What does Allah's presence feel like?

Hi Rybak

You cannot feel the existence of Allah. But you can perceive the existence Allah (with your mind and your heart).
If someone (who is not a prophet) tells you he saw Allah or heard Him, or felt Him, he is a liar.

Allah is not like anything of His creation :

(Sahih International) Quran : Chapter 42-As_Shura, verse 11 :

[He is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.

Allah has attributes, like seeing and hearing. His attributes, can be understood with mind, but they can not be imagined or compared to anything we know or we feel in this life.

You can definitely feel the connection with Him but not anything physical like seeing or hearing

... But, it's possible to feel a full conviction of Allah's existence as well as His mercy and blessings which cause the heart to be at peace, and to feel the shower of His mercy and blessings which wash away, or make easy all your existing hardships. But we also have to strive to earn the pleasure of our Lord by killing the desires of the innerself which coax us be disobedient/sinful. When we are the latter, we feel void of peace, and speaking for myself, at times like that I have felt bereft of the feeling of nearness to Allah. It is a horrible feeling, and the only way to rectify it is to seek His forgiveness and exert yourself in glorifying His name and worshipping Him in hope and humility.

When I saw the thread title I kind of guessed that the thread starter is a christian or perhaps non-muslim. One has to define what is meant by "presence", do you mean like present in the room with you? I don't think anyone can actually say such things because there is no "concrete" proof. I know some christians like to talk about being in the presence of the "Holy Spirit" but how can one judge the authenticity of such claims? There is such a thing called "Religious Experience" which can be found in many faiths but if all faiths have it then which is the truth?

I apologise for slightly veering off topic but I think those things are important to take notice of. However if by "presence" you mean being in a state of awareness then in Islam there is a state called "Ihsan", which is where you are in constant remembrance of God. This is a state that each and every muslim strives for and from my knowledge no one will claim, because it is a journey till death. There is a saying that the people of Ihsan always gets their prayer answered, the interesting thing about that one is in a state of Ihsan they will only pray for what God wills.

It is like asking a slave what he wishes for, and the slave responds with "I wish for what my Master wishes for me."

Also, in such a state, ego is removed from the heart. When ego is removed people can see things much clearer, because arrogance/ego usually blinds people from reality.

To describe such a state does not do justice. I can describe to you just how good a cup of tea tastes but the only ones who can truly appreciate it are the ones who have tasted it themselves. Not that I'm saying I'm in a state of ihsan, but me along with other muslims would surely love to strive for it.

To strive for it is in itself a blessing.

I'm sorry if you were looking for a short answer

I described to you ihsan but there is something else; The recitation of the Quran. When heard by someone with a soft heart, it will enter the person's heart and it can make the person weep. It happened in the time of the Prophet(peace be upon him) and it still happens today regardless if the listener speaks arabic or not.

Anyway welcome to the boards I hope you will be able to gain some beneficial knowledge.

Here's a verse to think about:


We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. Qur'an 50:16

Again not physically

i think being in the presence of allah would be like being humiliated.. thats the only way to learn humility.

ask yourself, what man likes being humiliated?

submission to a creator.

true understanding of knowledge as it is given.

true understanding of the helplessness of man against god and ultimately all the attributes of god.

understanding of all that is external to god.. ie created evil and the challenges faced by men.

understanding that all is by decree of allah, no need or want for any of us.




man is like a vessel, it is used by god as he see's fit.

you just have to put a cork in it when something else tries to use it.

hate the action, not the person.

there is more to see than man and created things.

..loose tongues and idle hands etc etc.

much knowledge out there to the creator if you just want to slot the pieces together.

his signs are rehearsed unto us again and again.. all we see and hear is the machine built where the world once stood.

innovation.

