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The Power of Prayer Episode 18 [transcript]

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Welcome back to For All Humans.

In today’s episode, we are asking these questions:
Are there benefits to meditation, and what is its link to Islam?

But first, we need to know what meditation is, who uses it, and who can really benefit from practicing it.

Meditation refers to a family of mind training exercises to engage in introspection and reflection and control the state of mind as a way to positively impact the inner self. It is a tool to transform one’s mind to support and develop focus, clarity, calm, and emotional positivity to combat personal negativity and emotional turmoil and to support health-promoting behaviours.

When there is a practice of meditation, the result is mindfulness. There have been countless meditative techniques developed over many years and many different approaches. For some, the focal point of the practice is just to live a more positive and calm existence. For them, it’s a way to disconnect from the world and connect with themselves so that they can use mindfulness—meditation as a way to control their own thoughts and feelings. For others, mental exercise is used as a way to reach heightened levels of spiritual awareness and awakening. A helpful technique for them would be to include spiritual contemplation as a way to support a deeper connection with the divine.

There’s also visualization meditation, where an image is brought to mind to evoke positive feelings; mantra meditation, where the mind is focused on the sounds and melody of the chant; and movement meditation, which focuses on the body while it is in motion.

The use of meditation and its consequent height only entered Western countries in the 1960s, but it has been prevalent in Eastern cultures since ancient times and appears in all major religions. In fact, people of many different religions have been involved in meditation. Different religions, cultures, languages, and walks of life practice meditation as a way to be more mindful and lead a healthier lifestyle. Its rising popularity in the West is likely due to its relevance in today’s technologically advanced and fast-paced world full of distractions and increasing stress.

Meditation of some form or technique is practiced in virtually every community worldwide, but did you know that Islam also has meditative techniques and teachings? Muslims use these practices with a more comprehensive approach than most traditions. Being a mindful Muslim is undeniably important and intrinsically rooted in Islam, not only to maintain success in everyday life but also to practice a religion with humility and sincerity, or kushu in Arabic, and with spiritual excellence, or ihsan.

Submitting to God and having a successful Islamic lifestyle requires Muslims to be mindful and fully aware. The Prophet was known for meditating. Even before prophethood, he would go to a cave on Mount Hira for lengthy periods to enter a state of contemplation in seclusion. In fact, it was there in that state that the Quran was actually revealed to him. It makes sense that Muslims are encouraged by their Quran to approach life through reflection and conscientiousness. In chapter 3, verse 190, the Quran says, “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, are signs for those of understanding.”

So, now we know Muslims practice meditation and mindfulness, and they do so using different methods. Muslim prayers, or salat as it’s known in Arabic, are part of the five pillars of Islam, practiced five times throughout each day. The prayers are dispersed throughout the day as a refuge, a way to disengage from the world around us, and to refocus on connecting to God through worship.

Salat is to be done while mindful, alert, and present, concentrating on the prayer, and it should not be approached with a wandering heart. Prayers are offered with intention and attention as a way to unburden the mind and spirit. In doing so, the Prophet viewed his prayers as a source of spiritual tranquillity. He also encouraged believers to perform a retreat from all daily tasks for a period of time to devote all their time to the remembrance of God.

Then there is dua, which is a means of supplicating to God. Muslims ask and beg of their Lord for whatever they need and desire. Making dua properly requires Muslims to reflect and concentrate on their own circumstances, on their own well-being, as well as their relationship with God. Reciting the Quran and performing dhikr, or remembrance of God, are also meditative techniques to strengthen their spiritual bond to their Lord and to exercise their contemplative muscles.

Muslims are also encouraged to take part in pondering and deliberating over the meaning of the Quran and of life, as well as a deep examination of the self, with the purpose of creating a stronger bond with God. Muslims believe that within the strength of that bond lies the peace of mind, comfort, and solace that they seek. The Quran states in chapter 13, verse 28, “Those who believe and whose hearts find their rest in the remembrance of God.”

