How to stay in that mindset... always...?
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I am reminded of Ch 7, Vs 200-206 which I understand as follows
7/200 shaitan (forces of alienation from reality) assails you, seek refuge with Allah.
7/201 those who are preserving themselves, when shaitan touches them, they vivify Allah
7/202 those who do not escape this
7/203 following revelation as an insight (thus getting away from shaitan)
7/204 reading the Quran as a means of evolution (turhamoon)
7/205 next step bringing Allah to life in our own souls (telling us what reading is for)
7/206 the end result, actual application.it's a step by step formula for transformation. I would tie this with the beginning of the chapter and the story of adam.
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That mindset I am in sometimes.
Where I feel God protecting me. I can walk into the darkness, and I have this feeling, it is like happiness but much deeper, like how when you feel depressed, you can feel it physically, this is somewhat like that, except it's amazing.
Once I started speaking to God, and I felt maybe shy, or some sort of strange feeling, where I am aware I am speaking to the One who gave me life, to the Creator of the universe.
When I look at fruits, the feeling of heat during a cold night, the different colours, the different animals, looking at the bones moving when I move my fingers...
What I am typing about shouldn't seem strange to you.The problem is that I am not always like this... I want to be in this mindset, always. When I am not, I am impatient, I commit sin... I am not sure why, but many times when I speak to God, I feel a negative feeling over me, which forces me to speak in a quick way, like I'm trying to finish my prayer as fast as I can to be relieved from this feeling. I feel this when I try to read the Qur'an. It even stops me from reading. I think that I have been reading much less because I don't want to have this feeling.
I want to be able to "feel" God, in a symbolic sense... always.Salam,
I hope you don't mind my separating your post as above, because I noticed some interesting ideas there.
This is beautiful. I hope I comprehend what you have written. In short, perhaps I could summarised your experience as a heightened state of 'awareness/mindfulness' (tattaqoon).
And if I may say, that state is attained solely by God's grace. We may strive for it, yes, but we attain that state solely by God's grace. It is not something that we may strive and will surely attain it. No. But 'insha allah'.
By 'insha allah' I mean that all of our efforts, right from our objective and faith to our industry and purity in heart in our strive will be taken into account. One way of looking at your attainment of that state is that God has made an acknowledgment or even perhaps an approval on your strive. Or in other words, you have certainly done something right. This is just one way of looking at it. So my suggestion is (if I may), always be thankfull to God.
Now comes the second part where you noted that you want to be always at that state.
Please be patient with God. Yes, you have noted in your second part of your shortcomings, but my suggestion is (if I may) please be patient with God. And since this is all about becoming, there is the element of time involved.
And you could also make your shortcomings, fears and wants as the topics for your future conversations/dialogues with God.
I have for some years suggested to this forum that we should have a conversation/dialogue with God, especially in our studies of the Qur-an. But not many people are willing to do it, so I am very thankfull to God indeed and very happy for you too.
A familiarity with having conversations/dialogues with God will also spur one to ask God about everything and anything that matters to one's life. It may be in one's studies, in finding the best life partner, in finding the most appropriate job, in answering the most difficult questions, in understanding difficult topics of discussions, in getting money, etc.
And if you have more detailed questions, and even personal perhaps, regarding your conversations/dialogues with God, please do not hesitate to email me (mohammed noh @ g mail . com). I may share with you (and anyone who has the experience in having conversations/dialogues with God) whatever little experience and comprehension that I may have.
I do not wish to discuss matters of this kind of experience openly since in my experience only those with similar experiences will understand, and benefit from, the discussions.
The majority of people only want to know or hear stories of the experience, but too few are willing to make even the try/test/experiment, let alone do it as a habit/routine.
May God guide us all correctly.
Cheers!
Mohammed Noh -
Salam Abang Noh,
I forgot you were also here in FM. Indeed, the 'conversational' aspect of the Quran is not very common with quranists but I think it's the key to using the Quran as more than just a text but rather a book of signs. Thanks so much.
Farouk.
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Very good question. Right now I feel your precise challenge.
I know that constant remembrance of God is the salve to all wounds. But when life hits you in the face and you go into a daze, what do you do? When your own evil nature decides to act out and practically takes over your body like some kind of mind control parasite while you watch it happen in front of you, powerless and weak when once you felt so sure, what can you do? I guess you can turn to God, again and again and again. God forgives all and redeems all until their time comes and they pass and their trial is ended. So even if you are covered in seventy different flavours of poop, turn to God, turn again and again and again once more.
