Muslim Spiritualists
Access to more informed Teachers!
| Home Page |
| Spirituality |
|
What is Spiritualism? |
|
A Personal Experience |
|
Creativity and Gender |
| Healing |
| Islam |
|
War and Peace |
|
Politics and Science |
|
Psychic Attack |
|
Words of Solace |
| e-mail us |
Muslim Spiritualists
Blackburn
Lancashire
England
Telephone:
01254 265728
A Personal Experience
A Muslim Enters a Spiritualist Church
My first introduction to Spiritualism was in Iran after the revolution there, I was grieving badly for my Brother who was killed in a motorbike crash, and I wanted to make contact with his Spirit, this I believe was achieved, but not in a very clear way. So I knew that this sort of connection is practised and accepted in Islam, but that it is very difficult to find information about! Now here in England, I have been a full-time Carer for my Mum and Dad before they both died, my Mum died in hospital, her last words to me were that she wanted to have a good sleep now, not just "cat-napping", my Dad died 20 months later, I was holding his head, stroking his thin grey hair telling him how much I loved him, when he passed over – heavy stuff. So once again I looked for communication with the Spirit world.
Carved into the stone above the main door is: "Spiritualist Temple – 1901", alongside is a modern painted notice-board saying "Spiritualist Church, Everyone Welcome" with the times of the three weekly meetings. Well it did say "Everyone Welcome" which is something I’ve not yet seen on a Mosque! So I noted the time of their ‘open circle’ and came back the following Monday evening at the said time. Going into someone else’s place of Religious service is a most nervous feeling, like treading into someone’s sacred space, and I very much stood out wearing my hijab and floor length dress being the only Muslim there, but I was made very welcome and invited to join the circle. They were all ordinary looking English folk, more women than men, the youngest was about 15, the oldest I guess was about 70, the room was brightly lit with flowers in vases all around. For the ‘open circle’ the chairs had been arranged into a circle in which we all sat.
A Spiritualist Church or Temple as they sometimes call themselves, is sort of like Christian in style, but it is definitely NOT Christian, most of the people there are from a Christian background and culture, so that style of praying to God is carried across, but there is no mention at all about Jesus, and no Crucifixes (crosses) on the wall like in a Christian Church, this made me as a Muslim feel much more at ease. I would be very scared to go into anything to do with "Spirits" without it all being in the belief in God and with prayer to God, but I was relieved that it didn’t have any reference to Jesus (none of that son-of-god belief). The knowledge learned in Spiritualism in the West comes from the sum-total of messages from human Spirits who have now passed over (died) from the earthly life, telling us what it is like over there, this knowledge therefore does not come from any "Revealed" book such as the Qur’an or the Bible, it is wholly "empirical" as in Scientific investigation, but is profoundly relevant to aspects of creed in all Religions!
The "open circle" meeting began with a prayer, an informal prayer said out-loud by one of the group leaders, praising God and asking for healing for all the peoples of the world and peace and understanding to come wherever there is conflict, and for all suffering to end: for people and for animals. The prayer then invited only the highest and best of the Spirit world to come close to us tonight and for communication to be possible between the two worlds. We then all stood up and sung a hymn together. Next our group leader asked us to go into a short meditation, which I have since learned means sitting straight, deep breathing, deep relaxing, and focus of the mind on the Spiritual. I usually slowly recite the Sura Fâtiha to myself, thinking deeply about the words.
The group leader then declares the circle open, and anyone wishing to ‘work’ please stand up and give the message that they’re communicating. Over the next hour, different people in the group would stand up and say things like: I have a man (or a woman) here with me, say their age, describe their features, colour of hair, sometimes a name, and some sort of message for another member of the circle. Sometimes they are aware of to whom the message is intended, other times they have to describe what they have got, then ask if anyone in the circle can take this information. At the end of the session, the group leader asks one of us to give a prayer of thanks, we stand up and sing another hymn together, and the circle is declared closed, breaking the spirit link. We then have a friendly cup of tea together, and talk about the messages that came through.
So what’s going on? Are these messages really from the Spirits of people who once lived on this earth? Can the Spirits of dead people communicate with us? Are they free to do so? Are these people in the circle genuine Mediums? Can anyone learn to be a Medium? Or is it all one big trick? Or are they deluding themselves and is something else going on like telepathy?
I felt a warmth, a genuineness, a welcome and most of all, a healing. I knew that my religious or spiritual path had been guided to these phenomena of nature, which would help me separate the true from the false in religious texts and so-called Muslim cultures. So my quest into Spiritualism began by reading book after book, and attending many meetings both in circles, and in the audience of experienced Mediums working individually.
I have had many messages given to me from Spirit, the things that I have been told could not possibly be known by anyone in the Church. For example, I have had messages from my Dad, talking about the Cobbled Stones around the back door and the doors being yellow, this refers to my Dad’s old house that nobody at the Church knows where it is – or what it looks like, and it was me who painted the doors yellow while my Dad was in hospital, and I have since moved away from that house. My Dad’s Spirit told me about the glass I broke by the front door: That afternoon I had indeed broken by accident a glass lamp-shade by the front door in my new house, yet not another single (living) person knew about this. My Dad finished a conversation we were having before he died about religion in such a way as only I would know what had been said before. The Medium works like a Translator, and says "Your Father says such and such".
