The Meaning of Dhikr
What is the precise meaning of ‘dhikr’? What is its scope and what does it entail?
Does it simply involve certain utterances of the tongue, like Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdu lillah (All praise be to Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah)?
Does it involve the recitation of some other selected verses Quran? Or is there more to it?
Of course, such utterances of the tongue and recitation of verses of the Quran are important. In fact they are very important forms of dhikr, for indeed, the best forms of remembrance are those that involve both the heart and the tongue.
You must understand, however, that the scope of dhikr is considerably wider.Dhikr must not only be felt by the heart and uttered with the tongue, but must also effectgood deeds.
Significantly, Ibn Al-Qayyim suggests that dhikr encompasses “any and every particular moment when you are thinking, saying or doing things which Allah likes”.
Hence, if your conversation is filled with the words of God, this is dhikr. And if all your actions are in accordance with His will, this is dhikr. Indeed Allah commends that we remember Him while standing, sitting and even while reclining. This is only possible if dhikr embraces every single aspect of life.
Consider for example the following verse of the Quran where dhikr is emphasized in both Prayer and business activity:
[O Believers, when the call to Prayer is sounded on the Day of Congregation, hasten to Allah's remembrance and leave all worldly commerce. This is for your own good, if you but knew it. And when the Prayer is finished, then disperse through the land,
and seek of the bounty of Allah; and remember Allah frequently
that you may prosper.](Al-Jumu`ah 62:9-10)
Attending the Friday Prayers, listening to the Khutbah, or sermon, and performing the congregational Prayer are all well known as forms of dhikr. But in our worldly pursuits as well, we are urged to remember Allah even more often.
We may thus conclude, that attending to your personal needs, earning a livelihood and spending on your family are all forms of dhikr. But of course, they can only be dhikr if, alongside with the relevant supplications in the heart and on the
tongue, they are done in obedience to Allah, for His pleasure, to attain Paradise.
Otherwise, as the Quran warns us, far from being dhikr, they may have the opposite effect:
[Let not your worldly possessions and your children make you neglectful of Allah's remembrance. But spend in the way of Allah.] (Al-Munafiqun 63:9-10)
The Methods of Dhikr
We have thus far discussed the significance, meaning and scope of dhikr. Let us now turn to the various forms and methods of dhikr. How do we remember Allah in the morning and evening, during the day and at night and while standing, sitting or
reclining? There are basically two forms of dhikr.
The first involves continuous and sustained inner awareness of Allah in all that we say and do in our daily lives.
The second involves mechanisms, whether performed individually or collectively,
that help to develop the first.
Sustained Awareness of Allah
Let us begin with a discussion of the first form and its methods. How can you remember Allah throughout the normal course of your day without withdrawing from the routine of your daily worldly life?
How can you ensure that your personal life, family life, professional life and other activities all continue in full swing, and yet, at the same time, ensure that your life as a whole — every moment of it — is permeated with remembrance of Allah? Such an all-pervading dhikr can be an onerous task, but one you can accomplish with some ease.
Let me remind you of four states of consciousness that you must strive to develop
by remembering certain things, absorbing them and reminding yourself of them often.
1. Say to yourself: “I am in Allah’s presence; He is watching me.”
If ever you are alone, He is the second and that if you are two, He is the third.
[He is with you wherever you are.] (Al-Mujadalah 58:7)
[He is nearer to you than your jugular vein.](Qaf 50:16)
He is watching everything that you do and hearing everything that you say. He is ever present and His knowledge is all encompassing. Remind yourself of this as often as you can, and throughout the day, every time you begin a new task, and every
time you speak.
Indeed, your aim should be to impress this on your heart in such a way that it ultimately becomes your very breath. When the Prophet was asked by a Companion about the best method of purifying himself, he replied: “You should always remember that Allah is with you wherever you are.” (At-Tirmidhi)
2. Say to yourself: “Everything I have has been given to me by Allah.”
All that there is — surrounding you, on you and in you — comes from Allah alone. There is none that creates or gives anything but Allah (An-Nahl 16:78; Ya-Sin 36:33-35.)
Therefore, reflect upon all the blessings that He has created you with and
be thankful to Him. In all the dhikr that the Prophet has taught us, gratefulness to Allah is a constant theme.
Many of these dhikrs are simple to learn, and indeed, it was the most simple of his dhikr that he used most frequently. When the Prophet rose in the morning, he would say Alhamdu lillah; whenever he ate or drank he would say Alhamdu lillah; and even when he relieved himself he would give thanks to Allah.
Learn as many of the dhikrs as you can, and throughout the day, as you witness all that Allah has blessed you with, punctuate your day with these dhikrs.
