Whenever we hear the word “meditation” or “mindfulness” being mentioned the first thing that will pop up in our mind is a man sitting down, breathing with his legs crossed and eyes closed. Some even wonder if practicing meditation is permissible in Islam. Most of the time the concept of meditation is non-religious based which encompasses chanting mantras and it is obviously not accepted in Islamic teachings. Basically, mindfulness is a type of meditation which aims to control the mind from unwanted thoughts and focusing being intensely aware of the present moment. The practice of mindfulness has long existed in Islam through dzikir or remembrance of Allah. Dzikr is a meditative technique or practice that strengthens the spiritual bond between a Muslim and his or her Creator and trains Muslims to become more mindful of themselves, their surroundings and their Creator. Unlike some mindfulness meditation techniques, the core of all dzikir practices is to remember and be mindful of Allah.

Mindfulness is a mental state of self-awareness achieved by focusing on the present moment. An unmindful person would react to his thoughts and emotions without thinking straight and let them control the person; if a person gets angry, he will let his emotions take over him. In contrast, a mindful person has the ability to control his actions. To add, one of the most common challenges that people nowadays face is distraction. Getting distracted by something is a common occurrence. It is even more challenging today compared to the days when gadgets were limited. Back then, phones were created solely for communication but now we can do almost anything with our smartphones such as gaming, socializing and watching videos. With the accessibility to entertainment in just a click of a button, human beings are slowly losing our capability to focus on one thing at a time due to the unlimited access to entertainment. Once you feel bored at what is in front of your screen, you would just need few clicks on your phone to bring you a new form pleasure and this bad habit may slowly cause ruin to the human mind.

To a clear mind

In a time of information overload, our senses are constantly stimulated and it is hard for us to have a clear mind. The concept of mindfulness in Islam can help us train our minds to become more disciplined and aware of the thoughts that enter our minds. This practice will help us achieve our highest potential of focusing on our day-to-day worship and practices (ie: solat, dzikir or reading the Qur’an) as well as our daily activities. Every one of us wants to have a clear mind, even when we are not doing any task. It is a good habit to practice especially since the holy month of Ramadhan is reaching us soon and it would be most encouraged to incorporate mindfulness. It would then make it easier for us to focus on our ibadah peacefully.

Whenever thought passes the mind, one should not push it away. The more you try to get it out of your mind the more it will stay. Instead, let it pass through the mind without engaging in it. Ibn Al-Qayyim writes:

“واعلم أن ورود الخاطر لا يضرّ وإنما يضرّ استدعاؤه ومحادثته فالخاطر كالمار على الطريق فإن تركته مرّ وانصرف عنك”

“Know that passing thoughts are not harmful. Indeed, they are only harmful if they are sought and engaged. For a thought is like a passerby on the road; if you ignore him, he will pass by and depart from you.” (Al-Jawāb al-Kāfī 1/157)

The practice of Dzikir and meditation will help us gain control of our minds from unwanted thoughts and emotions. The more we practice returning our awareness to Allah, the stronger our mental capacity to ignore bad thoughts and distractions. We may not be able beat away unwanted thoughts and emotions directly but we have to gradually learn how to ignore them and let them pass like waves over the sea as what was mentioned by the renowned scholar, Ibn Al-Qayyim. And when the heart feels trouble by the worldly affairs, engaging in Dzikir will ease the heart. Allah s.w.t. mentions in the Quran:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

“Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (Surah Ar-Ra’d verse 28)

Nowadays we all suffer from cluttered minds. We are emotionally distressed and caught up in the stresses of life. If anything, this is negative implications for our health and state of mind. When we practice mindfulness we can free our souls, reach a calmer state and achieve a clear mindset that can enable us to focus on performing dzikir and attaining even higher degree of mindfulness.

Studies from The American Psychological Association have shown that practising mindfulness decreases stress, emotional reactivity, depression and anxiety while improving memory, focus and personal relationship and increasing empathy and compassion.

Silence facilitates mindfulness

Mindfulness is not only limited to the mind, rather it is also about safeguarding our tongue from spewing unnecessary statements. According to the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he said:

 “من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الىخر فليقل خيراً او ليصمت”

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak goodness or remain silent.” (Sahih Al-Bukhaari)

This Hadith reminds us of the importance of guarding our tongue. In many instances, we can avoid an argument, or upsetting a loved one by just keeping silent if we don’t have anything good to say. One is able to take action on bettering oneself by training the mind to identify the way thoughts and feelings behave so that one is able to exert more control over them. Furthermore, the mind is closely knitted to the tongue and if the mind is surrounded by negative thoughts, the speech would be greatly affected.

With constant practice of mindfulness, one will be able think clearly, make the right decision and stay grounded when unwanted thoughts or emotions pass through it. The most important thing to achieve when practising mindfulness is to always remember Allah wherever we are which is the ultimate goal of the exercise. And it will surely help us to achieve our goals that we may have missed in our previous Ramadhan. Allah s.w.t. mentions in the Quran:

وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

 “He is with you wherever you are and Allah is watchful of whatever you do” (Surah Al-Hadid Verse 4)

Learning to become mindful or to focus on the moment enables Muslims to practice dzikir at its best. A complete focus on dzikir establishes an inner connection with The Divine.

“With constant practice of mindfulness, one will be able think clearly, make the right decision and stay grounded when unwanted thoughts or emotions pass through it.”

Multitasking ruins mindfulness

For an effective mindful dzikir session, a person has to invest a good amount of time on it. Nevertheless, the reality is we all have busy schedules and we take pride in multitasking. We are forced to multitask to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves. We are juggling an endless list of day-to-day task and while performing dzikir one might get sidetracked by our to-do lists. When that is the case, we are not in a mindful state with full focus on the remembrance of Allah. Neuroscience researchers have found out that multitasking leads to memory disruption which negatively influences the retention of information hence the more we multitask the more the brain gets distracted and we find it difficult to focus on one thing while not thinking of the next item on our to-do lists.

Being mindful while engaging in dzikir or remembrance of Allah trains our hearts and minds to become more disciplined and reach a state of calmness and stillness. Mindful dzikir can change the way we control or regulate our emotions and it helps us to become more focus and further strengths our mental ability. With strong mental capability, a person will be able to control themselves from doing things that are not beneficial for them. One must keep practicing and never give up when faced with hardship in pursuit of self-control. The mind is like a muscle, the more we train it, the stronger it will become.

Let us all strive to be more focused and mindful during our time with Allah SWT, to attain quality Ibadah and ultimately reach Khusyu’. It would be a golden opportunity to do so especially with the coming of Ramadan, where our Ibadahs and Zikr for Allah SWT should be enhanced, in terms of both quality and quantity. May we be more mindful and focused in our spiritual acts and to ultimately attain the sweetness of faith.