Ad-Dhikr

Remembrance of Allah
Written by Dr. Ibrahim Dremali
The meaning of Ad-Dhikr is the consciousness of the greatness of Almighty Allah in the heart of His slave and the uttering of the words which have been narrated and the seeking of the increase of this consciousness in the heart. Dhikr can be made by the tongue, by the heart and by the entire body. A Muslim must maintain all three of these types of remembrance of Allah and not go to extremes and departure from the Sunnah in one of them while neglecting the others. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, the author of Fath Al-Baari said: This word is used to mean consistency in doing all that Allah has made obligatory or which He has encouraged us to do. Ar-Raazi said: The meaning of dhikr of the tongue: utterances which connote exaltation, praise and glorification (of Allah). As for the meaning of dhikr of the heart, it is the pondering of the evidences regarding Allah, Allah's attributes, and our responsibilities arising from Allah's orders and prohibitions. The meaning of dhikr of the body parts is: that they should progress always in obedience to Allah and in avoidance of any disobedience. The best way to make remembrance of Allah is to pay attention to the etiquettes thereof such as:

Face the Qibla if you are sitting Be in a state of concentration, humility and calm Have a clean mouth by using a siwak to clean any bad condition Consciousness and pondering of what one is saying

Dhikr can be done in various positions and conditions, not just sitting and facing the qibla as Allah said:

So when you have finished the salat, mention/remember Allah standing, sitting and on your sides. [Surat an-Nisaa 4:103]
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Remembrance of Allah is our connection to Allah Most High. When Allah is in our consciousness, we are in the attention and care of Allah Most High. It is a form of worship and gratitude which Allah repays with His care and protection. Allah said:

Remember me that I may remember you and be thankful to me and do not enter kufr. [Surat Al-Baqarah:152]

About this, the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: Allah says: I am there when my slave thinks of me. I am with him when me 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 superior assembly. If he moves closer to Me a hand-span, I move closer to him a forearm's length. If he moves closer to Me a forearm's length, I move closer to him an arms length. If he comes toward me walking, I come to him running. [Bukhari and Muslim] Dhikr of Allah, if it is the type made with the tongue, should be made in a low voice between complete silence and speaking out loud. Allah said:

And remember your Lord to yourself in humility and fear and in less than an open voice in the morning and in the evening and do not be among the unmindful. [Surat Al-A'raaf 7:205] Those who truly take the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) as an example are focused on the remembrance of Allah and all that it entails in terms of dhikr of the tongue, the heart and the body. Allah said:

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There is for you in Allah's Messenger an excellent example for those who hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much. [Surat al-Ahzaab 33:21]

O you who believe remember Allah with much remembrance. [Surat al-Ahzaab 33:41]

Remembrance of Allah is not something reserved for special times or special places only. Rather, a Muslim should seek to elevate his consciousness and remembrance of Allah at all times and at all places. Remembrance of Allah should be first thing in the morning, last thing at night and all times in between. Allah urges us in many places in the Qur'an to practice remembrance of Him by morning and in the afternoon such as:

And mention/remember the Name of your Lord in the morning and in the afternoon. [Surat al-Insaan 76:25]

Remembrance of Allah should be a constant factor in the consciousness of every Muslim. Every moment devoid of remembrance of Allah is like a moment devoid of life altogether. The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: The analogy of one who remembers his Lord and one who does not remember his Lord is like the living and the dead. [Bukhari] There is no difference between men and women in this regard. Both should practice the dhikr of Allah with the tongue, the heart and the body. The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: The mufarridoon have come first. They said: And who are the mufarridoon, Messenger of Allah? He said: Men who mention Allah much and women who mention Allah. [Muslim] There is an even greater blessing in coming together to mention Allah The Most High. The meaning of this is to remind one another and to collectively learn and ponder upon the signs of Allah and the teachings of his Message from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The Companions of Allah's Messenger used to do this constantly in the masjid and elsewhere. When they wished
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to call others to sit down, exchange information about the Qur'an and the Sunnah and remind each other in a good way, they used to call it belief (iman) by saying: Ta'aala nu'min saa'a. (Come, let us believe for an hour.) About this, the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: Whenever a group sits mentioning/remembering Allah, the angels encompass them, mercy covers them, calm descends upon them and Allah mentions them before those in His prescence. [Muslim and others] The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) came upon a circle of his Companions and said to them: What has motivated you to sit here? They said: We sat to mention Allah and to express our gratitude to Him for guiding us to Islam and for His great favors upon us. The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: By Allah, is this the only reason for your sitting here? They said: By Allah, it is our only reason for sitting here. The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: I did not ask you to swear out of any doubt about your word. Rather, because Jibreel came to me just now and informed me that Allah was boasting about you to the angels. [Muslim and others] Any gathering in which Allah is not mentioned is a waste and like something dead and rotten. Muslims need to be aware of this when they become too interested in sports, politics or other forms of gatherings in which the remembrance of Allah has no part. The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: Any group who stands from their gathering in which they did not mention Allah arise from something like the corpse of a donkey and it is a total loss upon them. [Abu Dawood]

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