Feeling Safe in the Body: A Forgotten Sufi Teaching

A lot of us have never truly felt safe — either in the world or within our own bodies. There is often a kind of normalized restlessness that we carry: when meeting new people, going out alone, trying new things, or, for some, at all times of the day — a quiet, lingering sense of unease.

This feeling can become even more unsettling when we find ourselves not fully at ease with the outer “shell” our soul carries in this world — the body. We may focus on how it does not look as good as others’, or how we wish it looked different.

Perhaps some of us grew up hearing hurtful comments about our appearance, leaving us to wonder why Allah would create us in a body that others might mock, criticize, or use to hurt us.

From my own experience, I know what it feels like to not feel safe in the world. Over time, I began to realize that such feeling was related to not feeling safe within my own body — and that this quiet disconnection was a major source of anxiety in my life, even before I had the words for it.

Alhamdulillah, when Allah began to teach me the importance of feeling safe in the body He shaped and crafted specifically for my soul to inhabit in this world, so many things began to change for the better.

The wisdom of Islam is such that, throughout its teachings and in the life of the Prophet Mohammad ﷺ, we see a clear emphasis on caring for one’s body as a means of channeling the will of Allah.

As human beings, we live within a paradox that Allah asks us to integrate: the soul is expansive, while the body is limited. It is by learning to feel at ease within this body that we become better able to carry and express the will of Allah through it, and to move towards nafs al-mutmaʾinnah (the tranquil self).

For some reason, many people may think that being “spiritual” is to rise above the body — to transcend it, quiet it, or even escape it.

But in the Sufi path, the body is not an obstacle.
It is a trust (amanah) and a channel that bridges the spiritual and the material worlds. It is:

A gift.
A vessel.
A place where remembrance lives.

There are people who do not simply feel “a little insecure.”

They carry a deeper discomfort in their bodies — who feel unattractive, unseen, or even ashamed of how they look. For some, this feeling is quiet but constant. For others, it shapes how they move through the world: avoiding attention, shrinking themselves, hesitating to be fully present.

This is not something to dismiss lightly.

Because when a person does not feel at ease in their body, the body itself can begin to feel like a barrier — something to hide, rather than something to live through.

When the body does not feel safe

We live in a world that places immense value on appearance, much like it does on many things that do not truly matter when it comes to returning to Allah.

From a young age, many of us are taught — directly or indirectly — that how we look determines how we are received, valued, or even loved. Over time, these messages settle deeply within us.

For people who are more insightful by nature, it can be deeply disorienting to live in a world that places such heavy emphasis on appearance. We often walk a path that’s less visible, less linear, and more soul-driven than socially defined.

There is often a quiet tension between what the heart knows to be meaningful and what the surrounding environment constantly reinforces.

Over time, this can create a sense of inner conflict: a longing to live from a place of depth and sincerity, while being surrounded by standards that pull attention back to the surface. And without realizing it, this tension can begin to distance us not only from others, but from our own sense of grounding within the body.

Not feeling safe in our body often comes from a confusion between what our soul knows to be true and what the external noise is constantly asking us to value instead.

It can become:

• a hesitation to be seen
• a fear of judgment
• a quiet belief of “I am less than”

And this does not stay on the surface.

It dictates how we think.
How we speak.
How we exist in front of others.

Sufism does not deny that beauty exists.

But it reorients what beauty is for.

Our body was not given to us so that we could measure its worth against others.
It was given to us as a vessel — a means through which we live, serve, remember, and draw closer to Allah.

The question is no longer:
“Am I beautiful or good-looking enough?”

But:
“Am I present enough within this body to use it for what it was created for?”

Quran 95:4

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ فِىٓ أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍۢ ٤

Indeed, We created humans in the best form.

The truth and ultimate reality is that, whether we perceive it or not — even if we feel dissatisfied with our bodies or how they look — Allah has created each of us in the best form for the divine task we have been given in this world.

And yes, this includes those with disabilities or what people in this world may call “anomalies.”

No matter how we look, our responsibility is to make the best of the bodies we have been given: to care for them, nourish them, and — in a balanced way — develop their capacity to be a source of ease and خير (goodness) for ourselves and others, while accepting the uniqueness of our form as something intentionally chosen by Allah, not randomly given.

Self-rejection

Some of us live in a state of ongoing self-rejection. The Sufi path calls us to transform the mindsets that hold us hostage from experiencing divine joy, tranquility, love, and safety.

“Verily, Allah is gentle, and He loves gentleness. He rewards for gentleness what is not granted for harshness, and He does not reward anything else like it.”
Sahih Muslim

The goal is to feel at ease in our bodies for as long as we are entrusted with them to serve Allah in this world. This of course includes, being gentle with them in how we perceive them and use them.

