Summary:

In this live Friday sermon, Alban Fejza talks about meditation as described in the Quran, such as appreciating God’s creation, and how it keeps us from worrying too much.

Video Transcript:

Praise be to God. There is no other god except God. so again, sorry guys for the like the making you wait. The microphone was not working. I think I know why. Like I was testing some audio software during this week to kind of edit some audios and um I guess it messed up my microphone and I wasn’t aware that this is going to mess it up for the live video. so what I want to talk to about today is yeah so we’re planning on doing a a video Quran and just a second. Kata is still saying that she can just see the video but without the sound. Can you guys confirm again? Can you hear the sound?

Yes. Okay. So, people can see. okay. So, guys can hear the sound. Okay. So, uh yeah, I was talking about like how the the plan, God willing, is to do the the Quran in a video format. And I was thinking of of naming it either Quran or video Quran and but also Quran or maybe video Quran for meditation, inspiration and maybe healing. So imagine the title would be for example video Quran for meditation, inspiration and healing. Now the healing is a claim in the Quran. So like the Quran itself claims that there’s healing in the Quran. So there’s no need to explain there. And also when I say inspiration, I don’t mean like revelation like the way they meant it in the in the ancient Arabic times. what I mean is like inspiration the way we use it today in art in in let’s say when we watch a movie I I you say I got inspired to let’s say go work out. Maybe you see a movie where the person is fit. So it inspires you to to go work out whatever in that way inspiration. Now inspiration can be from God or from the devil. So you don’t know exactly for sure. That’s why I’m careful when I use the word inspiration. But in this case I’m not claiming that the any specific type of inspiration in the sense that I’m just saying the Quran for inspiration. You can use it for inspiration. I’m not saying that this will give you inspiration from God. So we have to be careful about that. I’m not making that claim. And I don’t like when people make such claims when they’re like sometimes they want to be religious and they’re like, “God inspired me to do this. God inspired me to do that.” How do you know it was God? Maybe it was just your idea. Maybe it was just your opinion. Maybe that’s what you like. Maybe it was from the devil. so yeah I’m usually careful about uh about about inspiration how I use the word inspiration but in this case it makes sense because it’s kind of like let’s say the product the video Quran God willing will be for inspiration. So that’s kind of what I want to title it for meditation, inspiration and healing and the word meditation there. That’s kind of what I want to focus today on like to explain what is meditation. Rashad used the word meditation quite a lot in the Quran and the I think people sometimes misunderstand it which is why I want to explain it a little bit. Let me first actually read what the how Rashad used the word meditation in in the translation. so I’m just going to read some verses from the Quran which used the word meditation from Rashan’s translation. so starting with verse 317 it says they are stat the believers they are steadfast truthful submitting charitable and meditators at dawn. Verse 341 says he said my lord gave me a sign. He said your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three days except through signals. Commemorate your lord frequently and meditate night and day. Verse 9 112 says they are the repenters, the worshippers, the praisers, the meditators, the bowing and prostrating the advocate advocators of righteousness and forbidders of evil evil and the keepers of God’s law. give good news to such believers. Verse 1779 says, “During the night you shall meditate for extra credit that your Lord may raise you to an honorable rank family.” I I think it’s talking about Zechariah the sanctuary and signal to them meditate on God day and night. Verse 2564 says in the privacy of the night they the believers meditate on their Lord and fall prostrate. Verse 26, 218 says, “Who sees you when you meditate during the night?” Verse 37, 143 says, “If it were not that he,” I think it’s talking about Jonah resorted to meditation on on God. And the verse continues something saying about he would not be saved or something. Then verse 39:9 says, “Is it not better to be one of those who meditate in the night, prostrating and staying up, being aware of the hereafter and seeking the mercy of their lord? Say, are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.” Verse 50 says, “During the night you shall meditate on his name and after prostrating.” Verse 732 says, “Meditate during the night except rarely.” Uh then the next verse says the meditation at night is more effective and more righteous. Then verse 7320 says your lord knows that you meditate during twothirds of the night or half of it or oneird of it and so do some of those who believe in God. Now Rashad used the word meditation in English. However the med word meditation in Arabic really in Quran and in Arabic really doesn’t exist in the Quranic Arabic. so a lot of times when the there’s translations there’s words which which are a combination of many words. So then the question is why did Rashad use this? Well he had to he he had a purpose but I want to explain another one later as well. The reason why he used this is because he wanted to sort of get away from the standard labels which unfortunately the traditional Muslims will will will use. like just recently I I saw someone had fallen like one of the submitters had fallen for the that trick as well. he used the word kiswa I don’t I think it means cover of the cabba or something. and it’s kind of like a label. It’s a it’s a brand. Let me let me tell you why it matters when you