Ramadan or even Lockdown in Covid-19 is forcing humanity to reach a God consciousness state but what is this and how do we attain it ? Sufi master Ibn Arabi's ideas on attaining spiritual transformation.
'When man withdraws from the created world and from himself, and when he silences his own internal voice, leaving space for his Lord's mentioning of him, and when he relinquishes corporeal nourishment and remains wakeful while others are plunging in sleep, then his humanity is transmuted into angelic nature and his invisible reality becomes visible.'
At the onset of Ramadan Muslims all over the world start fasting from dawn to dusk daily for 30 days as ordained in Quran.
"O you who believe fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you can learn Taqwa" (Quran 2:183)
The Arabic word Taqwa is translated to mean God consciousness, God fearing, piety, and self restraining. Thus we are asked to fast daily for one month from dawn to dusk and avoid food, water, sex and vulgar talk during that period. It is our experience that temptations and ways of the world tend to spoil our purity and austerity.
To achieve God consciousness or God nearness. Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self training, with the hope that this training will last beyond the end of Ramadan. The physiological effect of fasting includes lowering of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure.
What is it to be God consciousness or near God how do we attain this during a time when we are all in this special act of worship which is very testing but during this time I myself often feel a sense of peace alone just being in the now not thinking about self but trying to attain awakened state to be at one with God. With Lockdown we also may attempt to try and see if we can all be at peace in a form of God consciousness or union with the world.
Ibn Arabi a Sufi mystic from Medieval Spain with other masters spent a large part of their time attempting to understand how spiritual practice and oneness with God/Universe can achieve a more awakened state. He believed when we are full of internal chatter and gossip and lost in a crowd of abstract/ absorbed into an unwakened states we forget our real nature and connection to source. When we are at one with God and the universe therefore trying to become closer is a way to awaken (God is closer to man than his jugular view’ almost part of us.)
Ibn Arabi said when man withdraws from the created world and from himself and silences his own internal voice it leaves space for God and the real self will manifest (the godly self ) where answers are given and divine knowledge is available for you to live in a state of Divine presence like God. Ibn Arabi embarked on his spiritual devotion when in Seville in 580/1184 he often visited spiritual masters in Seville and he recalls asking a shrieks
‘Do you ever feel lonely living alone’ he replied
‘ intimacy with God abolishes all loneliness -how can I be alone when he is always present with me.’
I know our modern day living its hard to follow simplicity of these teachings but fasting retreats and mediation are part of attempting to be at peace and know God or the self.
‘Ibn Arabi would make note of all his actions, thoughts and words. After prayer at night he would seclude himself in a room and go over all his actions of that day that demanded repentance. How would then compare his actions with what was required of him by sacred laws. Having done this he would rise to pray as the prophet did who – would sleep and pray alternately throughout the night’
The Four Pillars he stated for spiritual transformation included :
Hunger (Fast)
Hunger is one of the pillars of his divine way. Ibn Arabi was not stating to become hungry or malnourished but just in the reduction of food and not to be in a state of excess. Hunger was seen by him as more of a spiritual state characterised by Humility, submission, lack of self importance, tranquil emotions and a state the seeker chooses to be in. Fasting interrupts normal life to be more devoted to God first and aware of spiritual matters.
For me I have always fasted in Ramadan it includes intimate time with God not about abstaining from food therefore you rarely get physical cravings when you are fully devoted. Since we live in a world of comfort and convenience through fasting we are reminded life goes on and puts small problems aside to learn the valuable lessons in faith and patience with ourselves and others. When we fast although it initially is difficult the body adjusts and it almost allows one to be in a state of serenity where you transcend from ordinary human characteristics to divine devotion to God. The stockpiling and mass hoarding of food also shows how humanity has forgotten how to limit our intake and how we could share or survive on what we have. Almost for most people now we are more aware of our food consumption with limited access to shops and attempting to reduce waist and live within our means and not excess and appreciate those less fortunate that are in hunger state.
Seclusion
Seclusion from people and things and separating ourselves from all what is familiar. During the month of fasting we do sit in prayer secluded attempting to be with God. For our indigenous ancestors they were part of nature and worshipped mother earth and sun God. They were able to sense the aliveness of the world connecting to rivers, rocks and earth but for us now we are so immersed in our narrow personal worlds we forget the sacredness of nature and how we can help global warming, poverty, community or others around us. Therefore through seclusion we try and forget our absorbed states from outside things like media and instead be in a state of presence of now. Being in silences and seclusion in a form of meditation can help reach a spiritual awakened state. Seclusion allows one to be in a transcending state between subject and object or the worlds and individual – its about you being at one with the universe. During the self isolation and distancing practices we could also use this opportunity to attempt to learn more about ourselves and what matters.
