I greet you in peace, As-salaamu alaikum.

The other day I saw a woman working at a booth in

the mall reading a book on Chakras. When our eyes met she tried to hide the book from
me…Why? Maybe it was because she wasn’t supposed to be reading at work, or maybe she
wanted to hide the fact she was studying Eastern Religions. It got me wondering, what does
Islam ,[ one of the most Spiritual religions in the world, who’s adherents pray 5 times a day,
who turns every action into an act of worship (Ibaada)] , have to say on the subject? And I
discovered some interesting things of course…..

The Spiritual Memory Banks

First what the heck is a Chakra anyway? Chakras (Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning") are 7
“subtle” energy points in the body, where the spirit and the physical converge [source] .
According to medical intuitive and author, Caroline Myss, who described chakras in her work
Anatomy of the Spirit (1996), "Every thought and experience you've ever had in your life gets
filtered through these chakra databases. Each event is recorded into your cells...", in effect your
biography becomes your biology [source] .

What I really find interesting comparatively to Ms. Myss statement above is that the Quran
speaks of our bodies bearing witness against us on the Day of Judgment and Requital. Allah
revealed:

Surah Al-Nour (The Light) 24:24“On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet
will bear witness against them as to their actions.”

Surah Ya-Sin (Y.S.) 36:65“That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their hands will
speak to us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they did.”
Surah Fussilat (Explained in Detail) 41:19-22 “And (remember) the Day that the enemies of
Allah will be gathered to the Fire, then they will be driven. At length, when they reach the
(Fire), their hearing, their sight, and their skins will bear witness against them, as to (all) their
deeds. They will say to their skins: "Why bear ye witness against us?" They will say: "(Allah)
hath given us speech,- (He) Who giveth speech to everything: He created you for the first time,
and unto Him were ye to return. Ye did not seek to hide yourselves, lest your hearing, your sight,
and your skins should bear witness against you! But ye did think that Allah knew not many of
the things that ye used to do!”

According to Ibn Kathir’s tafsir (Commentary of the Quran) the disbelievers will be displayed
their deeds, and will deny that they did it, and the mouths will be sealed, and our Bodies will
speak against us [source] .So maybe there is something to this Chakra thing, for our Flesh to
speak out against us on Judgment day it (our flesh) must have some sort of memory bank.

The Meditative OM and Allah

I also read that there was some sort of relationship between reciting “OHM” or “OM” during
meditation and your Chakras. In his book [“Japa Yoga”, Himalaya Press 1978] Swami
Sivananda states that a yogi that practices Japa [Yoga] with only the Om and is successful at
Mahasamyama {oneness with the object...in this case a Word being meditated on} becomes a
direct disciple of that, the O(H)M, the most Holy of all words/syllables { the same as the word of
creation as recognized by the Torah, although this is not professed or quite possibly not even
recognized by those of secular authority in either Judaism or Christianity} thus the yogi
achieving this feat needs no Guru or Sat-guru* to achieve any Spiritual goal…...} and Swami
Sivananda mentions that this yogi has a path that is, in all recognizable ways and manners,
reverse of that of other Yogis or Spiritual aspirants and their paths and those include all Christian
ascetics, in that this spiritual aspirant then works through the chakras, mastering them from the
crown down.
The OM in Hindu culture is important and the Hindus are an ancient people of India. In Bengal
they call Allah Hari, or Forgiver. In other provinces, they prefer to adore Rama (‘the joyful’).
The highest name according to their scriptures is Om. The origin of this word is uncertain. It has
been traced to a pronominal base Aw, but then it should be Awm, not Om. However, Aw means
to protect; hence Om means protector or guardian [source] .

Interesting enough is that the word OM or Ohm, according to Urdu or Arabic alphabet, is
formed from three alphabets — Alif, Wao and Meem. If we consider the abbreviations of these,
Alif means Allah, Wao or wa means ‘and’ while Meem means Mohammed. It shows that Ohm is
a confluence of Allah and Mohammed [source] . In the Muslim declaration of faith, they bear
witness there is no Allah worthy of worship but Allah, AND…that Muhammad is the Messenger
of Allah, thus your faith goes from the Abstract (Allah)(which is the ultimate reality) to the
Concrete (the Physical sense world), and belief in both is required to be considered a believer.

