By Aya Zaki

Munaajah – It’s this open magical door where you feel all the layers peeling off of your heart and  you stand there, conversing with your Lord; where all faces and all things disappear, and it’s just you and Him having the deepest conversation you can ever have. And even though you can’t physically hear Him, you feel so heard; you feel so safe, and you feel so true because He sees right through.

You’re in His Hands now, like you have always been and always will be; but it’s just that now you are conscious of that.

You know that He is with you.

You know that He hears you.

You know that He sees you.

And so you speak. And the more you speak, the more you want to stay, stay in that state where you’re so conscious of you Lord’s proximity that you’re speaking to Him ( The Most Perfect, The Most High) as if you see Him. That’s munajah – speaking with Allah, and that is why I love it.

It melts my heart in two senses , in that Allah really does soften and open up our hearts when we start having more conversations with Him, and in the sense of how ultimately Generous, Kind and Loving is our Lord for allowing us to converse with Him at all times and in all states.

The hearts pour out in a multitude of languages, feelings, tones and volumes and yet the All-Hearing remains One. The One who is not distracted by one voice from another. The One who knows each and every voice distinctively, and the One who gives each heart its own remedy and answers its individual calling in the most complete of ways.

I love how His door is always open for us to speak, plead, ask or just share our feelings. I love the intimacy of the relationship that Allah gives us-His slaves- despite His Superiority and Majesty. The all-encompassing Compassion that He offers and the peace knowing He’s always there to listen. No huge gates, no guards, no pre-approved meetings… how majestically Generous is it of the Lord and King of the Heavens and the Earth to give this sacred space for His slaves to communicate with Him whenever and in whichever form.

I keep contemplating how, if Allah had restricted conversing with Him to only the five daily prayers or in only a certain time, state or language, how many people and feelings would be lost in translation. But rather, He left that space open for us to enter with all of the diversity among us. To enter into His Peace.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

O you who believe! Come, all of you, into submission (unto Him); and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Verily! he is an evident enemy for you

(Surah alBaqarah 2:208)

I feel He wanted us to be bonded by our congregational prayers yet also express our truth and individuality in our relationship with Him, because that is what makes a relationship authentic and special for us as human beings.

إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ نِدَاءً خَفِيًّا

When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret

(Surah Maryam 19:3)

The amount of closeness and love engulfed in this verse catches my heart every time. Calling upon his Lord with a subtle whisper, knowing that He knows and hears it all. What comes to my mind when I hear this verse are those times when our hearts call out to Allah without words,  those callings and conversations that only He can hear. It soothes my soul to know that our Sustainer and Guardian is that close to us.

No need to worry about finding the right words or making sense of our feelings; we just open up our hearts and know that He hears and He heals. One of Allah’s names is Al-Sahib meaning the Companion, and munajah makes me feel this companionship the most, enabling me to realize that He is always with us, not just in certain times or places.

Building the habit of having frequent conversations with Allah can mend many parts of your heart and quench some of your soul’s thirst. As we long for an eternal meeting with Him, heartfelt conversations with Him make us feel more at home. The act of bringing your whole self into this presence and opening your heart fully, helps us become more conscious of Him in our day to day life and more aware of the state of our hearts.

فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ

So remember Me; I will remember you. Be thankful to Me, and never be ungrateful.

(Surah AlBaqarah 2:152)

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ

When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near

(Quran 2:186)

Munajah is a form of thikr or remembrance, one that I feel revives our hearts and makes us instantly more mindful of the present moment –which is all we have to speak with our Lord. Allah’s names AlSamee’ (the All-Hearing), AlBaseer (the All-Seeing), and AlQareeb (the Ever-Near) are both witnessed and testified through these conversations. It is a form of worship which brings much comfort to my soul, healing to my heart, and reminders to my nafs of the day when it will return to its All-Merciful Maker.

May Allah make our returning to Him one of ease, tranquility and contentment. Ameen

About the author:

Aya Zaki is a mother who is passionate about education and art. She aspires to be a tool for planting seeds of Allah’s Love and Light. Find more from her at http://fromatwinklyheart.blogspot.com/