Heart Centred Meditation Week 6: Journey To The Prophet

‘I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh’ (Ezekiel: 36:26)

Welcome to From the Heart. You will find here 8 Islamic Heart-Centred meditations to be used across 8 weeks. There is a natural sequence from week 1-8, where you gradually get closer to Allah, so do not try jumping across weeks.

The meditations are based in a long tradition of heart-centred contemplative exercises from the Islamic tradition that goes back to Al-Ghazali. They were originally developed by Wadud Hassan and edited by Dr Miguel Farias and Sara Shah.

These meditations were developed as part of a research project sponsored by the Templeton World Charity Foundation. The protocol was published in BMC Psychology, 2024 and the research was led by Faye Ng, Miguel Farias, and Inti Brazil.

Transcript

Relax your mind and body. And set with curiosity. Have you ever seen a bird just sitting in your yard? If you are sitting on the floor, Sit in a comfortable position and support your back. If you are sitting on a chair, Support your lower back, Lengthen your spine, Soften your shoulders, Place your hands on your thighs, Feel your feet on the floor. This is called grounding. Bring your body. To a relaxed yet alert position. To do this guided practice together. On Allah's name. Assalamu alaikum. Lower your gaze. Close your eyes. Focus inwardly. And bring the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala into your mind. Take a deep breath in. And let a long breath out to fully relax. Let us do two more of those. Deep breath in. And a long breath out. Now, Let us breathe normally. No need to shorten or lengthen your breath. Just breathe in. . . And breathe out. Normally. And as you breathe. Focus upon the remembrance of Allah in your heart. Every breath, Every moment. Is a gift from Allah. And we bring a sense of gratitude into our heart, A smile on our faces, As we concentrate on Allah's presence with every breath. Let us think of the Prophet Muhammad. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. And consider his qualities. How would you like to take a walk together on a journey back to meet the Prophet? Think of Medina. End of masjid and nawabi. The mask built by Muhammad. Imagine walking into the masjid. Think of the most enlightened souls who walked, Lived, Loved, Laughed. Prayed. And are resting there. The Prophet, May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, Is also resting there. Walk towards his resting place. Feel the closeness to the Prophet. Feel His blessed light and His love radiating towards you. See yourself walking the same ground he walked, Walking by the house where he lived. You stopped to drink from the fountain where he drank. Feel the freshness of the water that he also drank from. You you We all face challenges in our lives, Problems at home. At work, Spiritual challenges, If you were to talk with a prophet and ask for his advice. What would the Prophet say? How did the Prophet overcome his challenges? The Prophet found peace and healing through the remembrance of Allah. The continuous remembrance of Allah. So the Quran says. Indeed, In the remembrance of Allah, The heart finds peace. Let us focus all our mind on these words from the Qur'an. In the remembrance of Allah. The heart finds peace. Imagine that these words are written into your very heart. In the remembrance of Allah. The heart finds peace. This is how the Prophet found peace in his own life. By continuously remembering Allah. In the remembrance of Allah. The heart finds peace. Focus on your breath for a moment. When you breathe in. Focus on the words in the remembrance of Allah coming into your heart. When you breathe out. Focus on the words. The heart finds peace. And let the heart expand. When you breathe in. In the remembrance of Allah comes into your heart. When you breathe out. The heart finds peace, Allows your heart to expand. Do this again. When you breathe in. In the remembrance of Allah comes into your heart. When you breathe out. The heart finds peace. Allows your heart to expand. Keep breathing and repeating. Breathe in and say. . . In the remembrance of Allah. Breathe out and say. . . The heart finds peace. Breathe in. And say. In the remembrance of Allah. Breathe out and say. . . The heart finds peace. Breathe in and say. . . In the remembrance of Allah. Breathe out and say. . . The heart finds peace. Keep breathing and repeating. In the remembrance of Allah. The heart finds peace. You You are remembering Allah, The creator of all things seen and unseen, The merciful Allah that forgives all of our sins when we turn to Him. In the remembrance of Allah. The heart finds peace. Keep bringing Allah into your heart through your breath while saying in the remembrance of Allah. The heart finds peace. In the remembrance of Allah, The heart finds peace. You you It is written in the Quran. There is no God but He. The all-merciful. The all-compassionate. Before we finish, Focus again your attention on your breath. Just breathing in and breathing out normally for a few short moments. You you We ask Allah to forgive and cleanse all our sins and shortcomings. We send His blessings to the Beloved Messenger of Allah. Muhammad. May Allah bless this practice. Infinite praise and thanks to Him alone. You may open your eyes gently. And take in your surroundings. After you finish. Write down the main experiences, Insights, Or questions from today's practice in your notebook.