..mods plz dont delete

Human beings are of the earth but there's an elevating component to them (the soul) one tries to pull them down to earth and the more they cave in to their carnal desires and lusts and wants the further down they go until they become a state less than animals just an animated moving piece of meat without a soul or very little soul with any hope of revival.. and you can check this meter-- the first time you commit a wrong act you feel this gnawing thing in your pit but the more and more you do the same wrong thing that goes away until the devil (who has convinced you of his non-existence) and that it is all you beautifies your ugly deeds with florid words that you become jaded you don't even understand at that stage why something is right or wrong and you readily accept the common accepted norm of the time of what is right and what's wrong. If they tell you 100 years ago it is ok to wear your full dress swimming you think that is moral and righteous, if 12 years from then they tell you that the norm is to wear a woolen suit to the knee with a hat that becomes the norm, if they tell you it is OK to wear a one piece suit that covers your privates only that becomes OK and moral the norm, if they tell you the norm is a skimpy two piece that becomes the norm, if they tell you the bra portion is no longer needed that becomes the norm, and if they delegate places for total nudity and attach no morality to it all together you wonder why was there a reason to attach any sort of relevance to clothing, after all we are all born naked:

Sahih International
O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts. Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them. Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.

now of course this is a euphemism for many other things not just clothing.. but little by little you're stripped of something because you cave in to your own 'personal' made compass..

Walaodillannahum walaomanniyannahum walaamurannahum falayubattikunna athana alanAAami walaamurannahum falayughayyirunna khalqa Allahi waman yattakhithi alshshaytana waliyyan min dooni Allahi faqad khasira khusranan mubeenan

4:119 "I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah." Whoever, forsaking Allah, takes satan for a friend, hath of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest.

so now (God's presence) becomes ever more elusive, the one thing we're bestowed with from birth that tries to uplift us to the heavens is gone, let go of out of free will.. so how can anyone describe to you that which is a very personal experience?
When you go into that heightened state of spirituality in everything there will be a sign, every question that enters your head God will provide with reason and answer and you'll see it and you'll know it and the very last gift Gift of prophet hood that has remained with Muslims are their visions...
When you're there you know it and when you're not there, the other stuff makes sense too, you'll convince yourself of it and then spend your days on forums convincing Muslims that they're antediluvian 7c simpletons and try with your might to move them into your vision of a 'free democratic society' with whatever that means or entails..

best,

Greetings rybak,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for those interesting questions.

I think a more familiar term to Muslims might be a feeling of closeness or connection to Allaah (swt). I think people would describe it as being in awe of Allaah (swt). It's the kind of feeling that might commonly occur during pilgrimage to His sacred House in Makkah, or during the special night prayers in Ramadhan, or listening to the Qur'an...

Thank you, Hulk, for your comments regarding the ego. When we set it aside, we sense better Allah's guidance and will, don't we? I am finding this to be more and more true with age.

Feeling Allah's guidance (one example):

Last spring, after a 10 hour day at work, I began my 40 minute drive home...after buying food for my family. I live in the country and came across an elderly couple in the middle of nowhere. Instantaneously, I knew I was supposed to help them. I didn't really want to stop. All I wanted was to go home to my family and be with them. There was no voice...no pillar of fire...just God telling me, somehow, that this was what I was supposed to do. I said aloud, with a smile: " Okay. I hear and will obey".

I did it with love and joy in my heart, being filled with God's motivation. As it turns out, this couple had to be in the city for a legal case. They had a ride up there, but no way home. I loaded them up and drove them the 3 hours round trip to their home further south. When I got there, I helped the lady take her backpack indoors. They lived in a mobile home and they had explained with the economy that neither had work for 6 months. When I put the bottled water they had in the backpack into their refrigerator, I quickly saw their fridge was empty and that their cupboards were bare. They both looked emaciated and had no food.

Although they protested, I took the groceries I had and stocked their larders. I didn't have much cash on me, but what I had, I gave to them...maybe enough to fill their car with gas. (They couldn't afford the gas to get into the city)

When I began to leave, the wife called me an angel. I told her: "I am but a man, a mere tool in God's hand, But I was led today to help you. May you do the same when God leads you to".

I drove the 90 minutes home, feeling very grateful that I have the facilities (through Allah's grace) to help those who He calls on me to aid. God is great!

This is what I refer to as God-consciousness, a term I have held dearly, but was afraid to use here until I heard Dr. Naik use it in one of his lectures recently.

The best spiritual advise I have ever receievd: In prayer, stop talking and start listening.

Love and peace to all, especially those who trudged through this lengthy post...This is, to me, an example of a time when I felt God's guidance.