why it makes a difference whether you use the Arabic branded name versus not. if I say for example, I’m wearing my Nikes today. It’s a Why am I saying it in I think Nike is in Greek or German maybe. I think it’s Greek. I don’t know if Adidas is also in Greek. Or I’m wearing Adidas. See, I’m using the word in that language. Why? because I I I admit I’m admitting that that is a brand which comes as a package. No one can say half Nike. It’s just either it’s Nike or not. So it’s either like they serve it to you as a package. So when we fall for those let’s say tricks which are used by by religious people religious leaders of the world. they brand it and then when we fall for it, it’s kind of like we’re say we’re admitting that what you serve us is going to be that or nothing else and we are not going to change it. So kisvah, if you use the word that word, whatever that means, it’s a specific form of a carpet which only they can decide what it is. So it’s kind of like it’s it’s a trick. It’s a trick to keep to brand something which is not. There’s a verse in the Quran which says have they monopolized God’s knowledge? Basically, they are monopolizing. They’re saying you either either use our term or we’re not going to talk. So, let’s not fall for it. So, Rashad Rashad did with this translation, he didn’t fall for that stuff because when you go to the traditional Muslim world, they will actually they have specific words for these things. They are like, okay, have you done? Have you done? This is how you do. Or like if you go to the Sufis, they’ll have specific words. You know, the swirling dervishes, they have a word for it. they have different words for it’s like sufis do they do meditation in so many ways they the problem is that they have specific words for that which then tricks you into thinking that that that’s the only way to meditate that’s not the only way to meditate there’s so many ways to meditate so Rashad kind of shied away moved away from that from falling for that trap and didn’t use the Arabic terms he used the more general term meditate Now in the Quran, let me just give you examples from the Arabic Quran. What what did he translate as meditate? One of them is actually it says ask forgiveness and Rash translated as meditate. Another case it says glorify but Rasha translated as meditate. Another one literally means stand up or be awake. Rash translated as meditate. Another case I think it means something else something like uh glorification. I mentioned that. But there’s another or go out. It’s interesting like to go out and Rash translated as as meditate. It literally means go out. But like what does it even mean to go out? Go out of your body. Go out. Yeah. Anyway, so what I’m saying is he used purposely used the word meditate because these terms have been abused for centuries. These other terms, the Arabic brandings, it’s a branding. It’s not actually the language. I’m not against the language. the the Arabic language language is really nice and pure and beautiful. The problem is the branding. They use it as a brand. So Rashad shied away from that. and and that was on purpose so that they do not force only their form of worship to into you. meaning so for example if you if he used the word let’s say whatever to stand up whatever the word in Arabic is then people would think that oh we have to do the traditional way of the sunnah which where people do extra after the the salat and stuff like that see I’m okay with two with two brandings by the way salat and zakat I’m okay with that branding because that’s a common common let’s say ritual which we share I’m I’m okay to to share that brand salat zakat is Okay. Others I I I don’t like branding. or Allah. Why brand it? Why give it a brand? It’s a name. It’s a name. It means God in in English. And yeah, we can use God. It’s okay. So uh because then it makes it look like it’s a brand like the the only version of God which people should can understand is that if that’s how they explain it. Yeah. Anyway, so that’s you know that’s how they think. so regarding meditation as you can see rash there’s no actually a word meditation in the Quran the meditation does exist in English it’s a real thing but there’s there was no need in Arabic to describe it other verses which when you combine them they they can give you the word meditation in English in meditation in English for example there’s a word in Arabic like there’s quite a few verses in in Arabic which say do not worry There’s there’s a verse in the Quran says don’t believe in God the hereafter and read the righteous life they have nothing to worry nor will they grieve basically meditation should be understood as the basic ability not to worry in the basic level like if if you want to think of b simple meditation more advanced meditation but it can be tricky to say it like that but I’m just going to say what I mean like like if you understand it a little bit deeper is the ability not to think. A lot of people when you tell them oh like I’m meditating or like which I wouldn’t say that it’s kind of weird but anyway like if someone says I’m meditating like a guru whatever Indian guru or something like that Hindu guru tells them you know let’s meditate or this is how we meditate most people especially in the western culture misunderstand it they think that it’s some sort of thinking it’s actually not thinking the ability not to And u and it’s connected because what it does is it enables you not to worry because why do people think? Because they worry. If you think about planning to go to work tomorrow, why do you do that? Because you worry. You worry. You don’t want to lose your job. Why do you think about what you’re going to cook today? It’s because you worry. You worry that you will go hungry if you don’t do that. So thinking and worrying are quite connected. and the ability not to think can also enable you not to worry. Now I don’t I’m not saying to go be totally stupid, but there