As you can see, for Muslims, there are numerous meditative techniques designed to separate oneself from the commotion of life and retreat for spiritual renewal several times a day to untether the internal self and to find equilibrium and peace of mind. Meditation maintains and strengthens internal peace despite life’s challenges, perceived obstacles, and distractions.

But could there be other reasons to train in mindful meditation? This is where we delve deeper into the effects of the practice. Even though methodical study of meditation is only in its humble beginnings, research is promising and has already shown evidence of improving psychological and physiological well-being. Meditation is a way to improve mental health and enhance physical and physiological well-being. Research into the subject has rapidly increased since the 1970s and 80s, with almost 700 journal publications recorded in 2017 on the subject. Evidence has shown that even as little as 20 minutes a day can be enough to start yielding positive change.

Because let’s face it, stress can kill, and it’s become a global health problem in our modern world. Meditation improves our focus and attention, helping us work better under stress. It also improves our ability to process information and makes us better decision-makers, reducing our disposition to impulsive actions. It gives us mental strength, and emotional intelligence, and helps us be more resilient while in physical and emotional pain.

Moreover, meditation improves visuospatial processing and nurtures creative and divergent thinking. Studies have also shown that mindfulness helps in quitting smoking and is beneficial for those battling alcohol and drug abuse. It helps with insomnia, providing good news for anyone who struggles with sleep issues.

So, there’s a lot of information to process here, but it’s just the tip of the gigantic meditative iceberg. Let’s step back and look at some studies behind these claims. One study shows that mindfulness practice effectively decreases depression and anxiety since it exercises attentiveness and allows the meditator to react quickly to negative emotions.

Professor Philip Rose of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences in KU Leuven is one of the first to examine the effects of mindfulness in a school-based environment, using a large sample of 400 youths aged 13 to 20. His study shows that students who follow an in-class mindfulness program report reduced indications of depression, anxiety, and stress, and are less likely to develop pronounced depression-like symptoms.

The effects of MBSR, which is meditation-based stress reduction, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, have also been studied for occupational functioning and healthcare use in individuals with anxiety. Anxiety disorders in the US cost billions of dollars, with only a quarter of that cost attributed to medical treatment. The majority of the cost is due to productivity loss, absenteeism, impaired work performance, and degraded employment trajectories.

A recent study of people who participated in some form of meditation showed greater reductions in partial workdays missed compared to the control group. It showed a trend suggesting a dose-response relationship between minutes of mindfulness practice and fewer mental health professional visits and a trend towards fewer partial days missed at a six-month follow-up. In fact, there was a nearly 42% decrease in clinical meetings compared to pre-treatment.

Did you know that practicing meditation also increases your grey matter concentration in your brain? Meditative behaviours benefit higher-order cognitive functions and alter brain activity. This finding is independent of a specific meditative style or practice. A study performed by a group of Harvard neuroscientists using a high-resolution MRI analyzed the anatomical correlation of long-term meditation. As individuals participated in an eight-week mindfulness course, the researchers, reported by Dr. Saira Lazar, found larger grey matter volumes in the right orbitofrontal cortex, the right thalamus, and left inferior temporal gyrus. Meditators have also been found to have drastically larger volumes of the right hippocampus, which account for meditators’ singular abilities and habits to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage in mindful behaviour.

Not only is mindfulness helpful for our emotional and mental well-being, but it’s also beneficial for our physiology. It’s been used to treat IBS, ulcerative colitis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory disorders. It’s also helped boost immunity. But that’s not all. Meditative techniques have been widely used to reduce blood pressure, heart, and respiratory rates to decrease heart disease and stroke. In 2012, during a five-year study, 200 participants saw a 48% reduction in overall risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. Meditation has significantly reduced the risks for mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke, including heart attack, stroke, and coronary heart disease patients. These changes are associated with lower blood pressure and psychosocial stress factors.

So, there you have it. There’s no denying the benefits and rewards of practicing mindfulness and meditation, however, you choose to practice it. The Prophet of Islam knew the wisdom behind meditation, as he said to Bilal more than 1,400 years ago: “Give us rest with it.”

We hope you enjoyed this episode, so let us know what you think in the comments section. Meanwhile, share this

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