Sufi meditation is a mystical practice that aims to achieve oneness with Allah, through a process guided by a mentor or Shaykh. It involves renouncing worldly things and experiencing true reality through meditation, with physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits.
Sufi meditation is a mystical practice followed by some Sunni Muslims. Its goal is to break out of the confines of the illusory physical world and become one with Allah, or God. To do this, the practitioner, known as a dervish, seeks unity first with a mentor, then with the Prophet Muhammad, and finally with Allah. In the Western world, dervishes and the practice of Sufism are most commonly associated with the “whirling dervishes” of Turkey, but Sufi meditation encompasses a separate aspect of Sufi practice.
Understanding some spiritual components of Sufism is key to understanding the practice of Sufi meditation. All Muslims believe in adhering to the five pillars of Islam to attain heaven after death, but Sufis believe that closeness to Allah can be experienced in this life through additional practices. The ultimate goal of the Sufi faith is to experience oneness with Allah by renouncing things that bind one to the physical world and by encouraging a constant remembrance of Allah. Meditation helps the believer in this purpose.
According to Sufi belief, the world as perceived by the physical senses of humans is an illusion. Only meditation can allow a person to experience true reality, which is perceived through a second set of senses. In some Sufi traditions, one of the goals of meditation is to allow the second senses to roam freely and experience the sights, sounds, tastes, etc., of the entire world. Through this or other related practices, the dervish experiences what is known as a “Noble connection” with the unseen realities of Allah.
Sufi meditation typically begins under the guidance of a Shaykh, also known as a Sheikh or Mentor. The Shaykhs are believed to have received authority from an unbroken succession of other Shaykhs dating back to the time of Muhammad. In the early stages of meditation, the dervish may be asked to concentrate on an image, either in his mind or with the Shaykh’s physical eyes, and to clear his mind of all other things. Meditation can occur in complete darkness to minimize sensory input.
Eventually, the Shaykh enters fully into the heart of the dervish, and the Shaykh and the dervish are constantly united even when the practitioner is not in an active state of meditation. The dervish is then ready to attempt the next stage of meditation, in which the Shaykh guides the dervish into complete oneness with Muhammad. If this is achieved, the dervish proceeds towards complete unity with Allah. People who achieve oneness with Allah say that the next stages cannot be expressed in words, but rather must be lived through. These people are therefore eligible to become Shaykhs and to guide others in meditation.
Like other types of meditation such as yoga, practicing Sufi meditation can have physical and emotional benefits as well as spiritual ones. The stillness and controlled breathing of meditation can reduce the physiological effects of stress. It can also lead to mental clarity and well-being.
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