Zikr-Types
“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)
Types and frequency of Dhikr
Dhikr is the life of the heart – It induces love for Allah. He who seeks access to the love of Almighty Allah should do dhikr profusely. Just as reading and repetition is the door of knowledge, so dhikr of Allah is the gateway to His love.
– Dhikr involves muraqaba or meditation, through which one reaches the state of ihsan or excellence, wherein a person worships Allah as if he is actually seeing Him.
– The gatherings for dhikr are gatherings of angels, and gatherings without dhikr are gatherings of Satan.
– By virtue of dhikr, the person doing dhikr is blessed, as also the person sitting next to him.
– dhikr is the easiest form of worship (the movement of the tongue being easier than the movement of any other part of the body), yet it is the most virtuous form.
– Dhikr is a form of Sadaqa — charity. Abu Dharr al-Ghifari said: “The Messenger of Allah said: “Sadaqa is for every person every day the sun rises.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah, from what do we give sadaqa if we do not possess property?” He said: “The doors of sadaqa are takbir (i.e. to say: Allahu Akbar, Allah is Greater); Subhan Allah (Allah is exalted high); al-hamdu lillah (all praise is for Allah); La ilaha illallah (there is no god other than Allah); Astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah); enjoining good; forbidding evil…. These are all the doors of sadaqah from you which is prescribed for you, and there is a reward for you even in sex with your wife.”
Narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Hibban, and there is something of similar effect in Muslim.
All words of praise and glory to Allah, extolling His Perfect Attributes of Power and Majesty, Beauty and Sublimeness, whether one utters them by tongue or says them silently in one’s heart, are known as dhikr or remembrance, of Allah. He has commanded us to remember Him always and ever.
Remembrance of Allah is the foundation of good deeds. Whoever succeeds in it is blessed with the close friendship of Allah.That is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to make remembrance of Allah at all times. When a man complained, “The laws of Islam are too heavy for me, so tell me something that I can easily follow,” the Prophet told him, “Let your tongue be always busy with the remembrance of Allah.” [Narrated by Ahmad with two sound chains, also Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah through other chains, and Ibn Hibban who declared it sahih as well as al-Hakim.]
Remembrance of Allah is also a means of deliverance from Hell Fire. Mu’adh reported, “The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, ‘No other act of man is a more effective means for his deliverance from the chastisement of Allah than the remembrance of Allah.” (Narrated by Ahmad.)
Ahmad also reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Whatever you say in celebration of Allah’s Glory, Majesty, and Oneness, and all your words of Praise for Him gather around the Throne of Allah. These words resound like the buzzing of bees, and call attention to the person who uttered them to Allah. Don’t you wish to have someone there in the presence of Allah who would call attention to you?”
The required amount of dhikr is as much as possible
Allah ordered that He should be remembered abundantly.
“much” is “when one is constant in supplicating, in the morning and evening and in other parts of the day and the night as reported from the Prophet, peace be upon him.”
`Ali ibn Abu Talha relates that Ibn `Abbas said, “All obligations imposed upon man by Allah are clearly marked and one is exempted from them only in the presence of a genuine cause. The only exception is the obligation of dhikr. Allah has set no specific limits for it, and under no circumstances is one allowed to be negligent of it. We are commanded to ‘remember Allah standing, sitting and reclining on your sides,’ in the morning, during the day, at sea or on land, on journeys or at home, in poverty and in prosperity, in sickness or in health, openly and secretly, and, in fact, at all times throughout one’s life and in all circumstances.”
We see by the above evidence that there is no such thing as too much dhikr.
The Prophet is related to say: “He who loves something mentions it much.” (Narrated by Abu Nu`aym in the Hilya and Daylami in Musnad al-firdaws. Sakhawi cites it in al-Maqasid al-hasana p. 393 #1050 and does not comment upon it.)
We love Allah and His Prophet, and therefore we mention Allah and His Prophet. No one may declare a limit to such mention except those who do not have such love and they are undoubtedly the enemies of Islam.
Imam Ghazali said in the fortieth book of his Ihya’ entitled “The Remembrance of Death and The Afterlife” (p. 124 in the translation of T.J. Winter, `Abd al-Hakim Murad):
It is man’s soul and spirit that constitute his real nature… Upon death his state changes in two ways. Firstly he is now deprived of his eyes, ears and tongue, his hand, his feet and all his parts, just as he is deprived of family, children, relatives, …and all that he used to own. ….. for it is the separation itself which causes pain…….
However, had he taken pleasure only in the remembrance of Allah, and consoled himself with Him alone, then his will be great bliss and perfect happiness. For the barriers which lay between him and his Beloved will now be removed, and he will be free of the obstacles and cares of the world, all of which had distracted him from the remembrance of Allah. This is one of the aspects of the difference between the states of life and death.
For this reason the intelligent believer transforms all his breaths into acts of obedience, and interrupts them only with the dhikr of Allah.
Dhikr with the name “ALLAH”
“And mention the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with a complete devotion” (73/8)
Qadi Thana’ullah Panipati said in his Tafsir Mazhari: “Know that this verse points to the repetition of the name of the Essence (ism al-dhat),” that is: “Allah.” The same meaning is intimated also by the end of verse 6/91 in Surat al-An`am: “Say ALLAH. Then leave them to their play and vain wrangling.”