there’s such a thing as you kind of let’s say reducing your brain activity to a level where it’s not worrying. You’re you’re not worrying. And that’s that’s basically that’s meditation. Now there are tricks of let’s say tricks to to to sort of activate that a little bit which is pretty much you have to be in the present because the reason why people think it’s mostly for the future or the past either they daydream usually in the past or some kind of imaginary scenario which is not meditation or they plan they think about the future. Oh, what am I gonna do tomorrow or they talk to themselves? Like there’s many I don’t know how people think. There’s I think there have been studies about like what people spend most of the time doing during the day like thinking during the day. like some people actually talk to themselves other imagine talking to others others will think about the future like how they are going to do certain things, which job they are going to apply to things like that. others think about the past, you know, they have nostalgia about the past. So the people have a tendency to do that and that’s not meditation. Meditation is stopping that too much. and basically the the the way to do it is anything which keeps you in the present right now. What am I saying right now? What am I feeling right now? What basically how can I be in the present without worrying about the future without thinking about the past can I be in the present and um yeah there’s I think the best ability to meditate is not to use any any tricks but most people use tricks like the way let’s say some gurus will teach you or whatever they will use tricks to do that to achieve that because people are not let’s say that that good at meditating if they if let me put it like this if medit meditation has to be taught, it’s because you’re not good at it and it’s because you’re not doing it well. So, however, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t use it, do it like that. again, I’m not teaching you how to meditate. I think it’s overrated. because God willing, as I’ll tell you that it’s actually we do meditation anyway during the day. But, what was I going to say? So the yeah there are methods to kind of keep you in the present but before I go there let’s actually repent.

Praise be to God. There is no other god except God. so yeah, how do we sort of how can we encourage I I don’t want to use the word enforce but how can you let’s say you don’t know how to meditate and ask someone ask you how do I meditate it’s basically just you have to to tell the person or whatever to tell yourself to be in the present and how can you be in the present is by sort of not thinking and unfortunately People are not good at not thinking. People are not good at not thinking. Right now like you they just cannot stop their mind. The mind keeps going like you think you think you think you think. Especially if you have anxiety, depression, like it’s you’re going to think more and more and more and more and deeper like more like the thoughts have bigger emotions. So it’s the ability not to think and people are not very good at it which is why we sometimes use tricks and those tricks I’m calling them tricks because I don’t want to people to kind of abuse it as some kind of method which you have to do. It’s a trick. It’s okay. It works. and some of those tricks is just you you let’s say focus on your on your senses. For example, some gurus will tell you breathe breathe slow you focus on your breath. Okay, that keeps you in the present. It just like prevents you from thinking about the future or the or the past or right now. Let’s say wherever you guys are sitting, just focus on what you’re touching or where you’re sitting. That’s because now that removes the worries because you’re in the present. You’re right now, right here. Not thinking about the future, nothing about the past. Right now, you’re in the present. You’re just being. You’re not thinking. you’re just being. That’s meditation. Or let’s say people do it so much more than they realize, which is why I let’s say think it’s overrated. It’s overrated as a as a let’s say as a word. for example, when you smell a good smell, it actually brings you in the present. So let’s say you were thinking about, oh, what am I going to do today? And then suddenly you’re passing through some flowers and there’s a good smell and you’re like, that’s a good smell. what it brought it just brought you to the present and you’re more happy. It brought you to right what you’re feeling doing right now. So it kind of like prevents you from those bad like worrying thoughts from worrying too much and actually it happens much more a lot of the what the Quran describes for example the Quran describes appreciation appreciation is a form of medi meditation like when you appreciate something you see a flower you appreciate it and uh that’s actually why why is it the meditation because it it keeps you in the present When you appreciate something, you cannot think about tomorrow. You’re just you’re appreciating it today. You like it today. A hug is meditation because what it it what does a hug do? It prevents you from thinking about the future or the past. It just keeps you in the present because you have to let’s say engage your feelings. like so many things are meditate. When we eat, we meditate. When we watch a movie, we meditate. Now these are tricks though. These are not most people don’t have the ability to meditate just on their own. So they need external stimulation to to meditate. I think music is probably the best. If you want to know how people who really know how to meditate feel it’s just like when listening to music because what does music do? It does it it keeps you in the present. That’s all. That’s why it feels good. It keeps you now right now because there’s a note and then you know the next note is is right there immediately after that and then there’s the next one. So it constantly keeps you