The Mi'raj and your Chakra-Lataifs

The Isra and Mi'raj (Arabic: ‫اإلسراء والمعراج‬, al-’Isrā’ wal-Mi‘rāj), are the two parts of a Night
Journey that, according to Islamic tradition, the prophet of Islam, Muhammad took during a
single night around the year 621. It has been described as both a physical and spiritual journey. A
brief sketch of the story is in sura 17 Al-Isra of the Quran, and other details come from
the Hadith, supplemental writings about the life of Muhammad. In the journey, Muhammad
travels on the steed Buraq to "the farthest mosque" where he leads other prophets in prayer. He
then ascends toheaven where he speaks to God, who gives Muhammad instructions to take back
to the faithful regarding the details of prayer.

According to traditions, the journey is associated with the Lailat al Mi'raj, as one of the most
significant events in the Islamic calendar.
Ironically, I found in another article called “Yogic Insights Into Islam” which speaks of
Muhammad’s ascension from Jerusalem (the Mi'raj) to the seven heavens were he meets several
prophets of Allah and eventually meets ALLAH as representing the seven (7) chakras of the
body. The author states and I quote:

“The seven heavens through which Mohammed passed must of course correspond to the seven
chakras that exist within the human body. Each chakra, say the yogis, is the abode of a special
deity whose character embodies the chakra’s innate spiritual qualities. The human chakra
system is a microcosm for the entire Eastern pantheon of Allahs, Allahdesses and heavenly
beings. The prophets and angels that Mohammed encountered in each heaven could well have
been these same inner deities that the yogis personally discovered through intense
meditation….In conclusion Mohammed’s ascent through the seven heavens was, in fact, the
ascent of the kundalini, taking his consciousness with it, to divine union with the Allah almighty.
It is no coincidence that the entire Meraj is described to have started and finished in an
incredibly short period of time: While sitting in his room Mohammad heard someone grasp the
door handle and the sound of the latch clicking was the last thing he heard before Gabriel’s
appearance and the duo’s departure on their spiritual journey. Mohammed’s return to mundane
experience restarts with the next few clicks of the same latch movement. In other words the entire
experience occurred in a sort of ‘no-time’. This is not an unusual proposition since meditation is
a state of awareness created by the ascent of the kundalini through the chakras. As it pierces the
sixth chakra (‘third eye’ or Agnya) and seventh, it takes the meditator into the state of
‘thoughtless awareness’ (Nirvichara Samadhi) and beyond. This is a simple state where one
experiences true mental silence, beyond the normal mental awareness of past/future,
cause/effect.

The mind, as this editorial column has often discussed before, can only deal with the dimension
of past and future, cause and effect, thought and memory. However, the state of meditation
begins in the ‘spaces between the thoughts’. This is the numinous dimension where there is no
passage of time but only a singular, silent, eternal, thought-free and joyful experience.

It was from this dimension of awareness that Mohammed perceived the divine vision of a
universal culture and spirituality. Through his meditative vision he learned of humanity’s higher
potential thus his mystic perception of the universal spirit and its presence within each of us
became the template upon which he sought to fashion a new society whose foundations lay not in
issues of common material interest but in the unique awareness of self-realization. Mohammed
was, in fact, laying the first building blocks for the emergence of a spiritual civilization that may
only now come into fruition”[source] .

The Lataif-as-Sitta

In Islamic Sufism, the Chakras are recognized as Lataif-as-Sitta (“the six subtleties”, singular:
latifa) or the psycho-spiritual “organs” or, sometimes, faculties of sensory and supra-sensory
perception in Sufi psychology. However, the Islamic Lataif system differs from the Hindu
system, especially where the spiritual centers are located. The rudimentary Qur'anic
psychological terms, enriched and expanded by the already existing vast and conflicting welter
of Gnostic, Neoplatonic and Hermetic teachings, formed a system of psycho-spiritual
correspondences resembling partially the Kabbalistic one. The true ancestor of the Lataif Sitta, in
its most widespread impersonations, lies in the Eastern Mediterranean, not in the rain-forest of
the Hindu-Buddhist tradition, according to Arvan Harvat (source). In Islamic Sufism, the Lataifs
are thought to be parts of the self in a similar manner to the way glands and organs are part of the
body. Drawing from the Qur’an, many Sufis distinguish Nafs, Qalb, Sirr, Ruh, Khafi, and Akhfa
as the six main lataif [source].