Remember God created every single shade of poop on your spiritual garments, crafted each and every one with his own hands with a finesse that our artists could only hope to catch a dust grain's worth, a mere grain of dust that would put them into total annihilation and mystical ecstasy. Yet this is the poop that covers your spiritual face! God knows in and out, that when you were five years old that someone said that thing to you which caused you to develop this complex which resulted in your propensity to commit the evil which you do now! A human being is not privy to this information so they will never be near as forgiving as this, and even if they knew, they could not hope to fathom the magnificent intricacies of cause and effect that decide that the high protein breakfast bar you ate fifteen years ago is now causing your left eyelid to twitch at 0.5 Hertz today. For every step you take towards God, He takes seven hundred towards you, quite literally so.
Imagine your good deeds are a magic carpet, that you float on and fly towards peace, comfort, security, serenity, light. And your evil deeds are like holes in this, the immediate evils are like holes but the evils with a continual impact, these are like bugs chewing away at the carpet. Below you is darkness, which as God says has waves upon waves upon waves of fog, so that you cannot even see your hand in front of your face. Float on the grace of your good deeds, for good works buy you time and time spent in graceful floating, that is time you can spend to actively nullify your evil.
At the end of it, it is purely your evil that is what pulls you out of this state. But God knows man is created weak, God knows fully the secrets of our hearts and all the nuances that He shaped us with.
As for removing that feeling of impatience which makes you rush praying and reading, learn to meditate. The longer you can hold a meditation, the weaker and weaker this force becomes until it vanishes altogether. But it can always come back.
Stay around good people. Right now I am in a rut myself and I notice this only arose when I started once more hanging around with people who, although friendly, are not the best for me in any way shape or form. Negative vibrations, the clinging to evil, this is contagious. Keep good company, and you will notice that the clinging to evil ceases to arise within yourself. For the last few years I stopped hanging around any people who presented even the slightest bit of evil even if they did something as simple as swear at someone in a malicious way, I would dissociate myself.
And guess what, I feel total security everywhere I go, my footsteps are sure and firm. My life, when I abstain from evil company or evil influence, it is entirely free of suffering. I can go literally an entire month or six without a single negative thought, without getting even slightly sad a single second, come rain or shine, wealth or poverty. I can walk into the darkest of alleyways, past large gangs of predatory people safe knowing that God would strike them down and destroy them with utter destruction should they even dream of thinking of harming me. Not merely thinking this but truly knowing for sure; when you can look at fifteen hooded figures in the eye and watch fear fall over their faces and their heads lower to the floor in reverence to the God Within, this is knowing. These very same persons would stab and rob the next person to walk through the alley without a second's thought, but they shake at the mere thought of doing this to you! This is an inner knowing that I developed by watching people's actions and the return of the fruits of their deeds to them in their immediate future.
I saw that those who stole, they experienced unrelenting poverty. I saw those who committed zina, they experienced unrelenting thirst. I saw those who lied, they experienced unrelenting confusion. I saw that those who failed their promises, they experienced unrelenting volatility. I saw that whether a person broke a principle of God or abided by them, He would directly reveal to themselves the fruits of their deeds by returning it directly unto them. It is up to us to shine light on our actions and see the beautiful hand of God orchestrating each and every single event, writing every single chapter and plot twist in the Book of Life.
Pay attention you will see that every good action you do is rewarded fully by God in this life here and now, and every evil will return to you an equal suffering. But it takes meditative insight and cultivation of clarity to truly be able to say this caused that; if you do not cultivate clarity then you will experience things like stubbing your toe on a corner as random. They are not random in any way, shape or form. Let me present you an analogy if you stepped on a piece of lego today, know that this is truly because yesterday you stepped on an ant that God did love, an ant that you did not need to step on but wilfully did so. God's law of requital is absolute and just. You can play it to your advantage but never can you fool the Seer, the Hearer.
Right now I am not keeping the best of company and I am paying dearly for it! I can see the clear contrast between my life free of negative influence and its total lack of suffering, and my life now where suffering has once more arisen. I accept responsibility fully and I see assuredly that even as I cannot control others, I certainly control my domain and whether I wish to remain in peace and security or suffering and fear. Bide your time, forgive yourself, ease yourself into a smooth reality where God loves you. God will not punish a person when they do no wrong, there is no mystery to the way in which God operates. How can true justice have any mystery? That would be subversion, not justice!