Ibn Arabi believed seclusion can occur due to a number of reasons :
1.Secusion for fear of evil from others
2.Seclusion from fear of ones own evil effecting others
3.Seclusion for the preference of ones own company and attempt to understand the source or God we came from.
One who prefers being alone tries to understand our origins or God.
Ibn Arabi stated that one who practise seclusion grasps the practice of Divine unity by being in a spiritual state and learning the knowledge of the world unknown to man. once you get to this state you become to know a blissful spiritual energy or Godliness. To experience this almost allows you to move out of sorrow and the sleep state.
Silence
Seclusion also required for silence. The memory of God comes to the quiet mind it cannot come where there is conflict for a mind at war with itself remembers not eternal gentleness – what you remember is a part of you for you must be as God created you’ Return in peace to remember of God still shining in your quiet mind – so meditation and just being in nature at peace is a way to begin to remember oneness.
St Francis would pray –“ make me an instrument of thy peace – let me remember to be what I came from( you shift from conflict to state of onesness)”
Silence and removal of constant internal chatter of ones mind and trying not to be in a past or future state but a present state helps make this shift. Silence is a way to be present allowing us to remember God or the current moment. For humans being present it currently not an easy state well nor for me but now forced with self isolation due to Covid and now fasting it’s a chance to learn how we can be at peace alone. Silence is not just not speaking but the silence of the heart which is part of our inner consciousness which allows you to be become in a state of true contemplation and closer to God or source. Being connected to God in the state of silence allows for inspiration and answers from source.’
Silence creates inner stillness which traditions agree is part of the process of spiritual awakening’s for us to reach this state of spiritual bliss we have to slow down and be silent and practice regular mediation/prayer to helps us realise we are not our thoughts. Therefore through silent mediation we almost align our will with Gods will and become agents of divine will and a powerful energy can flow through us like God energy allowing us to be enlightened and vibrate at more positive frequency.
‘silence bequeaths knowledge of God’
What ib Arabi was trying to state is through these pillars we are aiming to transfer anxiety and fear and attain a sense of bliss or a Buddhism state of Bodhi ‘end to suffering’ we almost act and see and feel as God does through here we have answers.You already have it divine knowing but constant chatter and distraction deviate us from getting to this state.
Vigilance a pillar either of the eye or heart is his last pillar. The spiritual state of vigilance is to try and be in the present moment .Children are in a constant wakefulness or vigilance whereby they are always open to the richness of the world unlike adults immersed in constant chatter. They have no sense of separateness they live in the world and always fully with moment to moment experiences. Ibn Arabi's spiritual vigilance or awakened state where we can become in a state of presence for answers and get a divine knowing we already knew. Children in this time of having to be indoors due to the quarantine measures will help a lot to show you how they occupy themselves and see happiness in the current moment or learn how to if they have been accustomed to online and gaming media its an opportunity to go back to basic living and learn to enjoy each others company.
If Ego disappears we become awakened it is often a gradual process - our problems are not all solved at once but I do believe we can go through a journey of sleep to wakefulness to get a more grounded sense of wholeness which is less self centred. This time of COVID-19 the world is forcing the shift on us to be kinder for others rather than the self.
Ibn Arabi’s pillars of Seclusion, Silence, Hunger and vigilance are all but his version of manifesting being more in control on experiences as other sages like the Tao or Gita or Quran are reminders of how to remember God, Universe and how to be back to our original source of knowing in an awakened state.
I am not stating starve, seclude or silence as stated above but try and see how we can embrace change in the shift we are currently experiencing for the better to be part of everyone and not focus on the selfish traits from our old world. The world has changed and will after COVID-19 we need to learn and evolve with knowing how we can maintain a more sustainable way to live again. Trust in the universe and God and allow - all will be better if we live at a source feeling and believe we are loved and being looked after by a higher power.
Ramadan also automatically puts us into a God conscious state with the ability to try and practice these pillars stated by ibn Arabi try and include it in your daily routine through mediation, silence, food reduction and being present you will see the mental and physical benefits which we hope we practice even after religious months or pandemics subside. The world is nudging us wake up and embrace what we once knew and we have forgotten.
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