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:
- 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)
- “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.” (
- “Believers, do not your wealth and children divert you from remembering Allah. Whoever is diverted will suffer a great loss.” (63:9)
- “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)
- Committing sins and following one’s desires are also among the factors that make us forget Allah. (Ghurar al-Hikam)
- 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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