So here is the crux of my point. Yes, there is a methodology by which you are guaranteed to slide into a state of total peace and rest, wherever you are. This is called 'Brahmacharya' total celibacy total abstinence. From all excitements of the sense pleasures, from swearing, from lust, from arrogance, from greed, from lying, from breaking vows, from mistreating another soul. You place your mind on absolute lockdown, and not a single thought abides in your mind but you have full awareness of it, full awareness of why you are thinking it, what you would like to do with it, and where it will lead whichever way you choose to respond to it.
This is guaranteed to place you into total calm, total security, total God-realisation, GUARANTEED. But here is the challenge. Can you guarantee God that you will abide in it? This is the true test of a soul, the true knowing of your nafs.
Here is a good source of information that will tell you what to do - http//hariomgroup.net/hariombooks/satsang/English/TheSecretOfEternalYouth.htm and another one is http//www.yoga-age.com/modern/brahma.html
peace
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Hi Everyone,
Isn't this what the Sufi's are after? They were only able to achieve it in fleeting moments, not continuously. How to keep this going? I would look at some Sufi literature. However the literature maybe counter productive as it may be too cerebral. Excites your mind too much to be able to let yourself go into Allah's embrace.
Just my crazy thoughts...
JewishDude
peace Salam, Shalom, Peace peace -
To me, amongst all Traditional Muslims, Sufism utilises the Quran to highest degree. This is because their fundamental idea is to achieve spiritual evolution to be closer to God. They're definitely worth exploring, Jewish Dude. I highly recommend 'Sufism and Deconstruction' by Ian Almond to show how Sufis transcend texts to achieve epiphanic counters with what is beyond the text.
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Salam Abang Noh,
I forgot you were also here in FM. Indeed, the 'conversational' aspect of the Quran is not very common with quranists but I think it's the key to using the Quran as more than just a text but rather a book of signs. Thanks so much.
Farouk.
Salam Farouk,
Happy to find you active in FM too.
Cheers!
Mohammed Nohp.s - I closed my FB a/c late last year, and so apologies for not informing you any earlier.
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You do not have to work for your mindset; He would set your mind
The Almighty has power over all-weaknesses of a human being, about who the Almighty says Man is the Best of Creations! This is because he knows his weakness for everything his physical senses desire; knowingly he falls for them all; knowing well that he would have to taste every evil of their works as just recompense, he is a weak-carefree prude- a dude; knowing the hell and heaven are awaiting, he chooses to abide by his vanities; yet as man he alone knows who God is while falling to his weaknesses and entertaining himself with all evils on earth,- still He remembers God, as the Knower all things, He would accept and acknowledge his submission and surrendering to Him as a weakling- and thus would forgive him, show mercy on him, and would bail him out from all the adversities he might suffer, and would deliver from hell. Such people are the believers in the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful, the Seer, the Hearer, and the All-Knowing! They might have been carefree in their attitude and behaviour, and might have harmed themselves to the point of un-bearability, but would abstain from tasting the evil at the cost of others' destruction. This is because they are not only believers but are rememberers in God too -and forget not in God that God is merciful unto other human beings as He is merciful unto him. So a mumin would never trespass into others' characters and their lives i.e. the others' privacy or private affairs and matters with evil instincts. These are believers who all the while remember in their hearts, of God's Subtleness; Gentleness; Kindness even as they are sensuously indulging in desires. Towards this end each mumin would assess himself and know for sure, he is the worst sinner of them all; and firmly believes Almighty would empower him with 'wisdom and will' to ease himself away from all debaucheries.
To such believers who always remember and would never forget the Almighty-Forgiving's, the All-Knowing word of promise is this
39.35 So that Allah will turn off from them with the worst of what they did and give them their reward for the best of what they did.
39.53 Say "O my bondsmen, who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah for Allah forgives all sins for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
3.135 And those who, even as they involve in an evil or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins - Who forgiveth sins save Allah alone? - and will not they involve in the wrong unmindful of the Most Forgiving.
3.147,148 And their words were not but that they said, "Our Lord, forgive us our sins and the excess committed in our affairs and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people." So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the good reward of the Hereafter. And Allah loves the doers of good who remember and believe and forget not and abide that all good things come from Only Allah.
