One of the common practices in the Sufilife is remembrance, I have talked about remembrance before and will still talk about it because it is a cornerstone of being a sufi. Times pass while one is trying to figure out what is life/happiness/calling and other impressions that is provoked in this realm, if one is not in that stage yet, that is ok. One arrives at this stage of meaningful questions when one has lived long enough to see more meaningful things and scenarios play in one’s life without a desire for it.
Remembrance means remembering who you are.
Notice that remembering is an action that happens in the past but not in this case. Remembering “who you are” is a re-living one’s presence. It is an instant beam of a present that flushes with calmness and truth. Who is an important question and as one keeps redefining his/her self within the surrounding circumstances, one realizes that the self keeps changing, the body changes, the mind changes and it is invitable.
Knowing the soul/spirit in its essence is knowing “who you are”. Yes, things of this realm will change. Food changes, first it is raw ingredients, then it is a meal then it lives then it expires. Animals have a lifecycle and they die. Water is living then it becomes stall and dirty. The air in one’s house can become dense and smelly if the windows are not open for a new fresh breeze. This is a dense realm, meaning things accumulate here. There will always be trouble, challenge, and confrontations. Knowing this realm allows for knowing the higher realm, for how one knows the light if didn’t experience the darkness.
Knowing the soul/spirit is key to overcoming attachments and suffering. Being far from the Lord and the heavenly realm causes sweet sadness and yearning for a meaningful life. First of all, one has to understand that the soul/spirit doesn’t change. One’s essence is always intact and hidden. If one is blessed with prayers and meditation, one can get a glimpse of the real soul/spirit. Some people get to know their true spirit in dreams. This could take a long journey of self-exploration and isolation to search for the spirit that’s hidden under the attachments and desires of this world.
Another quality of the soul/spirit is that it knows. One would ask: knows what? The soul/spirit was in the heavenly realm before descending to this one. It was a witness to many incidents and great occasions that happened in heaven. It knows everything about this particular world we live in. It is familiar with the story of creation and manifestation. It used to be a torch and here on earth, it became a dimmed one due to the density and heaviness around this life.
Finally, the most important quality of the soul/spirit one has to learn is that it is always connected. It was and is always connected with God on one level, the heavenly realm and its angels, and finally all the rest of the lord’s creation. Therefore, it knows everything and everyone all at once, it knows good and evil simultaneously. This is a powerful element of the soul/spirit that a lot of scientists and secret government agencies tried to unlock and use. Nonetheless, this is pure creation in its essence, these abilities are not accessible through external experiments but only through the person her/him self alone.
One theory argues that the soul/spirit is trapped inside the body or vice versa. The spirit/soul is a living breath of God, and whether it is trapped or not, what is part of God will always be sacred and free. Another group argues that the spirit/soul is asleep till it is awakened. This claim implies that people are in “a walking-zombie-like” state till they find their moment of awakening. With experience and practice, one starts learning that the soul/spirit is always there, awake and alive, whether weakened or strengthened, it just is. After all one is accountable for actions and words in front of the Lord, which means the soul/spirit is awake and is watching.
