Taqwacore: How to focus on God?

Taqwacore: How to focus on God?

It seems these days that everyone is focusing on some kind of special sensation. Either, the green thing or simply yoga classes. Every now and then the motivational seminars will urge you to buy tickets because life without focus is plainly without success or meaning.

As with others, the season of Ramadan also implores in the minds of the many spiritual seekers the awe of Taqwa. Maybe like every other core and hard core element of media hype, Taqwa must be some kind of deep-seated core-thing that enters ones mind nohwistanding life. After all the Quran uses it not only as raison d’etre of fasting but almost 150 times calling for some kind of abstinence or protection in life’s complete matrix.

But God should be the focus. Where does He fit in a constant mindboggling, mind jammed atmosphere; where every tweeting unknown friend, radio broadcaster while on the road, tons of family barbeques plus hard wired in-love thought and the crack-berry et al compete for His minimal attention. Is he just a linger during prayers and lost during work?

According to Rumi the gnostic is the one who keeps the Zikr in his heart, and leaves behind the attachments of the lower worldly life as mentioned in Musnad Ahmad, "The people of Zikr are the people of My presence."

The brain is wired to grasp active spiritual engagements and not so sensitive to mere repetitions of words. Such rote belongs elsewhere but the centre of devotion. It’s great to know Islam offers zikr:- a version of lyrical mantra made in Arabic but yet so any language will do. And the language of the heart is indispensable when it comes to remembering God- a mere sigh is enough with Love according to the Throne Owner’s manual; whereas a clouded mind, isolated from the lip- synching ritual of saying thousands of rosary verses or lyrical chants is useless.

Quran 50:37 Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the truth).

Again this is a challenge unknown to angels and animals- how to engage the mind- the most powerful parachute of human existence into becoming the core value of ones Taqwa, that when God is called upon it’s not like your concierge or bellboy- He is the one you converse with everyday many times more than text-friends and cell-buddies because He is with you. No one knows you better than Him. Your Friend! Your Companion! Your Lawyer! Your Everything and of course your object of Adoration and goal of devotion- the Latif of life, if you like!