i have a friend who considers himself athiest. he meditates (the "path to enlightment" thing) and was telling me about it the other day.

so i was wondering if meditating was haraam? my own opinion was "no" since it has nothing to do with religion, but im not sure.

I would call it an innovation, as meditation was not prescribed by the Prophet (pbuh). But I'm not a scholar, so my opinion on this means nothing.

You could just pray to find the 'enlightened path' anyway.

well how my friend told me about it was interesting. he took a free 10-day course where he did nothing but meditate for 10 hours a day. he said the point of it was "self-purification through self-observation"...where you would find things in your mind that you didnt know were there, he specifically said "after a while, you find some disgusting things within yourself" and the point is to get rid of them all.

im not saying i want to do it, but it just sounded interesting and wondered if anyone knew anything about it.

well how can Meditaing be Haraam cause you need to mediate in paece and don't you mediate whilst your praying

I mean non-Islamic meditation, like the stuff Bhuddists do.

oh well that is not allowed but even Christain Meditate like for instance when there stress and they sit in a quiet room and close there eyes and just have calm smooth music on and start meditating

Question

As-Salamu `alaykum. I have a question concerning meditation. Sometimes when I get very stressed I like to meditate to calm myself down. Basically, all I do is to do some breathing exercises that come from Buddhist techniques. Do you find anything wrong with doing these exercises as it comes from Buddhism? I don't worship the Buddha or anything but I find that meditation gives me some benefit. Jazakum Allahu khairan.



Answer

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

There is nothing wrong for you in following the so called meditation techniques as long as you do not perform the specific rituals of Buddhism and as long as you concentrate on dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Such techniques are not peculiarly Buddhist or Hindu; they have been part and parcel of religious traditions all over the world. Using such techniques to calm the mind and gain focus and perspective is indeed a beneficial method.

Islam does not forbid such things; rather it encourages all trusted methods of emotional, spiritual and physical healing provided they do not contain pagan elements contrary to the concept of tawhid (Oneness of Allah).

Having said this, however, I must rush to add that while meditating you should strictly repeat the words of dhikr*, as taught by the Qur'an and Hadith rather than the typical mantras as taught by Buddhism or Hinduism.

May Allah grant us the wisdom to see truth as truth and follow it, and discern error as error and shun it-ameen.

Allah Almighty knows best.

source: http://www.islamonline.net/livefatwa...GuestID=yr7KBp


*dhikr means remembrance. (i.e. remembrance of Allaah)


This can be done by praising Allaah repeatedly; i.e. recite:

- subhan Allaah - glory be to Allaah

- alhamdulillah - all praise is to Allaah

- Laa illaaha-illAllaah - there is none worthy of worship except Allaah

- Allaahu akbar - Allaah is the Greatest.

I'd advise against, if one must meditate it would be best to do dhikr.

Also, check out the following site, it outlines the danger associated with meditation and other other esoteric practices:

www.dangerofchi.org

I see meditation as a form of spiritual/mental exercise. In simple terms, all it means is to ponder, reflect, contemplate etc... When a person does dikhr alone concentrating on the Divine attributes of Allah, he is meditating. It depends on what the purpose of doing it is. Anything that brings us closer to Allah can only be a good thing.

On the other hand one can meditate to relieve stress and anxiety. Like imagine yourself in pleasant surroundings to help achieve relaxation. People with illnesses also meditate and imagine a disease leaving their body. It's mind over matter, and positive thinking can have a placebo effect and therefore be beneficial. I'd never say it's haraam.

On my opinion, a person should be in meditation all the time anyway.. All the prophets (peace be upon them) were known for this. You look at the world around you and contemplate on the creation of Allaah.. so you continously be praising Allaah azawajal, and whenever you need any form of help - you pray to Allaah Almighty to help you through it.


As a person keeps contemplating on the creation, they feel secure because they know Who Created it all. So they praise Allaah, while getting rewarded for that.. and they know that this life is only temporary - so they try to do as much good as they possibly can, in return for a better reward.. which is jannah insha'Allaahu ta'aala.

There the believer can have anything he/she desires and feel pleased with Allaah, and Allaah will be pleased with them insha'Allaah.

For those who believe and do righteous deeds, will be Gardens; beneath which rivers flow: That is the great Salvation, (the fulfilment of all desires), (Qur'an 85:11)

Jazakallah for all the speedy responses.

Meditation- continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature; "the habit of meditation is the basis for all real knowledge" 2: (religion) contemplation of spiritual matters (usually on religious or philosophical subjects)

Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) did spend long hours in the cave of hira..to meditate and reflect..Reflection of Allah(swt) and His signs is fikr..remembrance of Allah is Dhikr..Allah does tell us to meditate and 'reflect' on His Signs and to sit alone sometimes and just comtemplate on things.

read these two interesting articles Meditation in Islam http://crescentlife.com/spirituality...n_in_islam.htm


Meditation in Islam (Excerpts)

The relationship and attitude toward God is spelt out in the word 'Islâm' ... it has embodied within it, the complete technique of the highest form of worship as well as everyday living! Qur'ânic passages are self-explanatory in pointing out the way of worship by total effacement of the self in surrender and submission; to the exclusion of every other interest or entity; not only in prayer but in every aspect of life.

Sûrah al Baqarâh 2:19-20.
Lo! The religion before Allâh is surrender (Islâm)... if they surrender, then will they truly be rightly guided in prayer.