I have had messages from the Spirit of my Mum, the Medium said I am hearing the name: "Jameela", but I had never met that Medium before, and it’s not exactly an English name, but being sceptical someone could of told the Medium my name beforehand, but then the Medium added: I am hearing the name "Aminah", – This is a member of my close family between me and whom was a family split, and I have never talked about this to anyone at the Church, but of course to my Mum, the name is well known and she obviously would want the family split to be resolved, Alhamdullah it now has been! My Mum described through the "Medium" the other type of black hijab that I also wear: which is true but I have never worn that at the Church. My Mum then said how proud she was of me for being religious without allowing religion to bully me, as was the case for her and my Grandmother!
Because of the intensely personal nature of the messages that I have received, I am forced to conclude that the messages are what they claim to be, though the clarity and accuracy of different messages does vary. So my Mum and Dad and many others are around us all now, and can see exactly what we are doing, they can see me typing this now! The Spirits around YOU can see YOU reading this now!
What is the Islamic description of these messages? Well when we die, only our physical body dies, our Spirit or "Ruh" continues to live, but goes to what is called the "Barzakh" which is like a waiting area before a barrier. In the "Barzakh" time and space are not as we know it here in the physical world, and Spirits can move about with considerable speed, and it is from here that they may be able to visit us and also through certain very sensitive individuals called "Mediums" be able to communicate with us. Spirits stay in this place for a period of time till they are ready to move on. I have had no further messages from my Brother who died 22 years ago aged 18, I would therefore assume that he has now moved up to a higher plane. In the "Barzakh" like collects with like, so for example people who used to help others and show kindness will all collect together in happiness, while for example; people who used to speak behind other people will also collect together. People who on earth were really bad people, like those who did torturing will be taken by the angels directly to a very unpleasant place. Most people though, who are bad in only a minor way like in the above example of those who used to speak behind other people, will just have the sole company of the same type of people in the "Barzakh" till they are ready to rise beyond this behaviour. This is their punishment. Much also depends upon the prayer and help of others who have love and sympathy for them, helping them to learn and improve.
Messages always contain Love and good guidance as the essence of the communication, I understand that those who don’t feel selfless Love, and the desire to help others are not so free in the Spirit world, and that we pass over (die) with the same personality that we had in our life here. I also understand that while it may be difficult to improve our behaviour here on earth, it will be much harder still to do so in the "Barzakh", though still possible.
How is communication with the Spirit world possible? Those people who are very gifted as "Mediums" tell us that everyone has psychic abilities to a greater or lesser extent; they might be "clairvoyant" which means able to see spirit under certain conditions, they might just be "aware" of their presents and feel moved to say something which proves to be correct. Other people, myself included, received inspiration about things as a flash across the mind. These gifts are present in all of us, though such is our modern lifestyle that we mostly discount these "impressions" as silly. If these gifts are not used and practised, as with any other gift, they will not develop: like our ability to draw will not develop if it is never used. A few people have the gift of Mediumship to a stronger level than normal, and when this is further developed by practise and exercise, we can achieve useable regular levels of communication with the Spirit world. The development of Mediumship involves becoming "Attuned" with Spirit, they say it is as though the spirit level vibrates faster than our physical world, so when a Medium attunes, this is as though they start to vibrate at a faster speed, while those in the Spirit world, through the control of a "Spirit Guide" slow down till there is a match in vibration speed, and for a limited time communication between the two worlds can and does take place. The word "vibration" is used because there is currently no better word to describe the phenomena. This is all a very interesting area of Scientific Research into the paranormal. Also, part of development of "Mediumship" is learning to differentiate between what is from Spirit and what is from our own imagination, the difference is subtle. It is all about being highly sensitive. It must be stresses though, that we cannot call up a particular person in the Spirit world, rather they contact us, if they want to and if they are able to do so!
Some of the deeper communication involves the "Medium" being in a state of Trance, while in lighter levels of communication the person performing "Mediumship" is fully awake, though they will not understand the significance of the message being given, they just repeat what they are given by the "Spirit Guides" in the Spirit world working with our loved ones over there. There is no such thing as "death" only a shedding of our earthly body and a "Transition" to another world.
All the Prophets, including the Prophet Mohammad and Jesus Christ, may peace and blessings be upon them, were all highly sensitive Trance Mediums, the difference was that their Message came from Allah via the Angel Gabriel (Jibraeel). We are working at a vastly lower level, but it still shows us that there is far, far more to "reality", than this material world, or these biological bodies that we currently reside in!
The most important thing that I have learned from Spiritualism, which is Universal beyond any particular religious practise, is the importance of Love; that is the sort of Love between a parent and a child: Unconditional Love. Essentially, Love for our Creator and Love for ALL of his Creation. Think deeply about the meaning of "Ar-Rahman nir Raheem".