Dhikr, in religious parlance,
means remembering the Almighty. A believer’s day should be spent as much
as is possible in his Creator’s remembrance. This remembrance not only
reinforces his relationship with God his Lord, but also provides him with
the inner strength to ward off evil when it comes his way. It blesses him
with inner peace and serenity and endows him with a life that is spent
to serve and please the Almighty.
There are a number of forms of doing
dhikr: Some of the important forms include saying the prayer, reading
the Qur’an, making supplications, asking Allah’s forgiveness, expressing
gratitude at His favours and blessings, remembering His attributes and
established laws and practices, reciting certain phrases and sentences
mentioned in the Ahadith. However, in order to reap the benefits
of dhikr there is one primary requirement: one must pay special
attention to what is said and recited. The more one concentrates on the
words he utters, the more meaningful the whole exercise becomes.
Today, unfortunately, the spirit of
dhikr among Muslims seems to be marred by two things:
Firstly, certain words that express
Allah’s remembrance are repeated in a certain fixed quantity often counted
by a small meter or a tasbih. This has given dhikr a sort
of mechanical and artificial element. One tends to be more attentive to
the count than to what is actually being said. In fact, one seems to be
so overwhelmed with the figure he or she has in mind that words which might
otherwise be a beautiful expression of Allah’s remembrance fail to move
the heart or stir the soul.
Secondly, dhikr in general
has assumed the form of congregational dhikr and people, in particular
ladies, gather to collectively recite certain kalimahs/verses. This is
something which was not found in the time of the Prophet (sws). The only
congregational dhikr which the Prophet (sws) seems to have undertaken
was the collective prayer offered in the mosque. All other forms are generally
more suited to be done when a person is alone. In seclusion, a person’s
emotions and feelings are very pure and flow naturally out of him; dhikr
in such circumstances is also more free from false pretense.
It is, therefore, strongly recommended
that people should adopt only those forms of dhikr which do not
deride its spirit and are a means of illuminating both the mind and the
heart.
|