Nevertheless in the Naqshbandi Sufi Order [tariqah], (and most other Sufi orders) there are
seven Lata’ifs recognized corresponding to a color, corresponding to a part of our Bodies,
Corresponding to a Prophet of Allah. However, according to Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi, humans are
made of ten Lata'if or components of creation. Five of them pertain to Alam-e-Amr (the divine
world) and the remaining five pertain to Alam-e-Khalq (Created world). The five lata'if of Alam-
e-Amr are Qalb, Ruh, Sirr, Khafi and Akhfa. The five lata'if of Alam-e-Khalq
are Nafs, Soil (solid), Water (liquid), Air (gas) and Fire (energy). The last four (corresponding to
earth, water, air and fire) are collectively called lataif qalbia, referring to the physical human
body (qalib), also referred to as Sultan al-Azkar in many sufi orders.

Some Naqshbandis correlate them as follows:

The Seven Lata’if

Latifat-an-Nafsi

According to some, this latifa is located slightly below the navel, and is yellow, for others, it is
between the eyebrows and is blue.

The word nafs is usually translated as self or psyche. Its etymology is rooted in “breath” (similar
to Kabbalistic nefesh) and is common to virtually all archaic psychologies where the act of
breathing was connected with life, animating otherwise lifeless object. In this respect, ancient
notions of “Atman” in Hinduism (cf. German noun “Atem”, breath, respiration) or Greek
“pneuma” (as well as Latin “spiritus”) – all equate the basic visible process of breathing with
energizing principle that confers existence to an individual human being.

Some Sufis consider under the term “Nafs” the entirety of psychological processes,
encompassing whole mental, emotional and volitional life; however, the majority of Quranic-
based Sufis are of the opinion that Nafs is a “lower”, egotistical and passionate human nature
which, along with Tab (literally, physical nature), comprises vegetative and animal aspects of
human life. Ego may be assumed as an equivalent for Nafs in modern psychology.
The central aim of the Sufi path is transformation of Nafs (technical term is “Tazkiya-I-Nafs”‘ or
“purgation of the soul’”) from its deplorable state of ego-centredness through various psycho-
spiritual stages to the purity and submission to the will of Allah. Although the majority of the
Sufi orders have adopted convenient 7 maqams (permanent stages on the voyage towards
spiritual transformation), and some still operate with 3 stages, the picture is clear: the Sufi’s
journey begins with Nafs-e-Ammara (commanding soul), Nafs-e-lawwama (self-accusing soul),
and ends in Nafs-e-Mutma’inna (satisfied soul) – although some Sufis’s final stage is, in their
technical vocabulary, Nafs-I-Safiya wa Kamila (soul restful and perfected in Allah’s presence).
In essence, this is almost identical to Christian paradigm of “vita purgativa” and various stages
the spiritual aspirant traverses in the journey towards Allah.

Latifat-al-Qalbi

According to some, this latifa is located in the left of the chest and is yellow, for others it is red.
In it man witnesses his deeds. By awakening it, man also gets the knowledge of the realm of Jins.

The word Qalb, stands for heart. In Sufi terminology, this spiritual heart (not to be confused with
the blood pumping organ) is again variously described. For some, it is the seat of beatific vision.
Others consider it the gate of Ishq or Divine love. Yet, for the majority, it is the battleground of
two warring armies: those of Nafs and Ruh or spirit. Here, one again encounters terminological
confusion: for the Sufis influenced by Neo-Platonism, a “higher” part of Nafs is equated to the
Aql or intellect (called Nafs-I-Natiqa) or “rational soul” and is the central active agent in
spiritual battle: Ruh or spirit, notwithstanding its name, is rather passive in this stage.

In short, cleansing of the Qalb or heart is a necessary spiritual discipline for travelers on the Sufi
path. The term for this process is Tazkiah-I-Qalb and the aim is the erasure of everything that
stands in the way of purifying Allah’s love or Ishq.

Often people take their heart’s word (inner feeling) as truthful. If the hearts were indeed truthful,
then why are not all the people of the heart united? Qalb of the common folk is in a sleeping or
unconscious state, and does not possess any awareness or correct understanding. This heart can
err in judgement due to the dominance of the Self and Khannas (the Whisperer), or due to the
person’s own simple-mindedness. Placing trust in a sleeping (or unconscious) heart is foolish.
When the Name Allah does vibrate in the heart, an awareness of Right and Wrong, and
understanding follows. It is then called Qalb-e Salim (the sound Heart).

