Muslim mysticism or the art of living in the present moment
“The Sufi is the son of the moment”
This Sufi adage (al-sufi ibn al-waqt) is something to meditate on. It alone allows us to immerse ourselves in a state which can bring us from reflection to contemplation, and from contemplation to knowledge, and knowledge generates in us Mercy or Compassion which is only a consequence of the realization of Unity.
The moment is the moment that connects us to the eternal present, it is the door to Eternity…
“In all traditions, Eternity and the Moment are in close relationship. “To be located at this central point, here and now, is to live in the Eternal who is always present.” Hence the precious nature of this “moment” that man must never let escape, because as the Buddhists say: “Stand over this viscous quagmire, do not let the moment pass, those who let the moment pass the will regret. » The forgetful man dreams of the past or the future escaping from the present moment which alone is real in a spiritual sense. » tells us Seyyed Hussein Nasr in his work Knowledge and the Sacred.
This teaching is so important that it can be considered the basis of any spiritual journey, methods ranging from conscious breathing (Hosh dar dam) to the consciousness of the heart (Wouqouf-i-Qalbi) among the Sufis Naqshbandis have no other purpose than to teach us to concentrate in order to learn to be aware that “And He (God) is with you wherever you are” (Quran 57-4) Or according to the very famous prophetic word “Excellence is that you devote yourself to God as if you saw him because if you do not see him, he sees you!” “.
Only the fact of immersing oneself in the moment, as if nothing else existed, allows the Artisan to create a masterpiece. But the moment is also made of renewal, each moment is new and unique:
“And, every day, He is a new creation” (Quran 55-29).
Just as observing the ebb and flow of the waves of the Ocean allows us to dive into the Sea of Unity, he or she who knows how to ride the wave sees his or her path opening towards Heaven and even into the tumult of impermanence, he finds tranquility in the awareness that “He who Expands and He who contracts” is One.
The Human Being wishes to stop time to live only in moments of Peace and Happiness, but it is in the voluntary and conscious acceptance of this impermanence that he will find Peace, and that is the very meaning of the word Islam.
Accepting, thanking, giving thanks for each breath, for each day, for each of the gifts that the Divine Presence has granted us, this is the very way to be in Happiness at each moment… Observe how the one who constantly complained, is agitated and disturbs everyone around him. And graces only multiply when we ourselves give thanks.
“If you gave thanks, we would give you more”. (Quran 14-7)
We will recall that in the Koran the word Kafir, which is often incorrectly translated as disbeliever actually means: The one who covers, who hides, by implication, the benefits or by extension the Reality, but above all what is remarkable is that he is practically always put in opposition to words with the root Chukr, which means to thank, to give thanks!
Living the moment and preserving within ourselves the awareness that the succession of moments is a gift, a grace in permanent renewal, will allow us to truly live our life as an awakened being, did the Prophet not say :
“I sleep but my heart does not sleep”, which tells us that for Realized Beings, the succession of moments is summed up in a single moment, the Eternal Present.
