Dhikr

Dhikr (Allah’s Remembrance)

Quran often reminds us to keep remembrance of Allah (Dhikr) at all times. Certainly this is quite a challenge for us forgetful humans to do Dhikr of Allah, but the merits of remembrance/ Zikr are so great that we must strive for continual remembrance of Allah in every moment. Remembrance of Allah (Zikr) is one of the easiest forms of worship, the mercy and honor that it brings cannot be achieved by any other means.

Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) says:

“Therefore remember Me, I will remember you and be grateful to Me, and never be ungrateful to me” [Soorah al-Baqarah, Aayah 152]

“O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance” [Soorah al-Ahzaab, Aayah 41]

“And for men and women who engage much in Allah’s remembrance, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward” [Soorah al-Ahzaab, Aayah 35]

“And bring your Lord to remembrance in your [very] soul, with humility and remember without loudness in words, in the mornings and evenings; and be not of those who are unheedful” [Soorah al-A'raaf, Aayah 205]

Importance of Remembrance:

• The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said:”The comparison of the one who remembers Allah and the one who does not remember Allaah, is like that of the living and the dead” [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim 1/539]

• Uqbah Ibn Aamir (R.A) relates that Allah’s Messenger (P.B.U.H) came out when we were in as-Suffah and said: “Are there any of you who would wish to go every day to Buthaan or al-’Aeeq [i.e., the name of two ditches in al-Madeenah] in the early morning and return from it with two she-camels without incurring any sin or severing relations?” We [the companions] said: “We would indeed love that, O Messenger of Allah” He (P.B.U.H) said: “Then you should go to the mosque and acquire some knowledge, or recite two aayaat from the Book of Allaah, that would be better for you than two she-camels, and three aayaat are better than three she-camels, and four aayaat are better than four she-camels, and the same for a like number of male camels” [Muslim 1/553]

• The Prophet (P.B.U.H) Said: Whoever takes a seat and fails to remember Allah, has incurred upon himself a loss from Allah, and whoever lies down [relaxes] and fails to remember Allah, has incurred upon himself a loss from Allah” [Abu Daawood 4/264]

• Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H) said: “Whenever people sit in a gathering in which they fail to remember Allah and send prayers upon the Prophet they incur a loss upon themselves and if Allah willed He would punish them and if He willed He would forgive them” [at-Tirmidhee]

• Our Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: “Whenever people rise from a gathering in which they failed to remember Allaah, they rise as if they had arisen from the corpse of an ass and incurring upon themselves grief” [Abu Daawood 4/264 and Ahmad 2/389]

• In Another Hadith the Prophet (P.B.U.H) said:  “Should I not inform you of the best of deeds, and the most sanctifying of deeds before your Lord, which does more to raise your positions [with Him], and are better for you than the disbursement of gold and money or battle with the enemy?” They [the companions] said: “Indeed! Inform us.” He (P.B.U.H) then said: “Remembrance of Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala)” [at-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah 2/1245]

• The Prophet (P.B.U.H) also said: Allaah says: “Indeed I am as My servant presumes Me to be, and I am with him when he remembers Me, so if he remembers Me to himself I remember him to Myself, and if he remembers Me amongst a company I remember him amongst a company greater than it, and if he draws near to Me the span of a hand I draw near to him the span of an arm, and if he draws near to Me the span of an arm I draw near to him the span of two outstretched arms, and if he takes a step towards Me I hastily step towards him” [al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]

• On the authority of  Abdullaah Ibn Busr (R.A):  “A man said to the Prophet (P.B.U.H): “O Messenger of Allaah, the rites of Islaam are much for me, so tell me of something that I might hold fast to” He (P.B.U.H) said: “Let not your tongue cease from the remembrance of Allaah” [at-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah]

• The Prophet (P.B.U.H) also said: “Whoever recites a letter of Allah’s Book has for it, a merit and ten more like it, not to say that alif, laam, meem are one letter but rather alif is a letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter” [at-Tirmidhee]

Posted in: