YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad) The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

What is the essence of the religion of Islam?

The realization of God is the essence of the religion of Islam. The realization of God is the beginning as well as the end of religion. The Arabic word for this realization is Marifah.

What role does Marifah or God-realization play in a believer’s life?

The position of Marifah in God’s religion is that of the seed. Just as a seed grows gradually into a full tree, similarly Marifah shapes the entire personality of a person. Without Marifah, religion is reduced to a spiritless form. With Marifah, religion is like a lush green tree. Without God-realization, religion becomes like a dried-up tree. If religion is the body, Marifah is its spirit.

What is the first step in this journey of God-realization?

The journey of realization begins with a questing spirit. Seeking is an intellectual journey. Sincerity, positivity and being complex-free are the qualities required on this journey.

What experiences will one go through when one realizes God?

One who attains Marifah will experience an intellectual and spiritual explosion. He will believe in God through both reason and intuition. It will be as if he is seeing God. He comes emotionally close to God.

Is there any other condition for the attainment of the realization of God?

Yes, there is another necessary condition for the attainment of realization, and that is supplication (Dua). Realization is a two-way process. A person’s position is one of finding or receiving it, while God is the giver. An individual cannot receive realization without the help of God. All of one’s efforts will remain fruitless unless God comes to his assistance.

What kind of supplication should one do to attain this objective?

Supplication is not a mere repetition of certain words. It is, in fact, another name for the heart’s tempest. There is no religion without Marifah, and there is no Marifah without true prayer.

What is the methodology to attain God-realization?

We need to understand from the very outset that God-realization is not akin to ecstasy, and one will not have glimpses of God’s glory in the world of imagination. It is an enhanced state of consciousness that can be achieved solely by the contemplation of the divine creation.

How does the Quran describe Marifah?

According to the Quran, Marifah can be defined as a servant of God discovering God, the Lord of the worlds in all His majesty and Glory to the extent that He becomes a centre of his love (2:165); all his feelings of fear are associated with Him alone. (9:18)

Kindly explain how love and fear go together.

Love and fear are interconnected. When a servant of God engages in contemplation and discovers the Creator of the universe in all His glory, in his heart he comes to acknowledge God to a limitless extent. Moreover, when he discovers the reality that the giver is God and that no one else can give anything to him, his heart becomes filled with fear that if he is deprived of God’s blessings, nowhere on the earth or in the heavens will he find any other refuge.

What other things are bestowed to man to assist him in the journey of God-realization?

God has created man in the best of moulds (95:4). Man has been granted all the intellectual capabilities by which he may achieve Marifah of the Lord of the Worlds. Besides this, in the external world, i.e., nature, all those elements are hidden which may assist him in this journey. Now it is man’s task to discover these elements in nature and experience such an elevated level as will enable him to develop a divine personality.