بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ
Last week we spoke
about the remembrance of Allah. Today insha Allah we will look at the stages
ones goes through in the process of becoming God conscious. It cannot happen overnight. It takes time and discipline.
As human beings we cannot
have two separate entities in our mind at one and the same time. For example we cannot remember Allah and think of the
worldly acquisitions at the same time. Allah says in Surah Ahzab;
Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body: (33:4)
So human beings cannot
engage into two contrasting entitles at one and the same time. How then do we achieve pure God
consciousness? It is possible through discipline
and culturing of the personality. In relation
to this Allah
says;
But keep in remembrance the name of Thy Lord and devote thyself to
Him whole-heartedly. (73:8)
Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said “Satan puts three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he
is asleep. On every knot he reads and
exhales the following words, ‘The night is long, so stay asleep’. When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one
knot is undone; and when one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and
when one prays the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good
heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous
heart." (Bukhari)
Through the
remembrance of Allah you can put to rest
the scheme of Satan.
The best time to remember Allah
is when you have finished all your worldly commitments, and any other
distractions that are on your mind. When
you are free of all emotional preoccupation you can communicate properly to
your Lord.
Allah makes mention of this
in Surah Alam Nasyrah;
Therefore, when thou art free (from thine immediate task), still
labour hard, and to Thy Lord turn (all) thy attention. (94:7-8)
Prophet Muhammad emphasizes the importance of having a clear mind in
the following ahadith:
§ “If the Iqama for prayer is proclaimed and
supper is served, take your supper first”.
§
One of
the three acts which are not allowed is for a person to offer prayer while
needing to answer the call of nature”.
We can see the
practicality of Islam. Devote yourself
to your Lord when your mind is clear and free from any preoccupations. Nothing should distract you when you are
attempting to gain closeness to Allah. Satan is smart and he will use your emotional
unrest to divert your focus away from Allah, so all you will really
be achieving is the mechanical aspect of prayer.
Imam Ali (as) says: “Allah
doesn't answer the prayer of a person whose prayer doesn't come from his heart”.
Therefore, one should pray from the
depths of his heart and should have a conviction that Allah
is watching and listening to him.
One of the best times
to engage in the remembrance of Allah is during the night
prayer (Tahajjud). When everyone else is
asleep and there is relative tranquillity.
At night
there are less distractions, thus a person would be able to concentrate and
focus more.
Allah says;
Truly the rising by night is most potent for governing (the soul),
and most suitable for (framing) the word (of prayer and Praise). (73:6)
Islam doesn’t want you
to stay away from the world. Instead
maintain an appropriate balance. Take
time out of your daily routine to gain nearness to Allah. Don’t keep on procrastinating and put off God
consciousness. Every day that passes
means one day less in this world. Get
closer to your Lord and insha Allah He will look after all your affairs in this
world and the next.
May Allah always bless the
believers and enable us to gain nearness to Him and maintain it throughout our lives.