If ever you appear to be short of things to be thankful for, recall the hadith of the Prophet: “There are 360 joints in the body and for each joint you must give a sadaqah [thanks or charity] each day.” (Al-Bukhari.)
You must give a sadaqah for each one of them because without any one of them you will be incomplete and handicapped. You must do this on a daily basis for should
any one of them become damaged one day, you will similarly become incapacitated.
Additionally, you may remind yourself that, as we now know from our knowledge of human physiology, your heart beats an average of 72 times a minute. Every time it beats, it does so with the permission of Allah.
The moment He withdraws that permission, the heart will stop beating and your life will certainly come to an end. If you feel that there is nothing else to thank Allah for, then thank Him for the life that He has given you — for, so long as there is life, there is hope.
3.Say to yourself: “Nothing in this world can happen without His permission.”
Everything lies in the hands of Allah. No harm can befall you and no benefit can reach you except as Allah ordains. It is as the Quran informs us:
[If God should touch you with misfortune, none can remove it but He; and if He should touch you with good fortune, He has power over all things. He alone holds sway over His creatures; He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware.] (Al-An`am 6:17-18)
The Prophet Muhammad would supplicate to Allah after each Prayer: “O Allah, whatever You want to give me, no one can stop it from coming to me and whatever You want to prevent from coming to me, nobody can give to me.”
Prayer after Prayer, you should recite these beautiful words. And beyond that, remind yourself as much as you can and throughout the day, especially as you expect something to happen, or not to happen, that everything happens only as He
commands, and by His permission.
4. Say to yourself: “I am going to return to Allah one day and that day could be today.”
You do not know when you will leave this world. It may be that the coming morning is your last morning, or perhaps the coming evening is your last evening. Indeed, it may be that this hour is your last hour, or even, that this moment is your last
moment.
Such an uncertainty does not, of course, justify a complete withdrawal from this life so as to prepare for the next in some monastic fashion. It is important, however, that you are always conscious of this uncertainty, to the extent that it motivates you to spend every moment of your remaining life seriously, considering it as a gift from Allah and spending the resources He has blessed you with — time, ability and energy — as He has advised.
Then, and only then, will your life have achieved what is required of it, and your return will achieve what is required of it. To help you attain this state of consciousness, recall and reflect upon the following Quranic verse as much as
you can and throughout the day:
[From Allah we came and to Him we shall return.](Al-Baqarah 2:156)
These are the four states of consciousness that can help us achieve a life completely devoted to the remembrance of Allah.
To try to reach these four states simultaneously, and with sincerity, can only purify you. To try in a determined fashion to reach these four states will lead you inevitably to Paradise.
So i guess u writing this post also counts as Dhikr.. U are an amazing devout, i salute ur unflinching belief.
masha allah great topic and post
Dhikr is a fire which does not stay or spread – so if it enters a house saying, “Me and nothing other than me,” which is one of the meanings of “la ilaha illa’llah’ (There is no god but Allah), and there is firewood in the house, it burns it up and it becomes fire. If there is darkness in the house, it becomes light. If there is light in the house, it becomes ‘light upon light’.
Dhikr expels from the body impure substances produced by excess in eating or from the consumption of unlawful food. As for food which is lawful, it does not touch it. So the harmful components are burned up and the good components remain.
Dhikr is heard by every part as if it were blowing on a trumpet. When dhikr first occurs in the head, the sound of trumpets and cymbals is experienced there. Dhikr is a sultan – when it descends in a place, it descends with its trumpets and cymbals because dhikr is opposed to all that is other than the Truth. When it descends in a place, it occupies itself with negating what is contrary to the Truth, as we find in the union of water and fire. After these sounds, different sounds are heard: like the ripple of water, the sound of the wind, the sound of fire when it is kindled, the sounds of galloping of horses, and the sound of leaves of the trees rustling in the wind.
This is because man is a combination of every noble and low substance: dust, water, fire, air and earth, and heaven and earth and what is between them: these sounds issue from every source and element of these substances. Whoever has heard these sounds in dhikr praises Allah and glorifies Him with his entire tongue. This is the result of the dhikr with the tongue with the force of complete absorption. Perhaps the worshipper will reach the state where, if he falls silent from dhikr, the heart will stir in his breast, like the movement of the child in the womb, seeking dhikr.
Some say that the heart is like ‘Isa, the son of Mary, peace be upon him, and dhikr is its milk. When it grows and becomes strong, longing for the Truth audibly springs from it and pangs of yearning craving for dhikr and the One invoked. The dhikr of the heart is like the sound of the bee, neither a confused high noise nor a very low hidden sound. When the One invoked takes possession of the heart and the dhikr is obliterated and vanishes, and the invoker does not pay attention to the dhikr nor to the heart. If during this, he notices the dhikr or the heart, that is a distracting veil.
