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Sunna's |
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Dikr (Mentioning Allah’s name). Introduction. Many legal texts either verses or Ahadith confirmed that mentioning Allah’s name is the most easiest worship, and it is the sustenance of the hearts. 1- Allah the Great ordained the believers to mention His name. He said: «O you who believe! Remember God with much remembrance». [Surat Al-Ahzâb /The Allies, 41]. 2- Allah forbids and warns from leaving out mentioning His name. He said: «And remember with praise your Lord morning and evening, deed in your heart with humility and fear, and also in a low voice with your tongue, and do not be of those who are heedless». [Surat Al-A’râf /The Heights, 205]. 3- Allah related success with the mentioning of His name. He said: «O you who believe! When you meet a host in combat, be steadfast and remember God frequently, that you may be successful (gain victory)». [Surat Al-Anfâl /The Spoils of War, 45]. 4- Mentioning the name of Allah is a means to gain the good reward. Allah the Great said: «Surely Muslim men and Muslim women, and believing men and believing women, and devout men and devout women, and truthful men and truthful women, and patient men and patient women, and humble men and humble women, and charitable men and charitable women, and fasting men and fasting women, and men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who remember God often, for them, God has prepared forgiveness and great reward». [Surat Al-Ahzâb /The Allies, 35]. 5- When the believer mentions the name of Allah, Allah in return mentions the believer’s name. He said: «Therefore remember Me, so that I remember you, and be grateful to Me and do not be ungrateful». [Surat Al-Baqara /The Heifer, 152]. 6- The good deeds are always concluded by mentioning Allah’s name. a) Prayer: Allah the Great said: «Then when you have finished prayer, celebrate God’s praises standing, sitting and reclining…». [Surat An-Nissâ’ /The Women, 104]. He also said: «When prayer is ended, disperse in the land and seek God’s bounty, and remember God frequently, that you may prosper». [Surat Al-Jumu’ah /The Friday, 10]. b) Pilgrimage: The Almighty Allah said: «So when you have fulfilled your ceremonies of pilgrimage, let your remembrance of God be far greater than your remembrance of your fathers. There are some people who say: “Our Lord provide for us in the world”, but they will have no share in the Hereafter». [Surat Al-Baqara /The Heifer, 200]. 7- Mentioning the name of Allah is a way to benefit from His signs. He said: «Surly in the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the disparity of the night and day, there are Signs for those who possess minds. Those who pray God standing, sitting or lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heaven and the earth, “Our Lord, You have not created this in vain, glory be to you! So save us from the chastisement of the Fire». [Surat Al-Imran /The Family of Imran, 190- 191].
I. Its definition. Dikr means to get rid of negligence and oblivion. The Almighty Allah said: « And remember with praise your Lord morning and evening, deep in your heart with humility and fear, and also in a low voice with your tongue, and do not be of those who are heedless». [Surat Al-A’râf /The Heights, 205]. He also said: «…And remember your Lord if you forget…». [Surat Al-Kahf /The Cave, from the verse 24].
II. Its graces. 1. The prophet-may peace be upon him- said: «Pioneers are the Mufaridun». They said: «O prophet of Allah! And what are the Mufaridun? He said: «Those who mention a lot Allah (men and women)». [Reported by Muslim]. 2- In Musnad of Imam Ahmad, it was reported from Abi Edardâ’ that the prophet-may peace be upon him- said: «Shall I inform you about the best of your deeds, and the upright for your Lord and the highest in degrees…». They said: O prophet of Allah, what is it? He said: «To mention the name of Allah-High Exalted is He». 3- The prophet said: «People do not sit (in an assembly) to remember the name of Allah without being surrounded by angels and covered by Mercy, and there descends upon them tranquility, and Allah makes a mention of them to those who are with Him…». [Reported by Muslim]. 4- In Sahih Muslim, it was reported under the authority of Muâwia-may God be pleased with him- that the prophet-may peace be upon him- found his companions sat together in a circle. He said: «What makes you gather here? They answered: we sat here to remember Allah, and to praise Him as He guided us to the right way (Islam). The prophet said: «Gabriel came to me and informed me that Allah boasts of you among the Angles». 5- A Bedouin asked the prophet-may peace be upon him- and said: What are the best /preferable deeds? The prophet said: «To pass away and your tongue is moist of mentioning the name of Allah». 6- Djabir said: The prophet-may peace be upon him- came to us and said: « O people! Revel in the gardens of paradise». We said: O prophet of Allah! What are the gardens of paradise? He said: «The gatherings in which you mention the name of Allah». 7- In the two Sahihs, Abi Mussa El-Ashâri reported that the prophet-may peace be upon him-said: «The similitude of those who mention their Lord and those who do not mention Him is respectively that of the one who is alive and the dead». 8- It was reported that the prophet Muhammad -may peace be upon him- said that the prophet Abraham- may peace be upon him- said to him in the night of Ascent: « O Muhammad! Greet your nation on my behalf and inform them that the soil of paradise is good /pleasant and its water is fresh, and it has two floors/beds, and its sapling is: glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah and Allah is the Great». [Reported by Et-Termidi and Ahmad and said that it is a Sound Hadith]. 