24.38 That Allah may reward them choosing the best of what they did, and increase reward for them of His bounty. Allah Forgives without measure to whom He will.So let the mind set be upon the remembering and believing the Oft-Forgiving Allah, even if we are in the company of shaitans. But what you will not do is not forgetting the ever Remembering, ever Seeing, ever Hearing Allah who is with you; when you remember Him, He remembers you.
And your remembrance is only one Glorifying word "O the Forgiver!"
The shaitans around you and who are in your vicinity have no works with you when you hold on to the Most Forgiving stronger by the hour; for the shaitans always cloud our mind with their magic words Oh! How can you expect Allah to forgive you with all your sins you are doing even at this moment. We shall never fall to such of their words and become not despondent of Allah's Grace and Forgiveness. Henceforth it is upon the Almighty to set your mind in righteousness. All good is from Him alone. Your mind is surely not in your hands
8.24 O you who have believe! Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. And know that Allah intervenes between a man and his mind and that to Him you will be gathered.
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Wonderful posts in this thread!!
8.24 O you who have believe! Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. And know that Allah intervenes between a man and his mind and that to Him you will be gathered.
Wow, I wasn't aware of this one. Indeed, God is the only one who can save us from the dictatorship of the mind.... the mind, when in power, leading us astray.
To me, what OP talks about is what some people call Spiritual Joy (in lack of a better word). This Joy has nothing to do with amusement, or happiness, or enjoyment, or any emotion like that. This Joy is like a grounded, secure, firm, powerful, peaceful, soft, shining, full state of being... something which is above emotions, and is not affected by happiness, sadness, boredom...
What I understand, is that this state first comes in flashes or glimpses... and is somehow connected to 'letting go'. This state cannot be created, approached or forced.... rather is requires a certain kind of inner letting go and surrender.... which is something I cannot describe due to lack of experience. This letting go is however something I'm committed to, and it has started showing some results... but I have lots to work on in myself, to let go of, to clean out. I pray for success in learning to surrender within... losing the resistance which just brings misery...sun
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Wonderful posts in this thread!!
Wow, I wasn't aware of this one. Indeed, God is the only one who can save us from the dictatorship of the mind.... the mind, when in power, leading us astray.
sun
All Glory Be To Him, The Lord of the Worlds!
3514 And none can inform you ( O, zulf ) like Him Who is the AllKnower.
fazl
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Hi Zulf,
Please keep us updated on what techniques or approaches you use. This may be helpful for us to be able to follow your lead. I am extremely interested in the Spiritual side of things. I would hope this forum spends as much time on the Spiritual as it does the Ritual (that rhymes!).
JewishDude
peace Salam, Shalom, Peace peace -
JewishDude,
Seriously, I'm in no position to take any lead. I'm just a person who is struggling to break free after decades of being chained, stuck up, blocked and ignorant. I'm trying to become, rather than just intellectually understand. My mind is quite good at understanding things intellectually, but that's useless if it isn't transformed into becoming. The mind can be your own worst enemy... when you think you are your mind. The first step to freedom is to realize that you are not your mind and thoughts... your are something else that has a mind aswell as a body associated with it. All I know is that God keeps helping me, letting me improve and let go of devilish resistances, inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter. The challenge in my life is to REALLY surrender to God, to really let go of resistance, to really trust in God and leave everything to God... and I'm talking about really living it and being it throughout the consciousness. It's better to be honest and acknowledge how weak you actually are, than to fool yourself and others with facades of knowledge, wisdom and what-not. Trying to be honest brings you closer to your actual position, from where you then can work ahead. I've found it is all about re-establishing the connection to God (and thus opening your eye to reality and truth), and to purify yourself from all the illusions, resistances and blindness that we have. Re-connection and purification... that's what life is all about... in my opinion.
Peace bro
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Hi Zulf,
I agree with you 100%.
Thanks,
Ed -
That mindset I am in sometimes.
Where I feel God protecting me. I can walk into the darkness, and I have this feeling, it is like happiness but much deeper, like how when you feel depressed, you can feel it physically, this is somewhat like that, except it's amazing.
Once I started speaking to God, and I felt maybe shy, or some sort of strange feeling, where I am aware I am speaking to the One who gave me life, to the Creator of the universe.
When I look at fruits, the feeling of heat during a cold night, the different colours, the different animals, looking at the bones moving when I move my fingers...
What I am typing about shouldn't seem strange to you.
