Book of Healing - Qur'anic Healing - Healing through Breathing
Healing through Breathing
Tags: Breathing, Air, Rih, Nafas, Spiritual winds
1. Air, water and food are among the essential and fundamental necessities of human life and survival. Yet thirst and hunger can be endured for some time, but to dispense with fresh air by holding the breath for approximately half a minute, becomes an extremely bitter experience. The importance and necessity of respiration can be well estimated from this. On the one hand, all the cells of our body are supplied with oxygen through respiration, and on the other, they are relieved of carbon dioxide.
2. In our body, which is a compendium of innumerable living cells, namely, particles of soul, why is there always a dire need of oxygen for them? What is hidden in the oxygen? Can there be an animal or a vegetative soul hidden in it? Are the words ruh (soul) and rih (air) from the same root? Is it true that there is no air on the planet moon, therefore it is dead in a sense and the planet earth is surrounded by the atmosphere or the sphere of air, therefore it is living? In short, by reflecting upon these questions appropriately, we come to know that there is a soul in air just as there is a soul in food.
3. As separate laws of religious wisdom and external medical science are prescribed in order to attain good health, pleasure and happiness from eating and drinking things, similarly, there are many external and internal rules and regulations to benefit fully from breathing, on which many scholars have shed light, both from the religious and scientific points of view. You can benefit from these kinds of books and this article is one such attempt. God willing, in this article also, there will be some useful points. May God, the Sustainer of the world, for the sake of the benign prayers of the people of faith, help this insignificant servant! Amin!
4. As the words ruh (soul) and rih (air) are from the same root, similarly nafs (soul) and nafas (breathing) are also from the same root. Thus, a very great wisdom and a great secret are hidden in this. For, the languages of the nations of the world, have not come into existence by themselves, rather the Creator of the universe has created them in an extremely systematic way, particularly the Arabic language, which is the language of the wise Qur'an. The brightest proof of this fact is in the holy Qur'an itself. Open the holy Qur'an and read carefully verses (30:20-27), in which six times attention is drawn towards the Divine signs, as it is said in this connection: "And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the difference of your languages and colours." (30:22). From this, the reality rises to the level of the light of certainty and becomes clear that, whatever may be the external and historical causes, every language is created by God Himself. Without this, a language cannot be counted among the Divine signs.
5. God, Who is alone and has no partner, is only One; He has only one law (sunnat) and He, according to the law of oneness, created only one human being (i.e. Adam, may peace be on him) and from him brought into existence his spouse (7:189, 39:6) and from both of them He spread forth all human beings. In the same way, in the world of language (`alam-i lisan), God first uttered only one Word, which is the fountainhead of all meanings, as Hazrat Adam was the source of all human beings (4:1). And from the meaning of the first Word, created another Word which is blessed like Hazrat Hawwa', may peace be on her. Then other words were made, as the children of Adam gradually spread in this world. This means that whichever the language, the mutual semantic link of its words is like the relation of the families, tribes and nations of the children of Adam. Thus, if you wish, even now in your conception you can see all human beings in Hazrat Adam.
6. The gist of the above explanation is that there is a very close semantic link between ruh and rih and nafs and nafas. For ruh or breathing is the sign of life and ruh or soul is that which is breathed. Breathing is used both in the form of giving permission (idhn) or command and in the state of knowledge and `ibadat. That is, when the vicegerent of God (the holy Prophet) or the vicegerent of the Prophet, grants someone permission or a teaching and guidance, then his blessed breathing proves itself to be the breathing of soul. But the condition of this is that the believing servant should spend all the breaths of his life in the obedience of God and His true Prophet and should continue the chain of dhikr incessantly, every moment.
7. Wherever in the noble Qur'an, air of any kind is mentioned, spiritual air and breathing are also mentioned there. For, one special law of the laws of the wise Qur'an, is to mention many similar things together. For example, the winds which are mentioned in the beginning of the Suratu'dh Dhariyat (51), are external as well as internal winds and also the breathing dhikr (dam-dhikr), namely, that Divine remembrance which is performed hidden in the breathing. This dhikr is extremely sacred, effective and fruitful. By this dhikr, the dust of negligence disappears from the heart and mind of the servant who does dhikr, he feels light and the ship of `ibadat starts to sail very easily (51:1-3). This sign is the prelude to spiritual health.
