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IslamQA: Islam and meditation

Salam, please what is your opinion about meditation and the fact to practise it to open his mind to spirituality? El salat look like meditation, isn't it? i also took some seconds during my salat to take a big breath just before i finish (before el teslima) like in meditation, i hope there is no a problem with this?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

As long as the meditation is not mixed with un-Islamic beliefs then I see nothing wrong with it. What is forbidden is to believe that anything besides God has supernatural powers. Meditation practices like Zen-style ones can be done without any un-Islamic elements (as you long as you avoid the Buddhist elements) since the point is to clear your mind of distracting thoughts.

I also do not see anything wrong with taking deep breaths during the prayer. It is true that the prayer can thought of as a form of meditation, in fact in my following I essay I speak of tahajjud as meditation:

Mysticism without Sufism: A Guide to Tahajjud, Islam’s Meditation Practice

Sources:

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