The problem is that I am not always like this... I want to be in this mindset, always. When I am not, I am impatient, I commit sin... I am not sure why, but many times when I speak to God, I feel a negative feeling over me, which forces me to speak in a quick way, like I'm trying to finish my prayer as fast as I can to be relieved from this feeling. I feel this when I try to read the Qur'an. It even stops me from reading. I think that I have been reading much less because I don't want to have this feeling.
I want to be able to "feel" God, in a symbolic sense... always.Maybe you can share with us your prayer routines and reading Quran routines. Finishing your prayer quickly could be a case of your routine coule be cumbersome or too repetetive that your body and mouth move faster than your mind. Maybe you can alter your style every now and then shortening sometimes and elongating it sometimes so your body does not adapt too easily and you can stay alert.
Prayers is the one thing the devil despises so he will make it as hard as he can. Especially if your prayers includes glorifications of God. If he can not change your mood when he knows your prayer time is coming he will try to break your concentration and make your mind dwell somewhere else while you are praying.
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Prayers is the one thing the devil despises so he will make it as hard as he can. Especially if your prayers includes glorifications of God. If he can not change your mood when he knows your prayer time is coming he will try to break your concentration and make your mind dwell somewhere else while you are praying.
Indeed.
Prayer is despised because prayer is a connection to God. That which is devil or shaytan is by definition that which causes a disruption in the connection. -
Indeed.
Prayer is despised because prayer is a connection to God. That which is devil or shaytan is by definition that which causes a disruption in the connection.When the prayers are done ritually i.e. done physically chanting slogans, invoking mantras, rhyming the verses etc., turning away from our mind and facing towards a direction of physically sculpted images or constructed structures, our mind without divine protection, becomes an ample space for shaitaans. And the prayers, especially the 5 or 3 times prayers are not contact prayers but on the other hand we brake contact with God 5 or 3 times a day which otherwise could have been a continuous prayer. Evil is the imam in such physical breaking of continuous prayer. Such are from the Jinns when you are standing in prayer all alone facing away from your mind. This is the reason why we are unable to think of Allah for even a minute, in any single 'rakath'.
And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he responds to Me, so they should respond to My call and put their trust only in Me that they may walk in the beautiful path.
Note Allah is very near; nearer than our life and closer to us than our heart and soul. And our wishes in our hearts are His word of promises and His Will that becomes our dear need of the Hour. Those who answer Him with an affirmative response "Yes, O my God! Your Will Be Done! All you have to say is 'Be!' And it is! I believe and I put my trust in You alone; O God, enhance me in my trust upon You and strengthen my feet, looking up to you alone." Allah responds to such respectful and responsible responsiveness of His bondsmen. Hence will the believers Listen to Him alone; respond to Him alone; and look up to Him alone? If we are thus just in this order Allah is surely sufficient to us as Helper and as Protector.
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When the prayers are done ritually i.e. done physically chanting slogans, invoking mantras, rhyming the verses etc., turning away from our mind and facing towards a direction of physically sculpted images or constructed structures, our mind without divine protection, becomes an ample space for shaitaans. And the prayers, especially the 5 or 3 times prayers are not contact prayers but on the other hand we brake contact with God 5 or 3 times a day which otherwise could have been a continuous prayer. Evil is the imam in such physical breaking of continuous prayer. Such are from the Jinns when you are standing in prayer all alone facing away from your mind. This is the reason why we are unable to think of Allah for even a minute, in any single 'rakath'.
And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he responds to Me, so they should respond to My call and put their trust only in Me that they may walk in the beautiful path.
Note Allah is very near; nearer than our life and closer to us than our heart and soul. And our wishes in our hearts are His word of promises and His Will that becomes our dear need of the Hour. Those who answer Him with an affirmative response "Yes, O my God! Your Will Be Done! All you have to say is 'Be!' And it is! I believe and I put my trust in You alone; O God, enhance me in my trust upon You and strengthen my feet, looking up to you alone." Allah responds to such respectful and responsible responsiveness of His bondsmen. Hence will the believers Listen to Him alone; respond to Him alone; and look up to Him alone? If we are thus just in this order Allah is surely sufficient to us as Helper and as Protector.
That's why I don't like going to the mosque, and never do... because going to the mosque is for me the opposite of praying to God. I feel that I resume my connection with God first once I'm out from the mosque.
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Hi Everyone,
I do feel that praying with people in a group seems to have more power if it is a spiritual group versus a ritual group. I often can feel the energy of the group praying. However it is just go through the motions, then the group can be quite distracting.
Just my crazy thoughts...
JewishDude
peace Salam, Shalom, Peace peace