Murāqaba and Muḥāsaba
Volume 4: Things That Save
The fundamental condition for success on the spiritual journey is keeping the soul under constant watchfulness (murāqaba) and scrutiny (muḥāsaba). In this process, reason is a merchant; the soul is its business partner. The capital of this trade is "life"; its profit is "eternal felicity." The document explains the six-stage Murābata system that must be followed to discipline the soul: Covenant (Mushārata), Watchfulness (Murāqaba), Self-Reckoning (Muḥāsaba), Retribution (Muʿāqaba), Striving (Mujāhada), and Rebuke (Muʿātaba). This system aims for the servant to see every breath as worth a jewel and to fill every treasure (hour) of the twenty-four with light.
Summary
The fundamental condition for success on the spiritual journey is keeping the soul under constant watchfulness (murāqaba) and scrutiny (muḥāsaba).
Sections
I. Mushārata (Covenant)
It is a "preliminary agreement" the reason makes with the soul at the beginning of the day.
- Capital Consciousness: Every breath of life is a priceless jewel.
- Daily Plan: When the person wakes in the morning, he conditions the soul by saying, "Today is my new opportunity; my appointed time has been deferred," setting what must be done and what must be avoided.
- Field of Application: Definite commands are given regarding protecting the seven faculties (eye, ear, tongue, stomach, genitals, hand, foot) from the forbidden.
II. Murāqaba (Watchfulness)
It is not leaving the soul uncontrolled during action, but keeping it under constant oversight. It has two degrees:
- First Degree (The Truthful): The heart's being filled with Allah's majesty and awe. At this station the person becomes so heedless of people that he no longer even sees those beside him.
- Second Degree (The God-fearing): Acting with the awareness that Allah sees one at every moment, out of shame before Him. At every intention the person pauses: "Is this for Allah or for the soul?"
III. Muḥāsaba (Self-Reckoning)
It is the general audit done at the end of the day.
- Commercial Analysis: An inventory is drawn up of obligatory acts (capital), supererogatory acts (profit), and sins (loss).
- Critical Inquiry: The tongue's speech, thoughts that come to the heart, and every movement of the faculties are tested with the questions "Why did you do it?", "How did you do it?", "For whom did you do it?"
IV. Muʿāqaba (Retribution)
The penalties given to the soul for faults revealed through muḥāsaba.
- Method: The soul is disciplined through methods such as leaving the stomach hungry if something doubtful was eaten, or depriving the eye of sight if one looked at something unlawful.
V. Mujāhada (Striving and Exertion)
Increasing the burden of worship to break the soul's laziness.
- Example Application: Acts of "intensifying one's devotional rounds" such as a person who missed congregational prayer giving charity from his wealth, or one who missed night prayer spending the entire night in vigil.
VI. Muʿātaba (Rebuking the Soul)
Warning the soul by throwing its ignorance and foolishness in its face.
- Fundamental Argument: The veil of heedlessness is torn by addressing the soul: "Why do you not prepare when death is this near? If a child said there is a scorpion, you would fear—why do you not believe the warnings of the prophets?"
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Important Entities and Symbolic Concepts
The fundamental concepts in the text and the management of the faculties are summarized in the table below:
| Concept/Entity | Spiritual Correspondence and Function | | :--- | :--- | | Reason | The manager of spiritual trade, the merchant. | | Soul | Business partner; both servant and a slave prone to betrayal. | | Twenty-Four Treasures | Each hour of the day. May be filled with light (good), darkness (sin), or left empty (heedlessness). | | Seven Faculties | Opening onto the seven gates of Hell: eye, ear, tongue, stomach, genitals, hand, and foot. | | Three Ledgers | Ledgers opened for every act: 1. Why? 2. How? 3. For whom? |
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Key concepts
- Station
- Definition
- 1. Mushārata (Covenant)
- Preparation before action.
- 2. Murāqaba (Watchfulness)
- Attention during action.
- 3. Muḥāsaba (Self-Reckoning)
- Audit after action.
- 4. Muʿāqaba (Retribution)
- Making amends for faults.
- 5. Mujāhada (Striving)
- Deepening in worship.
- 6. Muʿātaba (Rebuke)
- Rebuking the soul.
Study questions
What is the reckoning that terrified Tawba b. Samt at the station of muḥāsaba?
When he calculated his sixty-year life in days, it came to 21,500 days. He said, "Even if only one sin falls on each day, how can I come before the King of kings with this many sins?" and fainted and passed away.
Why did Dāwūd al-Ṭāʾī drink his bread like soup instead of chewing it?
So that in the time difference between chewing and drinking, he could recite fifty more verses.
What is the definition of iḥsān in the hadith?
It is worshipping Him as though you see Allah; though you do not see Him, He sees you.
How did ʿUmar punish his soul when he missed the congregational ʿaṣr prayer?
By giving as charity land worth 200,000 dirhams.
By what means is the soul disciplined within the scope of muʿāqaba (Retribution)?
By leaving it hungry when a doubtful morsel was eaten, forbidding the eye from looking when it looked at the forbidden, or intensifying one's devotional rounds.