washing

Meditation can be thought of as washing ourselves of our small-self concerns by bathing in The Eternal Divine.  In other words: just letting go of whatever arises during our session and remembering God.

If meditation is "remembering God" then what is one way that it is done?

A popular Sufi technique is to, under your breath, repeat some phrase like "God The Forgiving" (Alllah Al-Ghaffar") while directing your attention to you heart - feeling His forgiveness. God’s name “Al-Ghaffar” (The All-and Oft-Forgiving) in the Quran means that God forgives all kinds of sins everywhere and at all times as He is the Oft-and-All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Again, when thoughts, feelings, or body sensations arise - just return your attention to the phrase "God The Forgiving" and to your Heart.


He knows everything that goes into the earth, and everything that comes out of it, and everything that comes down from the sky, and everything that climbs into it. He is the Most Merciful, the Forgiving. (Quran 34:2)

appreciation

Meditation can be thought of as washing ourselves of our small-self concerns by bathing in That which is Changeless and Loving.  In other words: letting go and remembering God.

We don't often talk about God's reaction to our practice.  According to the Quran, God appreciates our practice and rewards us generously for it.  The Appreciator (ash-Shakur) is one of His beautiful names.   

(Quran 20:8) God: there is no other god besides Him. To Him belong the most beautiful names.

Peace on you,
bob

accidents

When we sit in Silence our attention naturally turns from our past ideas about how things OUGHT TO BE to how things ARE right now.  In other words, meditation broadens our perspective - we come to see how everything is connected.  In spiritual circles this is called "true seeing" or having a "oneness experience".    

When we call something an accident it is a failure to recognize the broader elements of the event.  For example, a failure to see how the mere picking of a flower moves the stars.

For the broadest perspective consider:

"I created jinn and mankind only to worship Me" (Quran 52:56)

Peace on you,
bob

true surrender

Silent meditation leads us to see things "as they are".  In other words to see them impersonally, without the sense of 'me' or 'mine'.  How different everything looks when we put down the burden of "how we think things ought to be".  

True seeing is surrender … surrender of our thoughts of ownership and control and to see things as "they are". 

To God belongs everything in the heavens and the earth. God is in full control of all things. (Quran 4:126)