Then the prominence of the meditation by Qalb changes its direction towards Allah; it is called
Qalb-e Minib (the repentant Heart). This heart can prevent a person from mischief, but it cannot
make a right judgement. When the theophanies (Tajalliyat) of Allah begin to fall on the Heart, it
is called Qalb-eshahid (the witnessing Heart).

Qalb and Nafs form the “Rooh-e-haivani” (Animal Soul). This part of the soul has the record of
every activity of life. It is also termed as Joviya (Confluence).
Latifat-ar-Ruhi

According to some, this latifa is located in the right side of the chest and is red, for others it is
green. After its activation the human gets acquainted with Alam-e-Aaraf (the place where man
resides after death).

This is on the right side of the chest. This is awakened and illuminated by the meditation and
one-pointed concentration on it. Once it becomes illuminated, a vibration similar to the heartbeat
is felt on the right side of the chest. Then the Name of Allah, Ya Allah is matched with the
vibrating pulse. The meditation of the soul is done in this way. This is advancement in rank and
status and is better than the Qalb. It is able to travel to the realm of the souls (the station of the
Archangel Gabriel). Anger and rage are attached to it that burn and turn into majesty.

Ruh or spirit is the second contender in the battle for human life. Again, opinions on Ruh differ
among Sufis. Some deem it coeternal with Allah; others consider it a created entity. Be that as it
may, Ruh is the plateau of consensus for the majority of Sufis, especially before 11th/12th
century C.E. For those Sufis with Gnostic leanings (which can be found in Bektashi or Mevlevi
orders), Ruh is a soul-spark, immortal entity and trans-egoic “true self”, similar to the Christian
concepts of “synteresis” or “Imago Dei”, or Vedantist notion of “jiva”, as well as Tibetan
Buddhist “shes-pa”, principle of consciousness and Taoist “shen” or spirit.

But, the majority of the Sufis would consider this an unnecessarily extravagant speculation and
would stick to the more orthodox notion of dormant spiritual faculty that needs to be worked
upon by constant vigil and prayer in order to achieve the Tajliyya-I-Ruh, or Illumination of the
spirit. Ironically, this spiritual faculty is frequently referred to in terms one encounters in
connection with Nafs – “blind” life force or life current that needs to be purified by strict
religious observances in order to achieve illumination.

Latifat-as-Sirri

Sirr is located in the solar plexus and is associated with the color white. It records the orders of
Allah for the individual in similitude to that which is originally present in Loh-e-mehfooz
(Preserved Scripturum). After its activation, human being gets acquainted with Aalam-e-Misal
(the Allegorical realm – Reflection of knowledge of the preserved Scripturum.) This center is
associated with consciousness.

This is also awakened and illuminated by the meditation and one-pointed concentration on it
with the Name of Allah, Ya Hayy, Ya Qayyum. The dream state or by spiritual separation from
the physical body “transcendental meditation” it can journey to the realm of the secrets

Sirr, literally means “the secret”. Emptying of the Sirr (Taqliyya-I-Sirr) is basically focusing on
Allah’s names and attributes in perpetual remembrance or Dhikr, hence diverting one’s attention
from the mundane aspects of human life and fixing it on the spiritual realm. The “emptying”
signifies negation and obliteration of ego-centred human propensities.
Sirr and Rooh form “Rooh-e-Insani” (Human soul) or Ayan. This part of the soul is inscribed
with commands characterizing the life. It is also termed as Ayan. When a human being gets
acquainted with it, he can witness the record and scheme of “all that exists”, written on loh-e-
mahfooz.

Latifat-al-Khafi

According to some, it is located in the middle of the forehead (the third eye position) and is
black, to others blue. It is the equivalent of Kitab-e-Marqoom (the written book).

According to others this is to the right of the center of the chest. It too is taught the Name of
Allah Ya Wahid by meditation. It is green in color and it can reach the realm of unification

The term Khafi means mysterious, arcane or Latent Subtlety. It represents intuition.

