Islam

BRANCHES OF IMAN: Remembering Allah ﷻ – Final Part — Virtues of of Dhikr

1. Dhikr is Greater than Everything
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The Mufarridūn have outdone everyone.” They asked: “Who are the Mufarridūn?” He ﷺ replied: “The men and women who frequently remember Allah.” (Muslim)

2. Frequent Dhikr Leads to Success
Allah ﷻ says:
_“Remember Allah much that you may be successful.” (Quran, 8:45)_

3. Dhikr Protects You from Being Amongst the ‘Losers’
Allah (subḥānahū wa ta‘ālā) says:
“O you who believe, let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that, then those are the losers.” (Qur’an, 63:9)

4. Dhikr will Save You from Regret
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“No people leave a gathering in which they did not remember Allah, the Almighty, except that it will be as if they are leaving the carcass of a donkey; and it will be a cause of regret for them.” (Abū Dāwūd)
He also ﷺ said: “The people of Paradise will not regret anything, except for those moments in which they did not remember Allah.” (Ṭabarānī)

5. Dhikr is a Protection against Shaytān
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ quoting Prophet Yaḥyā (ʿalayhis-salām) said:
“I command you to remember Allah. Verily, the parable of that is a man who goes forth while his enemies are fast upon him, and then he comes to a safe fortress, where he protects himself from them. In the same way, a servant will not protect himself against Shayṭān except by the dhikr of Allah.” (Tirmidhī 2863)

BRANCHES OF FAITH: Remembering Allah ﷻ – Part 4

● In terms of rank and virtue, the heart’s Dhikr is considered superior to the tongue while the perfect form is a combination of both. In Surah Aalu Imran (Qur’an 3:190 – 195), Allah ﷻ describes the people understanding & reason as those who combined the heart’s reflection with the tongue remembrance.

● Despite the heart’s Dhikr being superior, one mustn’t totally disregard the other form (tongue) even if it is devoid of reflection because the tongue through repetition can eventually move and inspire the heart.

● Sulaiman Al Khawas said: “Remembrance of God in relationship to the heart is like nourishment relative to the body, thus as the body cannot find pleasure in food when it is sick, likewise the heart cannot find the sweetness of Dhikr when it is in love with the material world.”

BRANCHES OF IMĀN: Remembering Allah ﷻ – Part 3

● Imam Al Ghazali said: The effective and beneficial remembrance is that which is consistent and accompanied by a present heart. As for mere verbal Dhikr while the heart is diverted, there is little benefit.

● The heart’s Presence?
It is when remembrance settles within the heart to the extent that the servant vividly recalls the pleasure, love, majesty, reward and punishment of Allah in every moment and situation. Thus when he buys/sells he doesn’t defraud, when he deals with people he doesn’t double-cross, when he is angry he doesn’t oppress, and when worships he doesn’t show off.

● With the above in mind, we can begin to appreciate the Aayah:

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ

The true believers are only those whose hearts tremble with awe at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Lord.

BRANCHES OF IMĀN: Remembering Allah ﷻ – Part 2
● Dhikr (remembrance) is worship pertaining to the heart and tongue. It is the soul and companion of all good deeds. Thus righteous actions devoid of Dhikr are like a body without a soul.
It is the ever open door between Allah ﷻ and His slave so long as the slave doesn’t shut it through his heedlessness. Al-Hasanul Basri said: “Search for sweetness/contentment in three things: in Salah, Dhikr and recitation of the Qur’an. If you don’t find it (sweetness), then know that the door is closed”.

● Dhikr is not only perfomed in seclusion but also when one is amongst the people i.e. in gatherings & assemblies. Our beloved prophet ﷺ said:

“‏لاَ يَقْعُدُ قَوْمٌ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلاَّ حَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ وَنَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِيمَنْ عِنْدَهُ.”‏

“When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them (with their wings), Allah’s mercy envelops them, Sakinah (tranquillity) descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them before those who are near Him.” (Muslim).

● The essence of remembrance (Dhikr) is the absence of heedlessness and disregard. Many mistakenly limit it to being an exercise of the tongue alone. But the reality of dhikr is to recall the greatness and majesty of Allah in all times/circumstances while not disregarding His commandments and prohibitions – to combine the presence of the heart with the conformity of actions.

● Dhikr is an all encompassing act which, in addition to the ritual acts of worship (e.g. Salah), covers an array of activities of the tongue and heart (e.g. reciting Qur’an, tasbeeh). It involves thinking of and making mention of Allah at all times and in all facets of our lives. This is the worship that has no special time, but is performed constantly so that it permanently connects man’s life with Allah and His service.

● Our Messenger ﷺ said:

لَأَنْ أَقُولَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ

“To declare the glory of Allah, the praise of Allah, the oneness of Allah, and the greatness of Allah is more beloved to me than anything over which the sun rises” (Sahih Muslim).