Question Summary:
Is one allowed to meditate without chanting? Question Detail:
Is one allowed to meditate with/while chanting? Is one allowed to meditate, say in a dark room with a pen and paper in hand, to write points of solutions, with the intention to come up with solutions to improve deen and dunya (his/her deen and dunya and/or deen and dunya of others)/to inculcate important points of shariah into one's life?
Answer :
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
According to your query we understand your wish to meditate to seek solutions to improve your Deen. You also enquire about chanting in meditation. May Allah guide you to the correct means of His closeness and favour you with His ma’rifat (recognition).
There are many angles and dimensions to your query. If you are searching for solutions to improve your Deen and you have no idea of the solutions and its implications, then you should not exert yourself in seeking solutions on your own. If a traveler has deviated from his road to his destination and he has no idea of the correct road, no amount of meditation will guide him to the correct road. If he does so and assumes one road, he may be wrong. He will be constrained to seek the guidance of someone who knows the road. Likewise if a person wishes to reform himself and he has no skills and ability to personally reform himself, he will have to seek the guidance of a spiritual guide. Meditation alone will not fulfill his aim of reformation. This is also the method advised by Allah himself [ [i] ]. Consider the following verse:
يايها الذين امنوا اتقوا الله وكونوا مع الصادقين [[ii]]
Translation: O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true
It is clear from the above verse that the procedure of inculcating Allah consciousness and improving oneself is to adopt the company of such people. A person is affected by his company & environment.
We advise you to identify a reliable & spiritual guide who has the consciousness of Allah and adheres to the Sunnat and seek his guidance on spiritual uplifment. He will advise you on Zikr(chanting) and Meditating(Muraqabah) and guide you accordingly.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Aboobakr Siddeeq bin Mufti Amjad Mohammad
Student Darul Iftaa
Azaadville, JHB, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[ [i] ]
شرح صحيح البخارى ـ لابن بطال – (١ ٩٨)
سئل ما الإحسان ؟ فقال : تمت أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه - أراد مبالغة الإخلاص لله بالطاعة والمراقبة له
النهاية في غريب الأثر – (١ ٩٦٢)
في حديث الإيمان [ قال : فما الإحسان ؟ قال : أن تَعْبُد اللّه كأنك ترَاه ] أراد بالإحسان الإخلاصَ وهو شَرْط في صحَّة الإيمان والإسلام معاً . وذلك أنَّ مَن تلَّفظ بالكَلمَة وجاء بالعَمل من غير نيَّة إخْلاص لم يكن مُحْسنا ولا كان إيمانُه صحيحا . وقيل : أراد بالإحسان الإشارةَ إلى المُرَاقَبَة وحُسْن الطاعة فإنّ مَن راقَب اللّه أحْسَن عملَه وقد أشار إليه في الحديث بقوله [ فإن لم تكُن تراه فإنَّه يرَاك ]
جامع العلوم والحكم – (١ ٣٥)
ولأن الإحسان هو أن يعبد المؤمن ربه في الدنيا على وجه الحضور والمراقبة كأنه يراه بقلبه وينظر إليه في حال عبادته
عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري – (٢ ١٧٠)
الإحسان ان تعبد الله كأنك تراه فاراد مبالغة الإخلاص لله سبحانه وتعالى بالطاعة والمراقبة له
دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين – (١ ٢٦٠)
ـــ باب المراقبة
هو أحد مقامي الإحسان المشار إليه في حديث جبريل الآتي بقوله: «فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك» وفي الحديث: عن عبادةبن الصامت قال: قال رسول الله : «أفضل إيمان المرء أن يعلم أن الله معه حيث كان»
] [ii][
سورة التوبة – أية ١١٩
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