Latifat-al-Akhfa

The term Akhfa or ikhfa means most arcane, deeply mysterious, or obscure, subtlety. Its location
is deep inside the brain or on center-top of the head. The color of this center, according to some,
is green, to others, violet. It’s the Nuqta-e-wahida (point of unity) in every human where the
Tajalliat (beatific visions) of Allah are directly revealed. It contains information about the hidden
knowledge of the universe.

By entering into this point, the human being enters the system of the universe and laws
governing the universe and he understands the meaning of “for you, We (Allah) have revealed
whatever is in the earth and the heavens”. This center is associated with deep perception.

According to some this is situated at the center of the chest. It is awakened by meditating on the
Name of Allah, Ya Ahad. It is purple in color and it too, is connected to that veil in the realm of
unification behind which is the throne of Allah

The last center or subtlety is “accessible only to those who have developed the others, and
belongs to the real sage.” (see “The Sufis” by Idries Shah).

Akhfa and khafa form “Rooh-e-azam” (the great soul), also called sabita. It is a bright ring of
light in which all the information pertaining to the unseen and seen cosmos is inscribed. The
Attributes of Allah that have been transferred to the existents and have become parts of the
mechanism of the universe are collectively known as the Incumbent Knowledge (Ilm-e-wajib).
Knowledge of the Incumbent means knowledge that has been transferred to the existents, that is,
it refers to those Attributes of Allah with which existents enjoy affinity and correlation. The
Knowledge of the Incumbent is also known as the Knowledge of the Pen (Ilm-e-Qalum).

First Descent is that state when Allah exhibited the program present in His Mind as He Willed.
The creative formulae of the cosmos are the secrets of the First Descent. Why did Allah opt to
create the universe and what is the Will of Allah, which He intends to accomplish? Reflection of
all these things is found in the Great Soul; The Firmly Affixed Inscription. One side of Great
Soul is the Obscure Subtlety (akhfa) and the other side is the Latent Subtlety (khafi) Great Soul
is the storehouse of eleven thousand beatific visions of Allah. The person who attains
communion with these two subtleties can observe these visions. These two subtleties of akhfa
and khafi are found in every human being irrespective of who he is, what he is, or his station in
life.

“Great Soul”, “Human Soul”, and “Animal Soul” are actually levels of functioning of the same
soul and are not three different souls. These three components are like three rings of light infused
in one another and are collectively called the soul, the indivisible entity, the Lord’s edict, or
simply the man [source].

Your personal ascension

Man gets acquainted with them one by one by Muraqaba ( Sufi Meditation), Dhikr
(Remembrance of Allah) and purification of one’s psyche/life from negative thinking patterns
(fear, depression), negative emotions (hate, contempt, anger, lust) and negative practices (hurting
others psychologically or physically). Loving Allah and loving/helping every human being
irrespective of his race, religion, or nationality, and without consideration for any possible
reward, is the key to ascension according to Sufis.

Therefore Chakras or Latifs are real and correspond to 7 major areas of our being. How to we
ascend up these Latifs/Chakras/ Heavens? Because some of us seek more than ritual prayer
(salat), fasting the Ramadan, paying the zakat (Tax rate to the poor), or going to hajj once in our
life. We seek a closer union with Allah. This is done through the purification of our souls and
spirits. Taking steps through fasting, prayer, good deeds, remembrance of Allah (Dhikr), and
detachment from the allusions of this world’s life to achieve this union with Allah.

So we do not have to go outside of Islam to find Spiritual coming together with Allah. This
doesn’t mean we do not work, marry, and have families…No. Islam keeps it real. However, our
hearts and mind should be totally focused on pleasing our Lord at ALL times, from the mundane
(like washing your car or doing the dishes) to how you walk and talk, and how you treat other
people. You should be a manifestation of Allah’s attributes, were the self becomes so
diminished, people will see you physically but will only see God-Allah when walk and talk, and
do. You become transparent and Allah will be the light shining through you. If you are suffering
from depression, DO NOT KILL YOURSELF, DO NOT HURT YOURSELF. But diminish
yourself via the steps described above. It is not about you, it is about Allah. Allah revealed in
Surah Az-Zariyat (The Winds that Scatter) 51:56 “I have only created Jinns and men, that they
may serve Me.” This is where true Bliss and happiness Abides.

Ma-salaama.
--
Marcus Allgood
mallgo09@gmail.com
www.wanttherealtruth.com Field Code Changed