8. The spiritual winds are living and by these are meant the angels, as mentioned about them and the breathing dhikr, in the beginning of the Surat'ul Murasalat, in verses (77:1-5). The adhkar (pl. of dhikr) of breathing, which are of various kinds, are examples of different angels. Therefore, there is healing in them for many diseases. Thus you should continue the hidden dhikr of the name "Ya Hu" in such a way that with "Ya", you inhale normally and with "Hu", exhale. Do not move the tongue so that gradually, the tongue of soul may get an opportunity to speak. This dhikr is like the morning breeze. If you wish, you can progress in it and do loud dhikr (dhikr-i jali) also, i.e. the most powerful dhikr, which is the dhikr-i asifah or dhikr-i sarsar, which is fast like the wind (21:81). This dhikr was subjugated to Hazrat Sulayman, may peace be on him.
9. It should be remembered that every great spiritual power has two aspects. In one, there is reward for the friends of God and in the other, there is punishment for His enemies. Thus it is the dhikr-i asifah or the dhikr-i sarsar, which had destroyed many people, like the nation of `Ad, who had become extremely disobedient, (see verses: 41:16, 54:18-20, 69:6-7). In the spiritual journey of the personal world, when the stage of `Izra'il comes, a very great spiritual revolution, which is beyond description, takes place. But one point related to this event is that seven consecutive nights and eight days of it are ominous on the one side and auspicious and blessed on the other. For, during this time the enemies of Islam, like the nation of `Ad, perish spiritually and the doors of mercy open for the people of faith.
10. Although the real dhikr-i sarsar is an automatic spiritual power, nonetheless, breathing dhikr is an example of it. Therefore, he who does this dhikr-u `ibadat for seven nights and eight days, with sincerity of intention, God willing, he will be healed from every kind of disease and will be protected from every kind of evil. The conditions of this dhikr are almost like those of the i`tikaf. That is, he can have an interval according to need. Nevertheless, one important point is that the dhakir (one who performs dhikr) must have complete faith in the blessed name of God, the Exalted. Further, an understanding of the Qur'an or at least those verses which are related to the subject, is necessary for this (purpose) so that his certainty may increase.
11. Breathing is an unfathomable ocean which you have seen from the surface, but have never experienced its depth. At least once, try to dive to its bottom, so that you may know what precious pearls are hidden in it and then perhaps you may continue to search for them, forever. In short, there are many wonders and marvels of Divine power in the dhikr of breathing, in order to duly observe them, you have to exercise more and more.
12. In the beginning of Suratu'l `Adiyat (100:1), the things by which God, the Great, the Exalted, has sworn are exoterically the snorting horses of the mujahids of Islam, but esoterically they are the fast breathing adhkar, due to whose rapid speed, sparks of light fly. As a result of this spiritual jihad, the spoils of light and happiness are attained in the morning. By these spoils are meant knowledge and wisdom, which remove every impurity and disease of the intellect and soul (of the mujahids), so that they may penetrate the group of the enemies of Islam through spiritual fighting and strike them a fatal blow.
13. Where the shirt of Hazrat Yusuf, may peace be on him, is mentioned in the wise Qur'an (12:94), there the word rih (air) is used in the sense of smell or fragrance. Similarly, in the verses (7:57; 25:48; 27:63; 30:46) also "ar-riyah (winds)" are used in the sense of fragrances. This means that Islam is a living religion, and by coming closer to the soul, the winds of higher Paradise start to blow. In these winds, there are various kinds of fragrances, which with their mute expression (zaban-i hal) give glad tidings of the torrential rain of full-fledged spirituality. Thus the breathing dhikr advances towards these fragrances, by which the diseases of the intellect, soul and body are cured.
14. During the time of the revelation of the Qur'an, an extremely significant revolutionary prophecy was made, which is related to the manifestation of the Divine signs in the external world and in the internal world (41:53). That time has now come. In fact, after the signs, i.e. the miracles of the external world, the miracles of the internal or personal world have also started to manifest. The way and the door of observing and experiencing them, God willing, is the breathing dhikr. So let us do the wisdom-filled dhikr of "Ya-Hu" or of any other name in our breaths, so that, through the oxygen, the fragrances of Paradise may permeate each and every cell and particle of our body. For, it is not only a cure of spiritual science for every disease, but also an exalted `ibadat. Here it should also be remembered well that the manifestations of the spiritual things are according to the five senses in the subtle state and one of them is related to smell, in which are subtle nourishments in the form of various fragrances.
8 Dhu'l-hijjah, 1406
15th August, 1986.
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