The Living Meditation: Islam & Well Being
The Qur’an which is the word of God was sent not only for Muslims but for all mankind, as God says,
“O mankind there has come to you a guidance from your Lord and a healing for what is in your hearts, and guidance and mercy for those who believe.” (Yunus, 10:57) and “for this [Qur’an] is nought else but a reminder [from God] to all mankind” (Al-Qalam, 68:52)
In this light its message and its wisdoms should be universal. In viewing the Qur’an as such, we would have a more peaceful and tolerant understanding of Islam. Islam linguistically means both surrendering to the Divine and the peace that is brought to the human self through this act (of transcending one’s ego).
The path to God requires both the intellect and the heart. Our intellect allows us to appreciate the Creator behind the intricate beauties of all living beings and the complexity and order of the Universe with its countless galaxies and constellations. On the other hand, given that our senses, as well as science and rationality have its limitations, God can only truly be experienced through one’s heart. Both the cognitive-intellect-brain and the non-cognitive-heart essentially constitute the form and the spirit respectively, the two wings that are required to traverse this journey towards equilibrium and attaining a peaceful heart (qalbun salim). This journey consists of both horizontal and vertical planes. The vertical is one’s relationship with the God through worship (ibadah) and the horizontal is one’s conduct towards God’s creation, irrespective of race or creed, through maintaining good character (akhlaq)
Vision
Discovering the universal essence of Islam so that we can harvest the fruits of its knowledge and practices, with the intent of improving ourselves, while respecting all other faith traditions.Mission
To create greater awareness amongst both Muslims and Non-Muslims of the approaches, methods and tools available within Islam for developing oneself in a holistic manner.
Book launch - Wellbeing and the Worshipper
I would like to share with you my latest (blind peer review) book – Well Being & the Worshipper: Insights into an Islamic Spiritual Order. Pre-order bookings from:
Planned release date of the book – 19th March 2021
Praise the Lord and Thanking family, friends, colleagues for their support during this journey.
Warm Regards. Safiullah
The Project
This project is born out of a need to fill a gap that exists, where Islam is generally seen as being ritualistic and having no deep value and thus a need to demonstrate that there is a philosophy and architecture for the development of self and its consciousness.
Islam is an inclusive religion, which has been sent down for the whole of humanity and not just for Muslims (see Professor Gary Wills’ independent assessment of the Qur’an: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8JKtEaxkhA). Hence, the Islamic narrative, both from those within this faith and those without, should be pluralistic in its essence, as God says in His book,
O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware. (Al-Hujurat, 49:13)
In the context of the perennial question ‘Why are we here? or what is the purpose of life? and how do we accomplish this purpose? Islam is clear in its exposition that we were created to seek knowledge and for worship, (and ultimately to know God?) and this is accompanied by the struggle (jihad) that we must endure towards it. The importance of the struggle and perseverance of the human self is highlighted in the verse:
Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts. (Ar-Ra’d, 13:11)
If this is the case, then it follows that Islam should have a comprehensive spiritual architecture for the development of self. This project is born out of a need to fill an information gap that exists surrounding Islamic philosophy on the development of self and its consciousness.
It brings into perspective Islamic scholarship from various orientations, while trying to understand them from a perspective of neuroscience, humanistic psychology and management including spiritual leadership.
Islam is a holistic path, which has two foundational dimensions, namely, worship (ibadah) and akhlaq (morality), which are intertwined with each other aimed at shaping human consciousness, while releasing us from the shackles of bondage and addictions. In Islam worship is not only confined to devotion to God but subsumes inter-relational aspects as well as day to day activities, all of which should be done with God consciousness in a contemplative-meditative state. Thus, it becomes a ‘living meditation’, which permeates all facets of one’s life.
It is our earnest wish that all souls benefit from this platform, which is meant to be a ‘resource hub’ for understanding the quintessential aspects of Islam, which are so misunderstood. Oh my Lord, we seek your love, blessings and divine knowledge and let it seep into our hearts and quench our thirst.
We welcome articles relating to the four main themes outlined in this platform holisticliving.faith: Well-Being & the Worshipper, Morality (Ethics), Work-Life-Balance and Health & Human Nutrition. The articles need to be well-structured and have been proof-read, as well as properly referenced.
Once receiving relevant articles, this will go through a review process and then a decision made to publish it or not. The articles can be sent to: Safiullah (safimunsoor@gmail.com).
Well-Being & the Worshipper
Islam is replete with contemplative-meditative practices with its approaches, methods and tools as seen by the illustration presented in Figure 1 – Contemplative Tree[1] – An Islamic Framework of Contemplative Practices, which can be a basis for development of the mind-body.
Morality (Ethics)
There are numerous references to akhlaq (morality) which includes code of conduct (adab) both in the Quran and the Hadiths corpus. This is something that people struggle with, where some put a large emphasis on worship (Ibadah), while neglecting or falling short on the which concerns morality and code of conduct especially towards oneself and others. The perfection of good character and conduct are central to the Islamic self, as emphasised in both the Qur’an and hadith. The Prophet is the ideal role model for us to emulate and the Qur’an itself supports this where God says “Indeed, in this [Qur’an] is notification for a worshiping people. And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (Qur’an: Al-Anbiya, 21:106-107) and “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you [i.e., your guidance] and to the believers is kind and merciful.” (Qur’an: At-Tawbah, 9:128).Health & Human Nutrition
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”(WHO, 2014). Islam has its own rich tradition of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is, however, contested, where there is a call for a biopsychosocial-spiritual model[1] of well-being, with the inclusion of spirituality and spiritual care, which is more holistic. [1] DP Sulmasy, “A biopsychosocial-spiritual model for the care of patients at the end of life” The Gerontologist 42 (2002):24-33, doi: 10.1093/geront/42.suppl_3.24Work-Life Balance
Islam does not promote either a monastic life nor a life totally devoted to this world. Rather it is the middle-path (ummathan wasathan) that is sought. What should not be misunderstood is that we need to cultivate a greater depth in our worship, while learning how best to master acts of worship. Getting this equilibrium through a balanced life, which engages the body, mind and heart is the quintessential aspect of the faith.