You may be surprised to know, dear ones, that submission When the believer is the best practices remedy the for worship so many of disorders. submission, "Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) to be affected by Allah s Reminder (this Qur an), and that which has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians) and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them were Fasiqun (the relbellious, the disobedient to Allah". (Al-Hadid: 16). This is a great verse (Ayah) that is directed to every believer to reminder him/ her of the importance of submission before Allah the Almighty. When we think deeply of the Qur an verses we find that it emphasizes on this issue. Why? Let us look at the facts from the Qur an and science. Does submission has a power? Sometimes the Believer thinks that Allah the Almighty commanded us to practice submission just to get close to Him. But scientific studies found something new about what is called meditation. This kind of meditation requires one to sit quietly and gaze at a mountain or a candle or a tree without movement or wonder. They found that this meditation was found to be very useful for treating disorders, improving memory, developing creativity, and increasing patience, etc. Qur an is not restricted to mere meditation, however; it is combined with thinking, contemplation, learning from mistakes and focusing on the goal, and this is called submission. Submission is one of the most important and most difficult practices of worship because it requires so much concentration. Hence, the word submission indicates the highest level of meditation combined with deep contemplation, and this submission is not just worship, but also a remedy that has many benefits for treating disorders and acquiring powerful and renovated potentials. 1 / 12
Submission & the Heart A new study published by the American Heart Association Journal showed that regular meditation for long periods of time protects one from cardiac infarction and heart disorders. Me ditation helps treating high blood pressure therefore it reduces the heart exertion. For this, Allah the Almighty tells his believers: "Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) to be affected by Allah s Reminder (this Qur an) " (Al-Hadid: 16) This study also showed that the heart has an important job and it is not just a pump. Studies show the importance of meditation and submission for the stability of the heart work. Today, doctors say that heart diseases are the first reason for death all over the world, and the reason behind such diseases is the disturbances in the way the heart works. Here comes the importance of submission in stabilizing and organizing the heart performance. Studies proved today that meditation not only treats misery, anxiety, and depression diseases that are most common today, but also, and when it is practiced regularly, gives more self-confidence and makes him/ her more patient and stronger to face life challenges. Allah the Almighty says: " Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah: verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest" (Ar-Ra d:28). So dear ones, if you want to avoid heart disorders, you need to practice submission every day even for seconds. The relationship between submission & brain waves Scientists found that the human brain produces electromagnetic frequencies all the time, the value of these frequencies varies according to the human activity. During alertness, activity, 2 / 12
working, and concentrating; the brain produces Beta waves which are vibrations with frequencies ranging from 15 to 40 vibration/ second (hertz). During relaxation and normal meditation, the brain produces Alpha waves which range from 9 14 hertz. During sleep, dreaming and deep meditation, the brain produces Theta waves which range from 5-8 hertz. Finally, during deep sleeping (without dreams), the brain produces Detla waves which value is less than 4 hertz. So when someone is in a state of submission, the vibration of the waves reduces which causes the brain to relax in order to repair itself from any diseases or stresses. Furthermore, the researchers believe that agitation stresses the brain, hence, shortens its life, while meditation relaxes the brain and lengthens its life. The most important waves that the brain produces are those with low frequency, they provide means for healing the body due to their effect on body cells and immunity system. So meditation, or submission, is an effective way to produce these waves which have positive impact on the brain cells as they help to re-program and correct any mistake that may occur in the brain performance. Practicing submission is a way to prepare, organize, and strengthen the work of the brain. Submission increases the size of brain 3 / 12
Recently, new researches from Harvard Medical College studied the possible effect of meditation on human brain and found that the size of a brain that practises meditation or submission is a lot bigger than that of a normal brain. So there is a belief that meditation increases the size of the brain, it is also true that it increases the human ability to be creative, have a good life, and be happy. They also found that the brain cortex becomes thinker in certain areas because of meditation. This phenomenon becomes more interesting when we know that the brain cortex reduces as we age. So we can say that meditation leads to long life or slow aging! This study (William J. Cromie, Harvard University) also showed that the longer the duration of the meditation, the better the effect on the brain especially on its size and stability. So there is a relation between mediation and the brain size and wellness. This effect on the brain happens as a result of meditation only, submission, however, gives better results; unfortunately no Islamic experiments have been conducted in this area. Submission reduces pain When the chemical medicine failed to treat some incurable diseases, some researchers used meditation as a remedy after they noticed that regular meditation helps reducing the feeling of pain and strengthening the immunity system. A new study showed that meditation cures chronic diseases. Some researches studied the brain for a group of people who were asked to dip their hands in a very hot water; the brain activity for the pain they felt was recorded. The same experiment was repeated on another group who were practising regular meditation; their brain as a result was not responding to pain. It was found that meditation caused a neural effect that prevented the pain from stimulating the brain. 4 / 12
