Zikr-Single Group

“Bismillahir Rahmannir Raheem”Al-Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen was Salaatu was- Salaamu ‘Alaa Sayidinaa Muhammadin wa Aalihi wa Asabihi Ajma ‘een (tauheed- risalat- ahkirat and islam-iman-ihsan)

 

Dhikr in Dim Surroundings

“And some part of the night awake for it, a largess for thee” (17/79)

“Lo! the vigil of the night is a time when impression is more keen and speech more certain.” (73/6)

The superiority of prayer at night is knows in all books of hadith and fiqh because of the elimination of worldly distractions at that time. That is why Imam Ghazali wrote on that topic: “The root of thought is the eye… He whose niyyat (intention) is fine and who aims high cannot be diverted by what occurs in front of him, but he who is weak fall prey to it. The medicine is to cut off the roots of these distractions and to shut up the eyes, to pray in a dark room, not to keep anything in front which may attract attention and not to pray in a decorated place. For this reason, the saints used to worship in dark, narrow and unspacious rooms.” Ihya’ `Ulum al-Din, Book of Salat.

On Seclusion (khalwa, `uzla)

Silent dhikr is the dhikr of the servant who secludes himself away from people. Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri: A bedouin came to the Prophet and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Who is the best of mankind?” The Prophet said, “A man who strives for Allah’s Cause with his life and property, and also a man who lives (all alone) in a mountain path among the mountain paths to worship his Lord and save the people from his evil.” (English Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 501)

Muslim and Tirmidhi narrate on the authority of Abu Hurayra who said: “While on the road to Mecca the Prophet passed on top of a mountain called Jumdan (= frozen in its place), at which time he said: Move on (siru)! Here is Jumdaan Mountain: and the single-minded (al-mufarridun) are foremost. They said: What are the single-minded? He said: The men and women who remember Allah much (al-dhakirun Allah kathiran wa al-dhakirat).” Muslim related it in his Sahih, beginning of the book of Dhikr.

Ibn al-I`rabi said: ‘It is said that “a man becomes single” (farada al-rajul) when he becomes learned, isolates himself, and concerns himself exclusively with the observance of Allah’s orders and prohibitions.'”

Dhikr in isolation or seclusion (khalwa) is corroborated by the hadith in Bukhari: “Seven people will be shaded by Allah…” The seventh is: “A person who remembers Allah in seclusion (dhakara Allaha khaaliyan) and his eyes get flooded with tears.”

(Tirmidhi) `A’isha relates: “In the beginnings of Allah’s Messenger’s Prophethood ,….Most beloved to him was seclusion (al-khalwa) and there was nothing he loved more than to be alone in seclusion.” (Tirmidhi Bukhari and Muslim)

“Isolation is better than to be sociable in committing evil.” Bukhari’s title [Chapter on Seclusion As Rest From Keeping Company Towards Evil]

“The method of the one who enters seclusion is that he must have the belief that he is keeping people from his evil, not the reverse, for the former presupposes belittlement of himself, which is the attribute of the humble, while the latter indicates that he considers himself better than others, which is the attribute of the arrogant.”

That is why Imam Ghazali wrote on that topic: “The root of thought is the eye… He whose niyyat (intention) is fine and who aims high cannot be diverted by what occurs in front of him, but he who is weak fall prey to it. The medicine is to cut off the roots of these distractions and to shut up the eyes, to pray in a dark room, not to keep anything in front which may attract attention and not to pray in a decorated place. For this reason, the saints used to worship in dark, narrow and unspacious rooms.” Ihya’ `Ulum al-Din, Book of Salat.

Gatherings of Collective, Loud Dhikr

Allah says, “I am with My servant when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I remember him in Myself. If he remembers Me in an assembly, I remember him in a better assembly than his.”

Thus, silent dhikr is differentiated from dhikr said outloud by His saying: “remembers Me within himself,” meaning: “silently,” and “in an assembly,” meaning “aloud.”

Abu Huraira or Abu Saeed Khudri (ra) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu waalaihi wasallam) said, “There are many angels of Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA), other than the ones who record deeds, who wander around on earth. When they find some people performing remembrance of Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA), they call other angels, saying, ‘Come to what you are looking for.’ So they come and cover those people up to the lowest heaven. Then Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA) says, ‘What were My servants doing when you left them?’ The angels say, ‘O Lord, we left them praising You, magnifying You and remembering You.’ Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA) says, ‘Have they seen Me?’ They reply, ‘No.’” The Messenger of Allah (sallalahu waalaihi wasallam) said, “Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA) says, ‘What would have been their condition if they had seen Me?’ They say, ‘If they had seen You, they would have praised You, magnified You and remembered You far more.’ Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA) says, ‘What are they asking for?’ They reply, ‘They are asking You for Paradise.’ He says, ‘Have they seen it?’ They reply, ‘No.’ He says, ‘What would have been their state if they had seen it?’ They reply, ‘If they had seen it, they would have asked for it more intensely and desired it more earnestly.’ Allah says, ‘What are they seeking My protection from?’ The angels say, ‘They are seeking Your protection from the Fire.’ Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA) says, ‘Have they seen it?’ They reply, ‘No.’ Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA) says, ‘What would have been their condition if they had seen it?’ They reply, ‘If they had seen it, they would have fled from it, feared it and sought Your refuge from it even more intensely.’ Allah says, ‘Then bear witness that I have forgiven them.’ They say, ‘There is so and so a great sinner among them; he came only for his personal interest and not to join in remembrance.’ Allah (SUBHANU WA TAALA) says, ‘These are such people that even their companion is not left destitute and unfortunate.’”  Tirmidhi, al-Jami-us-sahih (5:579#3600)

Allah has bestowed a special distinction upon those who remember Him. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “The single-hearted (al-mufarridun) have surpassed all.” They asked, “Who are these single-hearted people, O Prophet of Allah?” He replied, “Those men and women who remember Allah unceasingly.” (Muslim)

The mufarridun are the people who are really alive. Abu Musa reported, “The likeness of the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not remember Him is like that of a living to a dead person.” (Bukhari)

….“Remember / mention Allah as much as you want, until people say that you are crazy and foolish” (Ahmad in his Musnad, Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al-Hakim )

that is: do not care about them!

Ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet said: “When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, avail yourselves of them.” The Companions asked: “What are the gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “The circles of dhikr. There are roaming angels of Allah who go about looking for the circles of dhikr, and when they find them they surround them closely.” (Tirmidhi , Ahmad)

….“When any group of men remember Allah, angels surround them and mercy covers them, tranquility descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him.” (Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Bayhaqi)

Muslim, Ahmad, and Tirmidhi narrate from Mu`awiya that the Prophet went out to a circle of his Companions and asked: “What made you sit here?” They said: “We are sitting here in order to remember / mention Allah (nadhkurullaha) and to glorify Him (wa nahmaduhu) because He guided us to the path of Islam and he conferred favours upon us.” Thereupon he adjured them by Allah and asked if that was the only purpose of their sitting there. They said: “By Allah, we are sitting here for this purpose only.” At this the Prophet said: “I am not asking you to take an oath because of any misapprehension against you, but only because Gabriel came to me and informed me that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, was telling the angels that He is proud of you!”

Note that the hadith stated jalasna — we sat — in the plural, not singular. It referred to an association of people in a group, not one person.

When I want to talk to allah I say prayers and when I want that he talk to me I recite quran- Hazrath Ali(ra)

Make sure you forward this to others .