Auron ka hai Payaam aur, mera Payaam aur hai, / Ishq key dardmand ka tarz–e–kalaam aur hai! (Iqbal)
Do this for no less than 15-20 minutes. Keep up the chant of “No God besides God!” for all of a quarter of an hour plus five minutes or so.
Don’t turn left or right: Just look straight ahead and down.
Look down if you are standing.
Close your eyes if you want to.
Make sure you don’t talk to anyone.
Do it alone, all by yourself, if you prefer it that way.
Or do it with others you are comfortable with.
But talk to no one but God.
Concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate.
Keep in mind you are now talking to God Almighty, your maker and master.
You are calling out his name.
That is why you can’t talk to him and talk to others, all at the same time.
And you are asserting his presence and his glory and his majesty right in his presence.
And you are face to face with him.
And these words – your words – have effect.
They have a life and a power and glory of their own.
This is real big league now.
There is nothing bigger or mightier or more powerful than what you are doing right now: Calling out to God and chanting his name.
You Are Now One with the Universe!
You have now become one with the universe – with all of God’s creation.
For, that is what the entire universe is busy doing: chanting God’s glorious name.
By doing this, you are now establishing a direct connection between yourself and God Almighty on the one hand and between yourself and the rest of God Almighty’s creation on the other hand.
That is what you are doing.
Nothing less.
On the one hand, you are talking to God – one on one, face to face: without intermediaries.
And without translators.
And without intercessors to plead your case.
Or talk in your behalf.
On the other hand, you are teaming up with the rest of the universe in singing God’s praises and in glorifying his name.
Think about Him – and No One Else
Now here is what you need to remind yourself continuously:
Don’t think about yourself.
Just think about HIM – the one whose name you are calling.
Say: He! He! He!
Or say: Hu! Hu! Hu!
Or say: Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
It is the same thing in the original Arabic language of the Qur’ān: God, the Almighty.
Just keep saying He, Hu or Hoo – over and over for the next 10-15 minutes.
Concentrate.
Keep your eyes down or look intently in front of you.
Or close them if you feel better and more focused that way.
Then take a breather of a minute or two.
Then change back to reciting: No God besides God!
Or say it in the original Arabic language of the Qur’an:
“Laa Ilaaha Illaa Allah!”
Chant it how you want. There is no right or wrong way of saying it.
Sing it if you like.
Go into a trance if that state of divine bliss and temporary disconnect or oblivion from your surroundings overtakes you.
Think about Him, Not about You
Don’t think about who you are: Hindu, Jew, Christian or Muslim. Rich, poor, black, white, man, woman. Instead focus and concentrate on who HE is: God of All. God of love.
God of mercy and compassion. God of forgiveness and reprieve. God of revival, renewal and regeneration. Feel and see his presence before you. Do this for the next 10-15 minutes.
I know some of you may complain 20-30 minutes is a long time. And it is. But trust me you would need that time. And you will come to love it. And, sooner than later, there will come a time when you will not have enough of it and will not want to be without it. In fact, if you keep it up, there will come a time when you will not be able to rest till you have fed your soul its daily complement of it.
Beware of the Devil!
Here is something or someone you should know: the Devil. For the first several minutes, the Devil will not let you concentrate. He will come up with a million distractions to take your mind and heart away from what you are doing. And from what you are saying. The Devil will make you remember every little thing you had long forgotten. He will make it come alive in your mind like it was only moments ago. But you need to be strong – and focus and concentrate. Concentrate on God. Concentrate on God who made you.
On God who keeps you alive. On God who loves you. On God to whom you shall return when you die. After the first 10 or 15 minutes of wrestling with the Devil, you will be rolling along beautifully. God’s grace will descend upon you; his spirit will move you; and his mercy will envelop you.
You Will Never Be the Same Again
You will never be the same man or woman again. At that point, bring your hands together, blow into the palms of your hands. And then run your hands on your face, head and all over your body. Let all of us – every one of us: Hindu, Jew, Christian and Muslim – let us all do this on this coming World Day of God. On Tuesday, November 16, 2010: Eidul Adha, 1431. On this coming Hajj 2010/1431. And, maybe, thereafter, everyday if you wish: What is to stop you? Or wait for the next World Day of God, the following year. It doesn’t matter when and how you do it. Just do it!
Repeat This Routine Before You Go to Bed
Oh, yes, something else. Repeat this routine before you go to bed. Put some pressure on yourself and make it happen. You will do yourself a great favor by doing it. And before you realize it you would have taught yourself a new habit. A very nice and useful one – that will not only change you but quite possibly also change your world.
What to Do During the Day
I am sure you are asking: What about the rest of the day? You are saying to yourself: What do I do the whole day, between my morning and evening encounters with God? Here is what: You make a colossal and firm resolve that at least for that day, and if possible for every single day of your life thereafter, you will do two things.
One, you will tell yourself that the overriding purpose of every one of your acts for that day, and if possible for every single day for the rest of your life, would be to please God: to make your master happy.
Two, proceeding from that basic commitment , you will also strive your utmost to do everything you do keeping in mind the overall good of all of God’s creation. That is all.
How can you go wrong with any of this? That is how simple and easy it is: to celebrate World Day of God. This year. And every other year thereafter. God Bless You! And the world in which you live.
[Write to the author at [email protected]. Also visit www.IslamicSolutions.Com and Listen to Pasha Hour International.]