarnation or union. Incarnation which literally means embodied in flesh, refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature (generally a human who is the Most Sufis, while passing through this experience, have preferred to live in the greatest depth of silence which transcends all forms and sounds, and enjoy their union with the beloved.

Sair min allah (journey from the God)

Here the person comes back to his existence. Also called Safr-e-Nuzooli.

No one can subsist with The Supreme Creator and to believe as such is shirk. What really happens is the person's awareness of Allah increases so much so that he forgets his own self and is totally lost in Allah's magnificence.

Baqaa billah (eternal life in union with God)

This is the state where man comes back to his existence and God appoints him to guide the humans. Baqaa, with literal meaning of permanency is a term in Sufi philosophy which describes a particular state of life with God through God in God and for God This is a state in which the individual is part of the world, but unconcerned about his or her rewards or position in it. This doctrine is further explained in an authentic tradition of the prophet 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[2]

There is another verse from Qur'an , that is used to explain this concept. The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary

We (Allah) are nearer to him (man) than his jugular vein. (50:6)

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. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. These works have crowned the culture of the entire Islamic world and inspired Sufis and non-Sufis for generations. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings Generation (from the Greek γενεά) also known as procreation, is the act of producing Offspring. As the great Persian Sufi poet, Hafiz of Shiraz, who is fondly remembered as the "tongue of the unseen", said centuries ago: "He whose heart is alive with love, never dies. Persian literature ( spans two and a half millennia though much of the pre- Islamic material has been lost A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" ". Allah says about these people in the Qur'an:

"Lo, indeed, the friends of God have no fear, nor are they grieved. Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran "

Types of muraqaba

There are many different kinds of muraqaba that are practiced in various Sufi schools in different parts of the world. Following is a list of the ones commonly practiced.

Beginner level muraqabas

  1. Muraqaba of light
    These are usually used for beginners, or for cure of various diseases. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly
    • Violet
    • Indigo
    • Blue
    • Torquise
    • Green
    • Yellow
    • Orange
    • Pink
    • Red
  2. Ehsan
  3. Noor (Invisible Light)
  4. Haatif-e-Ghabi (Unhearable sound of Cosmos)
  5. Names of God -- For getting acquaintance with attributes of God
  6. Allah (Proper name of God) -- Final level of Muraqaba of names of God. Ihsan (or Ehsan or Ahsan or احسان) is an Arabic term meaning "perfection" or "excellence" which is related to the word "goodness" The 99 Names of Allah, also known as The 99 Most Beautiful Names of God () are the Names of God (specifically attributes by which Muslims regard God Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' In Universal Sufism this concentration is on their own panentheist concept of God. Universal Sufism is a spiritual and Universalist movement founded by Hazrat Inayat Khan in the early 20th century Panentheism (from Greek (pân "all" (en "in" and (Theós "God" "all-in-God" is a belief system

Middle level muraqabas

  1. Moat (Death) -- For getting acquaintance with life after Death
  2. Qalb (Heart) -- For getting acquaintance with Spiritual Heart
  3. Wahdat (Unity) -- For getting acquaintance with the reason behind cosmic unity i. e. God's will
  4. La (Nothingness) -- For getting acquaintance with material lessness, or non-material universe
    Adam (Pre-existence) -- Next level of Muraqaba of Nothingness.
  5. Fana (Annihilation) -- Annihilation of Self, getting acquaintance with the alpha and omega of universe. Alpha (uppercase Α, lowercase α; Αλφα is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. OMEGA is the premier Counter-terrorism unit of Latvia. Founded in 1992 OMEGA cooperates with many other counter-terrorism units over the world

High level muraqabas

  1. Tasawwur-e-Sheikh (Focusing mind on master) -- To facilitate the transfer of spiritual knowledge from master to student.
  2. Tasawwur-e-Rasool (Focusing mind on prophet) -- To facilitate the transfer of Faiz (arcane spiritual knowledge) from prophet to student. For Muslims, this focussing of mind is done on Muhammad. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics For people following other religions, their particular holy figures are used to focus mind upon. SACRED was a Cubesat built by the Student Satellite Program of the University of Arizona.
  3. Tasawwur-e-zat-e-Ilaahi (Focusing Mind on God) -- With the help of this Muraqaba, the student experiences the Tajalli-e-Zaat of God. Tajalliat (plural of tajalli ar تجلي or theophanies in the realm of being are manifestations of the divine Truth with regard to infinite perfection and eternal glory

References

External links

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