in the present right now right here. What are you feeling? What are you seeing? What are you thinking about now? Only about now. so so yeah what I’m saying is just listening to music is just as good as what a guru will teach you. Now he can what I basically what I’m saying don’t don’t fall for gurus because what they’re selling what actually they are telling you is how to not do other things when you meditate they are not teaching you how to meditate meditation you can do on your own anyone can meditate just sitting if you’re if you if you have the ability to just sit alone do nothing and not worry most people if they just do nothing they will worry You can just do not by by the way and this is risky because it’s when when you teach it the way gurus teach it is actually they are teaching apathy. They are teaching um an life which is not active. If I get take an example from let’s say fitness fitness is good however most fitness people will teach you how not to be successful in life because they oh you have to train five times a week you have to do this you basically you’re telling me not to go to work and not to read and not to to do stuff for my own like which matters more the same thing with those gurus who talk about meditation they basically anyone can do it the problem is that when People go to gurus they tell them the way they teach it to them is they prevent them from doing more than just meditation. Unfortunately today people because we don’t live complete w complete lives we we have to choose what like what we want to do specifically about like in about different things. For example we either do meditate or we train or we eat or in the past they would do it pretty much all together. you could you can eat and meditate you know you can walk and chew gum the that but today they have to do it specifically. Oh let’s do this specific thing or that specific it’s it’s mostly because we don’t live a complete lives because you don’t have time for all of them by the way. So what are you going to do? Meditate or train or or which one are you going to do first? It’s there’s no not enough hours in the day. that’s why I don’t like yeah I believe in meditation the let’s say Rash translated I I think it’s a good thing that translated that he translated it like that mostly because people were branding other things wrongly. however I’m just kind of want to sort of warn you not to fall for the other side which is to think that there’s some kind of like secret into meditation. It’s just being in the present that’s all and not worrying about the future. And you can sort of uh tri trigger it. Maybe not trig maybe the word trigger is is better. You can trigger it. You can trigger meditation through certain techniques. Breathing, focusing on the on the present, what you’re smelling, what you’re hearing, what you’re seeing, appreciating, not worrying. Now, the best form of of meditation is the contact prayer. Reading the Quran is also a very good form of meditation. But the best is the contact prayer as a form of meditation. because what does the contact prayer do? It keeps you in the present. You have to constantly say something which means that you cannot talk to yourself about some other thing. You have to constantly feel something because as you are let’s say standing up what do you feel? The the the bottom of your feet. You feel it. You feel the bottom of your feet touching the ground as you’re standing up. When you go to prostrate, you feel the ground in your hands or whatever your head. You feel the ground here or you feel the body moving. So, it keeps you in the present. It stops your worries. You don’t worry as much anymore. That that’s it. Now, but as you can see with the contact prayer while meditating, you’re doing so many other things. You’re remembering God. you are uh glorifying God. You’re appreciating you are submitting to God. You’re obeying God. There’s so many other things you are doing with a contact prayer including meditation. So basically what others teach you about meditation, I’m not saying it’s wrong or it’s not. It’s just it’s more limiting. You can do more. You can do more than that. So whatever the gurus tell you, whatever in Buddhist religions, Hind religion, yeah, there’s some truth to it. What I’m saying is like yeah meditation does exist. It’s it’s real. However, they are teaching you how to do it less. You can do it more and more means you do meditation and other things. By the way, let’s say and this is why I think let’s say some countries are more poor sometimes. partly I think a German who is working and enjoying his job some kind of physical work he is meditating more than he realizes compared to a guy who has gone to some Buddhist temple somewhere in Nepal or India or whatever and he’s focusing totally on his meditation. He’s probably not meditating as much as a German guy who is just focusing on his work. Work is meditation if you if you enjoy it. If you hate it, no. If you hate it, if you have to plan. By the way, even today, that’s why I say we don’t have complete lives because because even work is not always meditation today. Most of our work involves what I call administrative stuff. A lot of people think, oh, I’m going to be a doctor. I’m gonna Half of the work just means filling documents. You’re not actually talking to patients. You’re not teaching what you know. It’s administrative stuff. Whatever profession you are, probably half of your work is something else. And a lot of young people actually get surprised when they go to work. Let’s say you are you they hire you to be a teacher and most of the time you don’t teach. Most of the time you have to to report your program or whatever, report your plan, report what you did, things like that. Now, that’s not meditation. But meditation is when you’re actually teaching, let’s say, and you’re enjoying it because you’re in the present right there, right then. You’re not planning. You’re not worrying. So what