Sunday, September 8, 2013

ZIKR OR REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH

Zikr means Remembrance of Allah. Zikr in different forms had been used in the Noble Qur’an 292 times.
Allah’s remembrance takes away any mental disturbances and forces one to perform good and virtuous deeds, both in private or public and keeps him away from evil-doing and sins.
A prayer is the source for the remembrance of Allah.
“And the faithful ones whose hearts are comforted by the remembrance of Allah. Remembrance of Allah certainly brings comfort to all hearts” (13:28)
“Whoever ignores My guidance will live a destitute life and on the Day of Judgment, We will raise him blind (unable to see Paradise)” (20:124)
“And whoever turns away from remembrance of the Beneficent God, We appoint for him a Shaitaan, so he becomes his associate.”
“Do not be like those who forget about Allah. He will make them forget themselves. These are the sinful people.” (59:19)
“They have forgotten all about Allah, Who also has ignored them.” (9:67)
“When a Satanic thought starts to bother the pious ones, they understand and see the light” (7:201)
“Remember your Lord deep within yourselves, humbly and privately – instead of shouting out loud – (in prayers) in the mornings and evenings and do not be of heedless ones.” (7:205)

Factors affecting God’s remembrance:
  1. The Noble Qur’an and its beautiful Ayah is a good factor, e.g.“This is a reminder so that any one who wants to seek guidance from his Lord can do so.” (73:19)
  2. “I am Allah, the only ‘Ilah (one deserving to be worshiped). Worship Me and be steadfast in prayer to have My name (always) in your mind.” (20:14)
  3. “Believers, do not your wealth and children divert you from remembering Allah. Whoever is diverted will suffer a great loss.” (63:9)
  4. “Shaitaan has dominated them and has made them forget the guidance of Allah. They are Shaitaan’s party and the party of Shaitaan will certainly suffer a great loss.” (58:19)
  5. Committing sins and following one’s desires are also among the factors that make us forget Allah. (Ghurar al-Hikam)
  6. How a pious man confronts Shaitaan:
Whenever a Satanic thought enters his mind, the pious man busies himself with Allah’s remembrance. He thinks that if he commits the sin he will be pushed away from His Blessings. Shaitaan misguides him by reminding that door of repentance was still open. The pious man argues that what was the guarantee that he will get chance of repentance, and its acceptance by Allah. Sometimes, Shaitaan tries to remind the pious about his abundance of prayer and love of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and assures their intercession. But the believer (mumin) instead of being proud and conceited by such praise should reply: “If I commit any sins, my intercessors will be upset with me. This sin will become a curtain between me and Imam Hussayn (a.s.)
When two angry persons are fighting and if one of them uses foul language, the Shaitaan inspires the other to reciprocate with foul language. If the other person is a believer (mumin), then he pauses and thinks that if he also uses foul language then there is no difference between them. A real man is one who always keeps the end in view!
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: “One who recalls Allah at market place, with sincerity, in the midst of the people’s obliviousness and their engagement in its affairs, Allah writes for him a thousand merits and forgives him on the Day of Judgment with a forgiveness that has not occurred to any human heart.” (Uddat al-Dai’)
“Therefore, remember Me; I will remember you with My bounty; you remember Me with obedience and worship I will remember you with beneficence, comfort and (My) pleasure. (Uddat al-Dai’)
Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.) said: “Remember Allah at two places, one at the time of distress and when you are about to commit a small sin and to remember Allah at the time of sin is more important because His remembrance is a hindrance between the person and the sin.” “Truly felicitous person is one who is the preacher and sermonizer for himself.”
Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) said: “Always remember Allah, because His remembrance is a hindrance between him and unlawful deeds.”
Imam Jaffer al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: “Surely Allah, the Blessed, the High, says: ‘Whoever is too pre-occupied with My Remembrance to be able to ask Me (for his needs), I give him the best of what I give to him who asks Me.” (al-Mahasin, ad-Dawat)
The Complete Zikr or Remembrance:
Although the remembrance of Allah and the Zikr of that Sacred Essence is a quality of the heart, and if the heart is immersed in Zikr, all the benefits that accrue from it are obtained by the heart, it is better that the remembrance in the heart be followed by oral Zikr. The most perfect and the meritorious of the degree of Zikr is that it should be present in all levels of a man’s being, that its domain should extend to the outward and the inward, the manifest and the concealed realms of his being.

If attention is diverted to Ayah 152 of Surah al-Baqarah which says: “therefore remember Me and I shall remember you. Thank Me and do not hide truth about Me.”
What is “Remembrance”? Ayatullah Shaikh Abdullah Mamkani addresses his son, saying
“Son! Always, every moment, remember Allah. It increases your life-span and wealth, saves you from calamities, distances you from Shaitaan, and brings you near Allah."
Our A’immah has stated: “The identity of our Shia is that he always remembers Allah in solitude (when he is alone). He is saved from “Nifaaq” and Hell and is rewarded a place in Paradise. If there is no remembrance of Allah in any meeting, then participants are liable to befall calamities.” (Usul-e-Kafi 2 page 980). Remembrance should be through heart, which is seventy times more than through tongue only.
If we remember Allah as much as possible, say 16 hours a day while we are awake, we will not commit any sin. The very fact that we have committed a sin shows we forgot Allah. Choice is ours!

References:

The Noble Qur’an
Wasiyatnama-Last will & Testament                 Ayatulla Shaikh Abdulla Mamkani
Imam Ali’s First Treatise on the Islamic
Ethics & Education                                           Zainal Abideen Qurbani Lahiji
Seeking Allah’s Protection from Shaitaan          Ayatulla Sayyid Abdul Husayn Dastaghaib
Forty Hadith                                                     Imam Khumaini (r.a.)

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