It can be concluded that submission helps tolerating pain and reducing it to a great limit, it is the best way to learn patience and is an effective remedy for agitation. If you have any mental/ emotional issues, you can practise meditation by reflecting on a miracle from the Qur an every day, or hear verses of the Qur an with contemplation and reflection; when you hear a verse of torment, think of hell and its burning, and when you hear a verse of grace, think of paradise and its blessing. This is how the messenger of Allah the Almighty used to read the Qur an. The human brain contains more that 10,000 trillion synaptic cleft which connect more that trillion cells with each other and works as the most complicated system on earth. Scientists say that the brain cells need meditation and contemplation all the time to get re-activated and become more efficient. Peo ple who are used to deep contemplation and reflection on the universe for example are the most creative ones as Allah the Almighty say: Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding (190) Those who remember Allah (always and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted are You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the fire. (Al Imran 190-191) Submission and Emotions A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fmri) survey carried out by some scientists showed that the person who is used to meditation is much capable of controlling his/ her emotions and agitations than others, hence, is happier. Experiments also showed that meditation helps controlling the sexual instinct for men and women. Furthermore, meditation controls a person s emotions and prevents any extravagance 5 / 12
actions or irresponsible decisions he/ she may take, because it positively activates the sensitive areas in the brain and promote it to get rid of the negative accumulations and damages from the past. Submission is a remedy for the incurable diseases There are special medical centres in the west that treat patients using meditation and they believe that meditation cures diseases that medicine failed to treat, for this reason such centres have become very popular today. When I keep reading about this I tell myself: Glorified and Exalted is Allah, aren t we more entitled to this remedy than they are, because the Qur an made submission, meditation, and contemplation on Allah s creatures a great worship. Allah the Almighty praised the pious of his slaves: Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding (190) Those who remember Allah (always and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted are You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the fire" (Al Imran 190-191) So, if it happens that you have any incurable or chronic disease, I suggest that you spend an hour everyday with one of the Qur an miracles whether it is in the field of astrology, medicine, mountains, sea, etc and think deeply about Allah s creatures and the holiness of this Qur an. T his is the way I treat myself from diseases or emotional problems and I recommend this remedy to every fellow believer. Submission & the Forelock Scientists found that the human forelock the upper frontal area of the brain (Prefrontal Lobe)- is highly activated during meditation, deep contemplation, and creative thinking. This area of the brain is the centre of leadership and it is also the centre for life and important decision making for human. This part of the brain has a great effect on our behaviours, emotions and life continuation. 6 / 12
The messenger of Allah the Almighty concentrated on this part of the brain in his supplication when he used to say My forelock is in Your hands, meaning: my lord, I submit my forelock which is the centre for leadership, decision making, and behavior so you can guide it as You wish. It is known that one effective way to be treated by Qur an is to put your hand on the forelock and recite verses of Qur an with full submission. The figure shows the responsible area for lie or mistake in the brain -the area highlighted in red color- which is the upper frontal area of the brain (the forelock). It is also responsible for important decision making and behaviors in human, and it is the same area responsible for creativity and submission. Wh en the believer practices submission whether in his worship, work, while contemplating Qur an, or even in his social life, this area (forelock) is activated and becomes capable of creativity, 7 / 12
directing the body, and making the right decisions. It also prevents from lying and promotes honesty! This was mentioned in the Qur an (the supplication of prophet Hud): I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving (living) creature but He has the grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on a Straight Path (the truth). (Hud:56) Submission & the wicked thoughts After many experiments on Buddhist monks who meditate daily for one hour, Dr. Newberg found that the upper frontal part of their brain is activated during meditation, while the backside part of the brain encounters no activity. It is known that the responsible area for the wicked thoughts is found on the backside of the brain; hence, meditation and submission can be a good remedy for wicked thoughts. The feeling of the surroundings is reduced for those who practice meditation and this lead us to conclude that the practice of submission reduces the feeling of the surrounding and hence any mental or emotional problem that can be a result of the surroundings (friends, family, society, etc) can be eliminated by the regular practice of meditation. Some recent studies show that meditation improves memory and concentration in human, and this can be beneficial for those with memory problems. Submission and Schizophrenia When some researchers studied the brain for people with Schizophrenia, they found that their brain frontal lobe is smaller than that of normal people. They realized that there is an activity that is carried out in this sensitive area of the brain (forelock) for people with this disease. We can then say that submission treats schizophrenia more effectively than any other chemical medication, because submission and contemplation highly activates this part of the brain and corrects any damages there. Schizophrenia can cause loss in the brain cells that can reach 10% of its size, and which can be compensated with practising submission everyday for a short time. 8 / 12
Submission & Prayer Qur an emphasize on the huge role of submission in maintaining prayers. Many Muslims do pray but are unable to maintain their prayers due to the lack of submission: And seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayers) and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khashi un [i.e. the true believers in Allah those who obey Allah with full submission, fear much from His Punishment, and believe in His Promise (Paradise) and His Warnings (Hell). (Al-Baqarah:45). Submission is very important in prayer which is clearly shown in the Qur an. In the above verse, the Qur an amazingly connected patience and submission; and scientists today found that meditation teachs a person endurance, patience and how to handle difficult situations. Many American scientists carried experiments on people who perform their own prayers (Not the Islamic Prayers) and found out that prayer has a huge effect on treating cardiac infarction and stabilizing brain performance. The Qur an connected the two healing tools prayer & submission : "Successful indeed are the believers (1) Those who offer their salat (prayer) with all solemnity and full submissiveness " (Al-Mu minum:1-2) How can we practice submission in our daily life? Through Qur an! It is the best way to practice submission before Allah the Almighty. We want to correct the common concept that submission should be practised only in prayers or while reading Qur an. Submission is a way of living that the believer practises in each single moment of his/ her life like our prophets peace be upon them did. If we think deeply about the life of the prophets peace be upon them we find that they were in full submission to the Almighty, which in turn equipped them with much tolerance and endurance to deal with so much harm and mockery. This submission was the way for having their supplication answered: "Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before us " (Al-Anbiya:90). Look carefully at the sentence and used to humble themselves before us, it indicates that the 9 / 12
blessed prophets peace be upon them were in full submission all the time and we should take them as models in our lives. But how can we do this? The real believer always practises submission in his prayers, thinks about the alms (Sadaqah) that he/she gives away, reflects when he visits the sick and prays to Allah the Almighty to protect him from diseases, and when he deals with others in trading (selling and purchasing), he always feels that Allah the Almighty watches him so he avoid lying or cheating, and becomes more honest in order to be resurrect together with the followers of the messenger of Allah the Almighty (Siddiqin). When the believer encounters a temptation or is about to look at whatever Allah the Almighty has forbidden him/ her to look at, the believer immediately remembers that Allah the Almighty watches him/ her so s/he keeps away from such a sin for Allah s sake, and then s/he feels the grace and joy of faith. When the believer dislike something about his wife (and vice versa), and he remembers that Allah the Almighty commanded him to live with his wife honourably and not cause her any harm, and that the messenger of Allah the Almighty commanded him to take care of his wife, then he stops causing his wife any harm and becomes more patient with her. This is submission. When the believer encounters sickness or a difficult situation, the first thing he does is supplication and seeking refuge in Allah the Almighty. He knows that Allah the Almighty is the One who gives and takes, has all the goodness, cure from diseases, and provide the means of living. This is the real submission Submission is the outcome of good deeds, supplication, and the haste to do good deeds. If you wish to be submissive before Allah the Almighty and have your supplications answered similar to how Allah the Almighty answered his prophets supplication during the most difficult times, you have to search for the good deeds and haste on to them (i.e. Do not wait for others to give you the money so you can give it away, rush and spend your own money). Remember this verse and memorize it so you can repeat it everyday at every situation you encounter: " Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us" (Al-Anbiya:90) 10 / 12
Finally Maybe we can understand now, after presenting all the above facts, that the reason behind Allah s inspiration on his messenger Mohammed peace be upon him to go to Hira a cave seeking solitude is to meditate and reflect on the creation of this universe and contemplate on the greatness of Al mighty, this stage was extremely important to equip him with great patience and endurance needed to carry the burden of the greatest message on this earth Also we may understand now the main objective of pilgrimage (Hajj) purifying the man so he comes back from Hajj as he is just born - as Hajj depends on meditation, submission, and contemplation on Allah s creation especially standing in Arafa (A plain, a few kilometers from Makkah, where pilgrims gather to worship, pray and ask for forgiveness) which is the main ritual in Hajj. Hajj is a period of recovery and therapy for the believer if he knows how to invest every moment of it in Allah s obedience. Finally we may understand why the prophets peace be upon them were the most patient among all. It is because they used to practice total submission in every aspect of their lives. This reward of patience is given to them in this life and much more is waiting for them in the hereafter: " the men and the women who are humble (before they lord Allah)..What is the reward that Allah the Almighty prepared for them?: Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward" (i.e. Paradise) (Al-Ahzab:35) ------------------- By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel www.kaheel7.com/eng 11 / 12
Sources: 1- What is the function of the various brainwaves?, www.sciam.com, December 22, 1997. 2- Ned Herrmann, The Creative Brain. 3- Brain Scans Reveal Why Meditation Works, www.livescience.com, 29 June 2007. 4- Meditation found to increase brain size, www.physorg.com, January 27, 2006. 5- Areas of the brain activated during meditation, Washington Post, June 17, 2001. 6- Can Brain Scans See Depression?, The New York Times Company, October 18, 2005. 7- Brain Imaging Study of TM, RADIOLOGY TODAY, August 4th, 2003. 12 / 12