I’m saying is some German guy who’s who nobody will think that he’s meditating. He’s just working. He don’t doesn’t care about religion. He doesn’t care about Hinduism. He doesn’t he goes to work. What type of work could I take which is let’s say a good example? let’s say he let’s take it as simple as cleaning the street. So some you know some people in some cities they hire people to clean the street. So the guy is just cleaning the street. Why is that meditation? Because it doesn’t allow him to think about the future. It doesn’t allow him to think about the past. Not much at least. he’s not worrying because he has to think about every brush like every movement he does he has to think about it so it’s keeping him in the present he has to just think about that next sweep so it’s keeping him in the present he’s meditating he’s meditating meditating and working so even though I’m not against meditation I think the way the meditation has been branded today it’s less than what you could have done otherwise basically you can meditate and work. Work is meditation. Reading the Quran is meditation. Work is not always meditation. But reading the Quran is always meditation. What I’m saying is work is mostly a meditation. then but the contact prayer is the best meditation because you do that plus everything else. It doesn’t stop you from other other good deeds. by when I say everything else I every other good deed and intention you can have this all combined in a contact prayer including the meditation. So it includes the meditation. yeah I don’t I don’t think I need to say much about this by the way. I’m not trying to trash meditation. I’m also not trying but I’m just saying don’t fall for branded meditation. I’m against branded meditation. It’s just, you know, meditation. You don’t have to brand it like it doesn’t have to be some specific form. Yeah, it can maybe if you just breathe slower, it’s it’s a good medit. I’m not again I’m not putting it down. There are methods. Some people need sometimes meditation because they might have a stressful life. They’re like I basically I’m saying it’s probably a it belongs more to psychology and therapy. you know, if someone needs therapy for depression, anxiety, stuff like that. Yeah, meditation is probably one of the tools, I don’t know. I I don’t like it’s not my profession. It’s not that important. What I’m saying is yeah, I’m not against that. But most of the time, if you don’t really need have a specific need for it, you can just do it in a way where you also achieve other things. You can go to work if you enjoy it. Really, it’s actually meditation. yeah. Does anyone have any questions?

The only thing you need to remember is meditation is not worrying and in the ultimate form not thinking which is kind of almost impossible Oh, by the way, let’s say one of the forms Rashad did u let’s say meditated is what they call in Arabic like remembering God like saying yeah that’s a form of meditation but can you see that it still achieves the same thing it keeps you present because as you’re saying it it doesn’t allow you to think something else about the future yeah Someone is saying listening to the Friday sermon is a good meditation. Yeah, that’s also meditation. so the video Quran is partially intended for meditation. You were originally you were originally saying yes. So that’s so my answer is yes. The video Quran is partially intended for meditation because it uses some of those tricks. It’s a trick like it has nice views. God willing it will have nice views. Some a little bit of music, maybe some sound. By the way, a lot of let’s say videos you go if you go on YouTube and you search video for meditation, what is it going to be? Just some plain simple sound. There’s no nothing secret there. It’s what all it does is keep you keeps you in the present. It doesn’t let you think about the future or the past because why? As you’re hearing the sound, it prevents you from having other thoughts because you’re focusing on what you’re hearing. That’s all. So yeah, there’s meditation there because of people have to focus on the Quran and there’s if there’s some let’s say additional sounds or videos there, it can help them meditate. It’s artificial. I know it’s artificial meditation. Basically, it tricks people into thinking that they are better at it at it than they actually are. But it’s okay. It’s okay. We do artificial stuff today anyway. I wouldn’t do it if there was no competition for it. Like there’s online there’s so much stuff which actually tricks you into their own version of meditation basically. And it’s not really a trick. It’s more like let me yell louder so so people can can hear me. Yeah. Yelling louder is a trick to get people’s people’s attention. If everyone in the market is yelling, oh, you know, buy this gold, buy this gold. And if you go to a really really crowded market and everyone is selling their product and let’s say you want to go there and preach, you would have to yell because everyone is yelling and that’s a way to keep the attention of the person in the present there right there what you have to say. even now I’m probably yelling because I’m used from competition of yelling I guess from work from life and things like that. Sorry for too much yelling, but yeah, it’s just a way of grabbing the attention. it’s not the only way. Yeah. So, I think maybe it’s it’s enough for today. meditation is real. The way they present it to you is usually overrated. There’s not much more to it than the act than the actual just simple working or listening to music. And all music listening to music is artificial. I’m not saying that’s how you should do it. All I’m saying is it does happen even when you don’t do not intend it. And I’m not saying you should actually if you can meditate without music it’s then you have better skills of meditation. anyway so let’s for those who have to do the contact prayer do the contact prayer. The rest of you peace be upon