Sûrah 23: 77
O, Ye who believe, completely efface your selves in self-surrender when worshiping your Lord, and do good that happily you may prosper.

This excerpt is from the hadith about Islâm, Îmân & Ihsân:
'...Then Jibraîl (as) asked: Tell me about Ihsân (goodness/beauty). The Prophet Muhammad (saw) answered: 'It is that you worship Allah as if you see Him, and even though you do not see Him, you know that He sees you....'

This practice of visualization and being in the Presence of Allâh, in a meditative state as you offer your Salât, is a powerful experience to keep one's full awareness in prayer.

Meditation is soothing for the mind and soul. It is a good way to get in tune with oneself. While in Mecca Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to go to Mount Hira and sit in the cave where he pondered and meditated.

There are different ways to meditate, and you can try each one to see which suits you the best or alternate each one.

Prayer
The best known and most widely practiced example of meditation is prayer.

Contemplate
Many people benefit from reading the Qur'ân silently or aloud, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on the meaning that the words bring to mind. You may want to write your reflections in a journal.

Visualize
In this type of meditation you focus your attention on Allâh, weaving feelings of love and gratitude into your thoughts. You can also close your eyes and in your mind's eye gaze at the Asma al Husna as if written in air. You can choose a different one each day.
Sensate
Feel as if you are sitting in the Presence of Allâh, as if He is in front of you, you can feel His awesomeness, His grandeur, His grace and His love. Imagine He is watching you, you will want to hide from yourself as you become aware of how short we fall in our dedication and effacement in surrender, how full we are of our self and how little we think of Him as we go through our everyday living. (This does not imply imagining an image but focus on the awareness of His presence)

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There are two concepts or schools of meditation in Islam. One is that which is described in the Qur’ân and Sunnah, another is that which has been developed by the Sufis in later times (that is, after the first phase, considered the ideal phase of Islam).

The original concept of meditation is based on contemplation, called 'tafakkur' in the Qur’ân. That is, reflection upon the universe to gain food for thought. To put it differently, this is a form of intellectual development that emanates from a higher level, i.e. from God.

This intellectual process through the receiving of divine inspiration awakens and liberates the human mind, permitting man’s inner personality to develop and grow so that he may lead his life on a spiritual plane far above the mundane level.

The second form of meditation, the one developed by the Sufis, is largely based on mystical exercises. However, this method is controversial among Muslim scholars. One group of Ulama, Al-Ghazâlî, for instance, have accepted it, another group of Ulama, Ibn-Taimia, for instance, have rejected it as an innovation.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
http://www.alrisala.org/Articles/mys...meditation.htm
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Does Islam Permit Meditation?

A Muslim need not go to any Ashram for meditation if he knows how to perform Salât. Salât is a meditation of the highest order but most Muslims have forgotten it. They read Namâz or recite Namâz or even offer Namâz but they do not meditate in it though it is a pre-requisite. A Salât does not even start without the state of meditation. The Prophet (Pbuh) instructed a person in Salât to meditate upon the presence of God who is watching the devotee. A state of trance is reached when he really meditates upon it. Then comes the voice of The Word of God from the lips of the Imam. If he really started Salât with a state of meditation, the voice of the Imam seems to be coming from a spiritual source. The words of the Qur’ân (if he knows Arabic) work as suggestions in a trance and he gradually starts believing in the orders and teaching of those words. There are repetitions of Allâh u Akbar and the Tasbihât of Ruku' and Sajda etc. They all work wonders in a state of trance. They are autosuggestions. An individual Salât (Sunnah and Nafl) is based completely on autosuggestions where there is no outside voice but his own recitation works as autosuggestion. Remember what Qur’ân said about Zikr (Remembrance and not merely chanting)? "Beware! In remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace" (13:28) Salât, while offered properly and associated with meditation of Allah's presence and His watchfulness is the remembrance of the highest order and must provide peace. Qur’ân proclaims: "Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee and establish Regular Salât: for Salât restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do." (29:45)
Qur’ân announces that Salât will prevent you from shameful and unjust deeds. Please note that it is not said that a person offering Salât should restrain himself from committing shameful acts and unjust deeds. Salât will restrain the devotee from evil. On the other hand we observe people involved in shameful acts and unjust deeds though they may be regular Namazis for years! The claim of Qur’ân cannot be false. They in fact did not offer Salât in the prescribed manner. It is high time that camps of teaching Salât with meditation be organised. Alas all our books of Salât procedures, Salât taught to the children by elders in their homes and even Salât taught by Mullahs in Madrasah is comprised of recitation and postures only. There is no meditation and hence it is neither providing peace of mind nor restraining from unjust deeds.

http://www.islamicvoice.com/april.2000/dialogue.htm
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We can understand "Dhikr" simply as the repetition of particular names of Allah(swt) (as mentioned in the Qur'an) or as the recitation of some prayers.

In the second sense, "Dhikr" refers to remembering, mentioning and meditating.

In a superior dimension "Dhikr" is known as persisting, dwelling on a subject to the point of its full comprehension and meditating on it.


Directions for Meditation http://crescentlife.com/spirituality...o_meditate.htm

Also read this article titled Awakening taken from "Madrâjis as-Salikîn"
by the Classical Muslim Scholar Ibnal Qayyim al Jawziyah (May God be pleased with him)
http://crescentlife.com/spirituality/awakening.htm

hope that helps

thank you for the respone and the PM!

Meditation is good, trust me. For everyone, no matter what "path" or "religion".