Drowsiness is the earliest stage of Muraqaba. When someone begins the practice of Muraqaba for the first time, often he or she becomes drowsy and goes to sleep. After few days the condition that prevails in the mind can neither be called asleep or awake. This is all interim stage between waking and sleeping. However, the consciousness is not yet aware of that. That is why after the Muraqaba, one feels like he or she saw something but are unable to remember it.

1. I did the Muraqaba at 10: 17 I was, focused right away. Often I would go into sleep. I felt like I was washing someone’s feet. Then during the drowsy state, I saw a black shadow (which was not solid) came out of my body, and was absorbed into the front wall.

(Akmal, Lahore)

2. Durinq Muraqaba, I visualize Qalandar Baba (founder of Sufi order of Azeemia). During Muraqaba my mind remains focused. However while doing it I sometimes fall Then a very light image of Qalandar Baba appears and when I try to focus on it. I fall asleep. On average I do Muraqaba for 30 minutes daily. However, except for the initial visualization nothing else registers in my mind. By the grace of God, my mind is much purified now.

(Tahir Jalil)

3. Under the influence of sleep, I saw that repentance was being taught. On one occasion during Muraqaba, while I was groggy I saw I was meeting with jinns. I felt a little fear. I could not remember the details of the encounter. All day I do the invocation (dhikr) of Ya-Hayi Ya- Qayumu, which makes me feel that God is always facing me. During prayers as well, the feeling that God is seeing remains prevalent. Sometimes it leads to ecstasy during which all I want to do is to cry. Once the drowsiness was so strong that I felt that God is omnipresent in every piece of sand of this Universe and then I felt like I no longer exist.

(Nasreen)