This is state is annihilation (fana’) – and it is that man is annihilated in respect to his self (nafs), and he feels nothing in his limbs nor things outside of him or things inside of him. If, during that, it occurs to him that he is totally annihilated in respect to himself, that then is a blemish and turbidity. Perfection is that he be annihilated to himself and to annihilation, and the annihilation of annihilation is the goal of annihilation. Annihilation is the earliest of the Path (Tariq) since it is travelling towards Allah Almighty, and then guidance follows. By guidance I mean the guidance of Allah as the Prophet Ibrahim said, “I am going to my Lord, and He will guide me.” (37:99)
This absorption is seldom stable and rarely continues. If the invoker continues, it becomes a fixed habit and a permanent state by which he may ascend to the celestial world. Then the purest real Being emerges and he is imprinted with nature of the invisible world (malakut) and the holiness of Divinity (lahut) is manifested to him. The first thing manifested to him from that world are the essences of the angels and the spirits of the Prophets and saints in beautiful forms through which some of the realities overflow onto him. That is the beginning. This continues until his degree is higher than forms and he encounters the Truth in everything with clarity.
This is the fruit of the core of dhikr. Its beginning is only the dhikr of the tongue; and then the dhikr of the heart is stimulated. Then the dhikr becomes natural; and then the One invoked takes possession and the invoker is obliterated. This is the inner secret of the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever wish to abide in the Garden of Paradise should invoke Allah much” and the secret of his words “Hidden dhikr is seventy times preferable to dhikr which is heard by listeners.”
The sign of dhikr moving to the inner conscience (sirr) is the absence of the invoker from dhikr and the One invoked, and the dhikr of the inner conscience is frantic thirst and drowning in it.
Among its signs is that when you ceasing doing dhikr, it does not leave you, and the ascendancy of dhikr in you stirs you from absence to presence.
Among its signs is that dhikr presses against your heads and limbs so that they seem as if they were bound with shackles and chains.
Among its signs is that its fires do not abate and its light does not depart. Rather you always see its lights rising and descending while the fires around you are pure, aflame and brightly burning. When dhikr reaches the inner conscience when the invoker falls silent from dhikr, it is as if needles had been thrust through his tongue or as if his entire face were a tongue invoking, light pouring from it.
Subtle point: Know that every dhikr which your heart feels is heart by listeners, if their awareness match your awareness. There is a secret in it: when your dhikr vanishes from your awareness since you have departed to the One invoked, your dhikr vanishes altogether from the awareness of listeners.
Subtle point: The dhikr of the letters is without the presence of the dhikr of the tongue. The dhikr of the presence in the heart is the dhikr of the heart; and the dhikr of absence from presence with the One Invoked is the dhikr of the inner conscience (sirr), and it is hidden dhikr.
Once the Prophet a.s sat with his companions and remarked “whenever any of you come across a garden of God you must take shade in it and rest there awhile.” The companions asked, “Ya Rasulallah, here in this world?” and he said, “Yes.” They asked “where can we find such a place here on earth?”, and he replied, “Wherever you see a congregation busy in the remembrance of God, know that that is a garden from amongst the gardens of Allah. Allah has commanded special angels who are the angels of remembrance, to go forth into the world and seek out such people who are busy in His remembrance. And when they find such assemblies they are to spread their wings of grace over them and seek their forgiveness from their Lord until the assembly remains seated. If a person is not one of them but comes only to sit near the circle, he will not be deprived of the benefit of Divine Grace descending on that assembly.” Alhamdolillah.
A Hadith Qudsi [a Divine saying spoken through the mouth of the Messenger] says, “O, Muhammad I have made you one of the remembrances of Me. Those who remember you remember Me. And those who love you love Me.”
dhikr is the reason for existence
dhikr without the heart connecting to Allah is not dhikr at all..
dhikr is the greatest joy any of us can achieve
dhikr burns of the shaitaan…
dhikr that is made on the tongue is said in the mind. From here it descends into the heart…until ones whole being….becomes a window into the Divine. Subhanallah..
As much as you long for Allah He longs for you.
AHAADITH OF ‘DHIKR’ (REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH)
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiallaho anho) narrated that Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) has said,
“Almighty Allah says, ‘I treat my slave (man) according to his expectations
from Me, and I am with him when he remembers me. If he remembers Me in his
heart, I remember him in My heart; if he remembers Me in a gathering, I
remember him in a better and nobler gathering (i.e. of angels) if he comes
closer to Me by one span, I go towards him a cubit’s length, if he comes
toward Me by a cubit’s length, I go towards him an arm’s length, and if he
walks towards Me, I run unto him.”