The Prophet said: “The Hour will not rise before Allah, Allah is no longer said on earth.” And through another chain: “The Hour will not rise on anyone saying: Allah, Allah.” (Muslim, Book of Iman (belief))
Imam Muslim placed the hadith under the chapter-heading of the disappearance of belief (iman) at the end of times although there is no mention of belief in the hadith. This shows that saying “Allah, Allah” stands for belief.
Nawawi highlights the authenticity of the repetition of the form to establish that the repetition of the words “Allah, Allah” are a sunna ma’thura (practice inherited from the Prophet and the Companions) as it stands.
As for the hadith of the ninety-nine names, it does not limit the names of Allah to only ninety-nine, as Nawawi made clear in his commentary of that hadith.
It is established that Bilal (ra) used to make the dhikr Ahad, Ahad while undergoing torture. Ibn Hisham says in his Sira: Ibn Ishaq narrates [with his chain of transmission] saying: “Bilal was a faithful Muslim, pure of heart… Umayya ibn Khalaf used to bring him out in the hottest part of the day and throw him on his back in the open valley and have a great rock put on his chest; the he would say to him: You will stay here until you die or deny Muhammad and worship al-Lat and al-`Uzza. He used to say while he was enduring this: ahad, ahad — One, One!” Ibn Hajar cites it in al-Isaba (1:171 #732).
“To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call Him by them” (7/180).
Dhikr “hu”, “hayy”, “haqq”
– “Hu” and “Hayy” are a pronoun and name of Allah Almighty in the Qur’an according to ayat al-Kursi:Allahu la ilaha illa HU AL-HAYY al-Qayyum (2/255).(Allah! There is no god except HE, the LIVING the Self-Subsistent)
“Haqq” is one of the names of Allah in the hadith in Bukhari and Muslim enumerating the ninety-nine Names .
“Labbayka ilah al-Haqq” [At your command, O the God of Truth].(book of Hajj in al-Nasa’i’s Sunan, and in the book of Manasik in Ibn Majah’s)
“Anta al-Haqq” [You are Truth]. Bukhari and Muslim.
(Bukhari and Muslim) ..“There are ninety-nine names which belong to Allah, one hundred less one, whoever memorizes (or recites) them enters Paradise…”
O Allah, I invoke You with all of Your beautiful Names. (Ibn Maja, book of Du`a; Muwatta malik’in Kitab al-Shi`r)
On the Dhikr of Inanimate Objects
“There is not a thing but hymneth his praise” (17/44)
The Companions heard the glorification of food and other objects placed before the Prophet.”
This phenomenon is hidden from the people and is not perceived except through the rupture of natural laws.
The Ranks of Dhikr
Allah’s saying: “But among them are some who wrong themselves and among them are some who are lukewarm, and among them are some who outstrip others through good deeds, by Allah’s leave” (35/32) This is indeed the great grace.that they are respectively the rememberer by tongue, the rememberer by heart, and the one who never forgets his Lord.
One of the special attributes of the remembrance of Allah is that it has been placed in direct correspondence with Allah’s own remembrance of us. “Remember Me, and I shall remember you” (2/152)
Musa said – peace be upon him: “O my Lord, where do you dwell?” He replied: “In the heart of my believing servant.” The meaning of this is the heart’s rest brought about by His remembrance.
“Verily the angels lower their gaze in the presence of the rememberer of Allah, just as the people lower their gaze before lightning.”
“And (He is the One) Who causeth me to die, then giveth me life again” (26:81)meaning “He causes me to die with heedlessness (of Him), then He causes me to live with remembrance (of Him).”
dhikr of the tongue is the expressions that stand for tasbih, tahmid, and tamjid –exaltation, praise, and glorification.
dhikr of the heart, it consists in reflection on the proof-texts that point to Allah’s essence and His attributes, on those of the obligations including what is enjoined and what is forbidden so that one may examine the rulings that pertain to them, and on the secrets of Allah’s creation.
dhikr of the limbs, which consists in being immersed in obedience
dhikr of the eyes, which consists in weeping (buka’);
dhikr of the ears, which consists in listening (isgha’);
dhikr of the tongue, which consists in praise (thana’);
dhikr of the hands, which consists in giving (`ata’);
dhikr of the body, which consists in loyalty (wafa’);
dhikr of the heart, which consists in fear and hope (kawf wa raja’);
dhikr of the spirit, which consists of utter submission and acceptance (taslim wa rida’).”
“When Allah desires to befriend a servant of His,
He opens the door of dhikr for that servant.
He opens the door of proximity for him.
He raises him to the meetings of intimacy
He makes him sit on a throne of Oneness.
He removes the veils from him
He makes him enter the abode of Singleness and unveils Majesty and Sublimity to him. When the servant beholds Majesty and Sublimity, he remains without “he”.
He becomes extinguished, immune to the claims and pretensions of his ego, and protected for Allah’s sake.”
“The one who utters the Word of Oneness needs three lights:
1.the light of guidance– Whoever Allah graces with the first light, he is immune (ma`sum) from associating a partner to Allah– The first light belongs to “the ones who wrong themselves
2.the light of sufficiency– whoever Allah graces with the second light, he is immune from committing great sins and indecencies; ” belongs to “those that are lukewarm,”
3.the light of divine help- whoever Allah graces with the third light, he is protected (mahfuz) from the corrupt thoughts and motions that typify those given to heedless actions belongs to -“the ones who outstrip others through good deeds.”
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)
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