Sadly, many people choose to spend their entire lives rejecting themselves or fighting against impossible fake standards created by the evil in this world just so they deviate from the true purpose of their existence.

Quran 6:165

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَـٰٓئِفَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍۢ دَرَجَـٰتٍۢ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِى مَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَغَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۢ ١٦٥

He is the One Who has placed you as successors on earth and elevated some of you in rank over others, so He may test you with what He has given you. Surely your Lord is swift in punishment, but He is certainly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

All of us are tested according to what we have been given.

Since we live in a world of form, we are naturally drawn to notice the shapes and appearances we see with our physical eyes. But the Sufi path calls us to balance this with another way of seeing: the vision of the heart, which perceives the essence of a person beyond the outer shell of the body.

Some people are given bodies that are considered beautiful, yet they misuse them or become distracted by them, and this becomes their test — a means through which they may forget Allah.

Others, however, no matter what their physical appearance looks like, learn to loosen their attachment to its looks.

They focus instead on caring for their bodies — keeping them healthy, clean, and in service — so they can remain oriented towards fulfilling the will of Allah through them.

Your body was chosen by Allah

Even if you do not find yourself attractive.
Even if you struggle to like what you see.
Even if you feel different from what the world celebrates.

Your body is a gift from Allah.

Not because of how it looks —
but because of Who entrusted it to you.

Allah did not give us this body so we could reject it.

He gave it to us so we could live through it, and any feelings or thoughts we have about it are our test.

Sufism invites a different kind of relationship with the body.

Not one based on admiration.
Not one based on comparison.

But one based on trust.

Can you stay with yourself, even when it feels uncomfortable?
Can you meet your body without immediately critiquing it?
Can you allow yourself to see your body with the eyes of your heart?

The eyes of our heart see beyond form, recognizing the intention, purpose, and trust placed within this body.

This is where the work begins. It is not about appearance and balance.

It is about caring for our bodies so they can be the best they are able to be — without comparison to others — and becoming representatives of Allah who inspire trust, using the body as a means of presence, sincerity, and worship that is not clouded by self-rejection.

For many, the change will not be dramatic.

It may look like:

• being grateful for what we have — whatever our body is able to do and carry for us
• recognizing the patterns of self-rejection within us
• taking a deep breath and asking Allah to make it easier for us to feel safe and comfortable in our bodies
• feeling slightly less tension when being seen

These are not small things. They are signs that the body is becoming a safer place to be.

Our bodies — exactly as they are —
are the vessel through which we remember Allah, and by which we are known to the angels in this world,
and the place from which our journey unfolds.

You were never asked to look differently to be worthy of closeness to Allah.

Grounding the body

This is a necessary skill to integrate and embody the teachings that transform the hearts. There are various ways to ground the body, here are some ideas:

🔥 When you feel dissociated or “not in your body"

Try this combo:

• Stamp your feet on the ground
• Say your name, age, and where you are out loud
• Look around and orient yourself

👉 It reconnects you with the present + physical presence

✋The 5–4–3–2–1 method

Name:

• 5 things you see
• 4 things you feel
• 3 things you hear
• 2 things you smell
• 1 thing you taste

👉 This anchors your awareness into your senses (very effective for anxiety)

👣 Feel your feet

• Press your feet firmly into the floor
• Wiggle your toes with or without shoes
• Notice the pressure, temperature, contact

👉 This pulls awareness out of your head and into your body fast

🌱 Sit or lie on the ground

• If possible, go outside
• Sit, lie down, or put your hands on the ground
• Imagine your weight sinking downward

👉 Think: “Allah is supporting me. I don’t have to hold everything up.”

🫁 Slow, weighted breathing

• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds
• Exhale slowly for 6–8
• Put one hand on your chest, one on your stomach

👉 The longer exhale tells your nervous system: you’re safe

You can do any quick activity that brings you back into your body, because most of our suffering and disconnection occur when we are not open to the divine support Allah sends in the present moment.

Even small things—like clapping once, splashing your face with cold water, or noticing the “weight” of your eyelashes—can help bring your focus back.

The more we practice this, the more we open ourselves to divine support in the present.

📿 Of course, feel free to recite any dhikr of your choice while doing these. I also like to ask Allah to make it easy for me to feel at ease and comfortable in the body He gave me, especially when I experience flashbacks of verbal abuse from the past.

All of this has worked for me in ways I never thought possible. Now, alhamdulillah, I don't feel unsafe anymore in my body. Allah has helped me anchored it in something greater: His remembrance.

The path is not about rejecting our bodies to meet the world’s standards, or abandoning ourselves in search of something better. It is about returning to it with gentleness, learning to feel safe within it, and allowing it to become a vessel of remembrance, presence, and service.

And perhaps, in making peace with the body you were given, you begin to experience a deeper peace with the One who gave it.