Sufi Meditation and Muraqaba Naqshbandi Teachings

The Levels of Sufi Meditation

Muraqabah/Sufi Meditation St ep by Step

Level One: Meeting the Shaykh/Mentor in the

Realm of the Spirit

The goal of the first le vel of muraqabah/Sufi Meditation is to imagine yo urself in the presence o f the Shaykh/Mentor, to give him greetings, to converse with him, and to build a relationship with him on a spir it ua l leve l. After proceeding thro ugh the aforementioned preparatory steps, visualize yourself in the presence of the Shaykh/Mentor. The o perative word here is visualize. Visualizing is not the same as imagining. When we imagine somethin g, we create a fictio nal illusion in our mind. What we are concerned with here is reality, and yo u must know that the fo llower is truly in the co ntinual pr esence o f the Shaykh/Mentor, on the plane o f the spirit. So visualize that reality, projecting it onto the screen of your mind. Keep your eyes closed. See the Shaykh/Mentor through the eye of the heart. Do not loo k for his face. Instead, concentrate on his aura, his spir itual form. When you begin to perceive the Shaykh/Mentors presence, g ive him greetings. It is important to maintain proper manners with the Shaykh/Mentor during Naqshbandi Muhibeen www.nurmuhammad.com As- Sayed Nur jan MirAhmadi nurmir @att.net

Sufi Meditation and Muraqaba Naqshbandi Teachings muraqabah/Sufi Meditation, behaving exactly as you would if you were in the Shaykh/Mentors physical presence. Sit still, maintaining a position of respectif it is not too difficu lt for you, kneel. If this is too difficult, then sit cross-legged. Remain fu lly conscious, fully awake, and fully aware of your connection with the Shaykh/Mentor.

At this point, you may allow your soul to converse with the Shaykh/Mentor. In so doing you define, build, and strengthen your relationship with his reality. Follow what the Shaykh/Mentor reveals to your heart about spiritual matters. However, with regard to worldly matters, any inspiration you receive through muraqabah/Sufi Meditation should be confirmed with the Shaykh/Mentor before you act on it. Level Two: Connecting Your Heart with the Heart of the Shaykh/Mentor

After mastering the first level of muraqabah/Sufi Meditation, your next goal is to build a spiritual connection between your heart and the Shaykh/Mentors.
To accomplish this, begin as before and visualize yourself in h is presence. After greeting the Shaykh/Mentor, ask permission to connect your heart to his light and his heart to yo ur light. Imag ine a ray of light extending from the Shaykh/Mentors heart to your heart and another extending from your heart to the Shaykh/Mentors. This creates a powerful sp iritual co nnection. Once this connection is established, recite your daily dhikr, taking care to maintain the co nnectio n between your heart and the Shayk h/Mento rs thro ugho ut (See the Appendix for

details o f the daily awrad and an exp lanation of its secrets).

Naqshbandi Muhibeen www.nurmuhammad.com As- Sayed Nur jan MirAhmadi nurmir @att.net

Sufi Meditation and Muraqaba Naqshbandi Teachings

Once a Day :
Make fresh wudu and pray 2 raka. 3x Shahada [ Kalimatu Shahadah (3 times): Ashhadu an

la ilaha illa-lah, wa ashhadu anna Mu hammadan rasululah] ilayh ]

100-200x Istighfar [Astaghfirul lahal `Atheem wa atubu 3x Surah Ikhlas [Qul huwa Allahu ahadu n Allahu Fatiha (read fatiha)] Minimum 200x seeking support and presence of

alssamadu Lam yalid walam yo oladu Walam yaku n lahu kufuwan ahadun ]

Mawlana Shaykh (Q): Madad ya Sayyidi, Madad ulHaq Ya Mawlana Shayk h Nazim Haqqani Repeating Dhikr

Level Three: Controlling the Breath The goal of this exercise is to practice conscious br eathing. According to Gr andShayk h/Mentor Abdul Khaliq Ghujdawani : The most important missio n for the seeker in this Order is to safeguard his breath, and he who canno t safeguard his breath, it wou ld be said of him, he lost himself. The name Allah, which encompasses the ninety-nine Names and Attr ibutes, consists o f fo ur letters, alif ( ), lam ( ), lam ( ), and hah ( ): . The peo ple of Sufism say that the absolute unseen Essence of Go d is expressed by the last letter, hah ( ). Shah Naqshband said: This Order is built on breath. So it is a must for everyone to safeguard his breath in the time o f his inhalation and exhalation, and further, to safeguar d his br eath in the interval between the inhalation and exhalation. Dhikr is flowing in the bo dy o f ever y single living creature by the necessity o f its breatheven without willas a sign o f obed ience, which is part of its creatio n. Thr ough its breathing, the so und of the letter hah of the Divine Name Allah is made with ever y exhalation and inhalation, and it is a sign of the Unseen Essence serving to emphasize the Uniqueness of God. Therefore, it is necessar y to be present with that breathing in o rder to realize the Essence o f the Creator. Safeguar ding your breath fro m Naqshbandi Muhibeen www.nurmuhammad.com As- Sayed Nur jan MirAhmadi nurmir @att.net

Sufi Meditation and Muraqaba Naqshbandi Teachings heed lessness will lead you to co mp lete Presence, and complete Presence will lead you to complete Vision, and comp lete Vision will lead yo u to co mp lete Manifestation of Gods ninety- nine Names and Attributes. God leads you to the Manifestation of His ninetynine Names and Attr ibutes and all His other Attributes, because it is said, Gods Attributes are as numerous as the breaths o f human beings. It must be known by everyo ne that securing the breath fro m heedlessness is d ifficu lt for seekers. Therefore, we must safeguard it by seeking forgiveness. Seeking forgiveness will purify it and sanctif y our breath and prepare us fo r the Real Manifestation of God ever ywhere. To perform this meditation, prepare as you The hands carry tremendous secrets, and their po sition in this exercise is impo rtant. You would for other form of muraqabah/Sufi will begin any to unlock the secrets of the hands in this meditation. God placed Divine Codes on our Meditation. are activated by rubbing them together (See page Error! Bookmark not defined. handsthese et seq.). The hands alsocare function like satellite dishes, receiving Divine Energies and other Take can special during emanations. Position your hands so that the tip of the thumb is touching the tip of the index ablution to ensure that your finger , with the other fingers straight. This for ms the shape o f the word Allah in Arabic hands are clean. extended Make your script. med itation space as dark as possible. Now pay attention to your breathing. Breathe in through yo ur nose and exhale through Play a r ecording o f Quranic your mouth. recitation, prayers on the Prophet , dhikr, or some When you breathe in through yo ur other soothing sound. nose, say, Hu-Allah. Take care to perform even the Exhale through your mouth, saying smallest details of this for m of Hu. As you breathe in, imagine muraqabah/Sufi Meditation, because they are the foundation of your itation. white light med entering through your heart. Assume a kneeling position or sit cross-legged in the Lo tus Po sition. When you breathe out, imagine Close your eyes and mouth. black energy being expelled fro m Clench your teeth to gethergently, not hardand keep your tongue pressed your mouth. firmly against the roof of yo ur mouth. Inhale, then ho ld your breath to slow your heart rate and breathing. When we exhale, the carbon monoxide that leaves our bodies contains neg ative energy from our bad actions. Therefore the Prophet said, "When you drink (water), do not breathe in

Naqshbandi Muhibeen www.nurmuhammad.com As- Sayed Nur jan MirAhmadi nurmir @att.net