HADITH NO-2
Advice to keep tongue very busy in Dhikr
A sahabi once said, “O Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), I know that
the commandments of Shariat are many, but of these tell me the one that I
may practice assiduously throughout my life.” The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam), replied, “Keep your tongue always moist (i.e. busy) with the
‘Dhikr’ of Allah.
Constant Dhikr – a means to elevation of status in Jannah
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), said, “There are many a people who
do Dhikr of almighty Allah, while lying comfortably in their soft beds, and
for this, they will be rewarded with the highest positions in Paradise by
Almighty Lord.”
A Dhaakir is like the living and the forgetful like the dead
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, “The contrast between a person
who glorifies Almighty Allah and one who does not remember Him is like that
between the living and the dead.”
Note: Life is dear to all, and every one fear death. The Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) meant to say that one, who does not remember Allah, though
(bodily) alive, is spiritually dead and his life is but worthless.
The superiority of Dhikr over charity
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is reported to have said, “if a
person has a lot of wealth and distributes it amongst the needy, while
another person is only busy with the Dhikr of Allah, the latter who is
engaged in Dhikr, is the better of the two.”
Note: Spending in the path of Allah is a splendid virtue, but Dhikr of Allah
is more virtuous. How lucky are those well-to-do persons who, in addition to
spending for the pleasure of Allah, remain also devoted to His Dhikr.
Inmates of Jannah regret the time not devoted to Dhikr
The Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, “Those who are admitted
into paradise will not regret over anything of this world, except the time
spent without Dhikr in their life.”
Hazrat Sirri (Rahmatullah alaihe) says, “I saw Jurjanee swallowing roasted
barley flour. He told me that he had compared the time taken in chewing
bread and in eating barley flour; eating bread took so much longer than he
could say (subhana Allah) seventy times in that time. Therefore, he had not
taken bread for forty years, and had lived by swallowing barley flour
alone.”
It is said about Mansur-bin-Motamar that he never spoke to anybody after
Isha prayers for forty years. Similarly, it is said about Rabi-bin-Haseem
that it was his practice for twenty years that he noted down what he talked
during the day, and would check at night whether that talking was necessary
or not. Those pious scholars were particular that every moment of their life
was spent in Dhikr and in nothing else.
Allah’s pleasure and His angels surround the zaakir and Allah Taala praises
them to His angels
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (Radiallaho anho) and Hazrat Abu Saeed (Radiallaho anho)
both bore testimony to having heard from Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam), that the gathering engaged in Dhikr of Almighty Allah is
surrounded by the angels on all sides, the grace of Allah and ‘Sakina’
(peace and tranquility) descend upon them, and Almighty Allah speaks about
them, by way of appreciation, to His angels.”
The angels’ announcement of reward for those gathered together for Dhikr of
Allah
Anas (Radhiallaho anho) reported that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) had said, “When some people assemble for the Dhikr of Allah with
the sole purpose of earning His pleasure, an angel proclaims from the sky,
“You people have been forgiven, your sins have been replaced by virtues.”
Gatherings of Dhikr are described as gardens of Jannah
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, “When you pass the gardens of
Paradise, graze to your heart’s content.” Someone asked, “O Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), what is meant by the gardens of Paradise?” he
replied, “Gathering for performing Dhikr.”
Do Dhikr so much that people call you insane
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is reported to have said, “Practice
Dhikr so excessively that people may regard you as a maniac.” It is stated
in another Hadith “practice Dhikr so much that the hypocrite may regard you
as insincere.”
“Watch out for Allah and He will watch out for you, watch out for Allah and you will find Him in front of you”.
The Hikam of Ibn Atallah
If someone’s state does not lift you up, and his words do not lead
you to Allah – then do not keep his company!
It may well be that you are in a bad state – but to keep company with someone worse than you would allow you to see good in yourself.
No action from a heart without attachment is insignificant. No action from a heart full of desires is great.
Good actions are the results of good states. Good states come from grasping the reality of the stations where you alight.
Do not give up invocation of Allah because you are not present with Allah in it. It is worse to forget to invoke Him than to be inattentive while invoking Him.
He might raise you up from invocation with heedlessness to invocation with wakeful attention, and from invocation with wakeful attention to invocation with presence, and from invocation with presence to invocation with withdrawal from all that is other than the Invoked.
That is not difficult for Allah.
To all sisters that read faqir’s comments, I have one thing to say: he’s handsome and free
Are you willing bro to give classes 
?
Dhikr and love is what we awe to God. Both purify hearts and souls, awaking human conscience. It has been written:
“And establish regular prayer, for prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds, and remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing in life, without doubt.” (Qur’an 29:45)
Therefore dhikr is so essential, as it sustains awereness of Allah.
Thank you dodi2all for your kinds words. I’m simple wonder- ajnabi in dunya. In spite of many bad deeds I happen to make, I open up myself to God, remembering and extolling His praise.