9- The prophet-may peace be upon him- said as he reported it from his Lord: « I live up to my servant’s expectation, and I am with him as he remembers Me. So if he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart, and if he remembers Me in an assembly I remember him in an assembly better than his». 10- The prophet-may peace be upon him-said: « Two expressions are light on the tongue, heavy in the scale and dear to Allah the Compassionate: glory be to Allah and praise is due to Him, glory be to Allah the Great». [Reported in Sahih El-Boukhari]. 11- The prophet said: « The most liked expressions for Allah are four: glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah and Allah is the Great. It does not matter from which you start». [Reported by Muslim]. 12- It is good to say: « Glory be to Allah equals to the number of His creatures, His pleasure, the weight of His Throne and the ink of His words». 13- Abi Hurayra in the two Sahihs reported that the prophet-may peace be upon him- said: «For he who utters these words: "There is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. Sovereignty belongs to Him and all the praise is due to Him, and He is Potent over everything" one hundred times every day a reward equals to the emancipation of ten slaves, hundred virtues are recorded to his credit and hundred vices are blotted out from his scroll, and they are a safeguard for him against the Satan on that day till evening and no one brings anything more excellent than this, except one who has done more than this (who utters these words more than one hundred times and does more good acts)». 14- Djâbir bnu Abdul Allah said: I heard the prophet-may peace be upon him- saying: « The best saying is: there is no god but Allah». [Reporetd by Et-Termidi and Abnu Madja]. 15- Abi Mussa El-Ashâri said: The prophet-may peace be upon him- said to me: «Shall I inform you about a treasure among the treasures of paradise? I replied: Certainly prophet of Allah. He said: «Say: There is no power and might except in Allah». [Reported by El-Boukhari and Muslim]. 16- Abi Suâid El-Khodri reported that the prophet of Allah said: «The one who says: "I believe in Allah as the one and the only, I am pleased with Islam as my religion and Muhammad-may peace be upon him- as a prophet and a messenger" enters paradise». [Reported by Abu Dawud]. 17- A man came to the prophet-my peace be upon him- and asked him: "who are the fighters /the warriors the most rewarded?" He answered: «Those who mention too much the name of Allah». The man said: "So who are the pious the most rewarded?" He replied: «Those who mention too much the name of Allah». The man continued to ask about the best rewarded of the pilgrims, those who pray, those who pay legal alms (zakat) and those who give charity (Sadaqa). The prophet at each question replies: «Those who mention too much the name of Allah». Then Abu Bakr said to Omar Ibnu El-Khatab: "O father of Hafsa! Those who mention the name of Allah too much are the best rewarded". The prophet said: «Most certainly». [Reported by Ahmad and Et-Tabrani]. 18- Abi Hurayra reported that the prophet-may peace be upon him- said: « Allah has Angels who have no other work but to roam about streets looking for the assemblies of Dhikr (in which the name of Allah is mentioned) and when they find such assemblies, they sit in them and some of them surround the others with their wings until the space between them and the sky of the world is fully covered. After the assembly of Dhikr is adjourned, they go upward to the heaven and Allah-High Exalted is He- asks them although He is the best informed (the All Knowing of) about them: What do my servant say? The Angles reply: They exalt you and say: Glory be to Allah, Allah is the Great, all praise is due to Him. Allah says: have they seen Me? They answer: No, our Lord, they had not seen You. Allah says: what it would be if they have seen Me? The Angles reply: If they had seen You, they would have worshiped you more, exalted You more and glorified You too much. Allah says: What do they beg of Me? They say: They beg paradise of You. Allah says: Have they seen My Paradise? They say: No, our Lord. They had not seen Your paradise. He says: What it would be if they had seen it? The Angels say: They would be more desirous of it. Allah says: So against what do they seek My protection? The Angels say: They seek Your protection against the Hell-Fire. Allah says: Have they seen My Fire? They say: No, our Lord. They had not seen Your Hell-Fire. Allah says: What it would be if they had seen My Fire? They say: They would flee from it and fear it more. Allah says: So, be witnesses that grant forgiveness for them all. One of the Angle then says: There is one amongst them who happened to pass by that assembly and sat there along with them. Allah says: I also grant for him forgiveness because they are a people whom their companions are in no way unfortunate i.e. they are also forgiven». [Reported by El-Boukhari]. III. Its types. a) The first kind: In respect to its content. 1- To mention the names and the qualities of Allah i.e. to call Allah with His 99 attributes and His High qualities like the Ever Patient (As-Abűr), the Inheritor (El-Wârith), the Ever Living (El-Hayy), the Eternal Being (El-Qayyűm)… 2- To mention what Allah ordained and what He forbade i.e. to apply His instructions and restrain from what He proscribed. 3- To mention His boons i.e. to remember Allah’s great graces and to thank Him a lot. b) The second kind: In respect to the way and the manner. 1- To mention Allah frequently by the heart and the tongue which is the highest degrees of Dhikr. 2- To mention Allah only by the heart. 3- To mention Allah by the tongue.
IV. Conclusions. Ibnu El-Qaim in his book "The Beneficial downpour" stated the fruits of Dhikr, among them: 1- Dhikr is the easiest worship. 2- Dhikr brings near to Allah the compassionate. 3- Dhikr drives away /expels Satan. 4- Dhikr softens the hearts. 5- Dhikr leads /brings tranquility of the self. |
