Title: Regarding Muraqabah ... Question: What is Maraqabah ? What is its religious status? Did The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) ever did that? Answer: " Muraqabah ", although a word of Arabic origin, is used in the Urdu language to imply "meditation". Meditation consists of a number of techniques that can positively affect the general level of mental concentration of a person. The enhanced level of mental concentration, in turn, can have a positive affect on the person's involvement in his prayers, control over his routine and calmness. Thus, even though Meditation or " Muraqabah " is not a part of religion, yet it can improve a person's religious life and routine. The Encyclopedia Britannica has given a brief but comprehensive account on meditation, which can serve as a concise introduction to the concept. According to the Encyclopedia, meditation is: private devotion or mental exercise consisting in any of innumerable techniques of concentration , contemplation , and abstraction , regarded as conducive to heightened spiritual awareness or somatic calm. The practice of meditation has occurred worldwide since ancient times in a variety of contexts. It may serve purely quietistic aims, as in the case of certain reclusive mystics; it may be viewed as spiritually or physically restorative and enriching to daily life, as in the case of numerous religious orders and the majority of secular practitioners; or it may serve as special, potent preparation for a particular, usually physically or otherwise strenuous activity, as in the case of the warrior before battle or the musician before performance. In recent medical and psychological studies, meditational techniques have proved effective in skilled practitioners in controlling pulse and respiratory rates and effective to varying degrees in the symptomatic control of migraine headache, hypertension, and hemophilia, among other conditions. Meditation in some form has been systematized in most great religions of the world. The Hindu philosophical school of Yoga prescribes a highly elaborated process for the purification of body, mind, and soul. One aspect of Yoga practice, dhyana (Sanskrit: "concentrated meditation"), became the focus of a school of its own among the Buddhists, in China as Ch'an and, subsequently, in Japan as Zen . In numerous religions, spiritual purification may be sought through the verbal or mental repetition of a prescribed efficacious syllable, word, or text ( e.g., the Hindu and Buddhist mantra; Islamic dhikr; Christian Jesus prayer ). The focusing of attention upon a visual image ( e.g., a flower, a distant mountain) is a common technique in informal contemplative practice and has been formalized in several traditions. Tantric Buddhists of Tibet, for example, regard the mandala (Sanskrit: "circle") diagram as a collection point of universal forces, accessible to man by meditation. Tactile and mechanical devices, such as the rosary and the prayer wheel, and music play a highly ritualized role in many contemplative traditions. In the West in the 20th century, disenchantment with materialistic values led to an awakening of interest in Eastern philosophies and practices, which were seen as holistic and humane. The teaching and practice of numerous techniques of meditation, most based on esoteric Eastern tradition, became a widespread phenomenon. You ask: What is its Religious Status? Even though meditation or " Muraqabah " can have a significant affect on a person's involvement and his performance of religious functions (as more concentration in prayers, ease in complying with the timings and routine of prayers etc.), yet it is not, and has never been, a part of any revealed religion. In other words, " Muraqabah " or meditation does not have any religious status. You ask: Did The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) ever did that? Some Muslim scholars believe that during the time that the Prophet (pbuh) spent in seclusion in the cave of Hira , before the initiation of revelation, he used to practice some form of meditation. Nevertheless, the important thing to remember is that the Prophet (pbuh) did not, at any time, teach his companions any particular form of meditation or Muraqabah . This is clear evidence to the effect that meditation techniques are not a part of Islamic teachings. Had these techniques been a part of Islamic teachings, the Prophet (pbuh) would have taught these techniques to all his followers. However, the above answer should not be construed as suggesting that meditation is prohibited in Islam. On the contrary, what the above answer implies is that meditation is not a part of Islamic teachings. Nevertheless, learning meditation techniques or involving oneself in meditation is not prohibited in Islam. Such techniques, however, should not be given a religious bent or a religious sanctity. Such techniques should be considered as a medicine, which is generally used to cure our physical and mental ailments. September 9, 2000