Dhikr: The Most Virtuous Act

Bismillahir-Rahma-nir-Raheem
"Therefore, remember Me; I will remember you. Give thanks to Me and
reject Me not."
(Suratul Baqarah 2:152)
Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) has warned of us a day that
will come, a day inwhich there will be no soul left on earth to hymn
the name of Allah and it is only by the name of Allah that the system
of this world is running. This most regretful day will come nearing
the timing of the end of the world. Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaiyhi wa
sallam) said, "The world and all its contents are cursed and devoid of
Allah's mercy, except for threethings: (1) the dhikr, orremembrance,
of Allah (and all other worshipsnear it), (2) the religious (and
truthful)alim, and (3) the student, who is a seeker of religious
knowledge.
If we look at the world we live in today, how many people, in just our
families, will we find, who are engaged in the dhikr, remembrance and
glorification, of Allah? Most likely, we wouldn't find many. This, in
most cases, it isa well-known fact. We see it with our own eyes and in
our own relatives, if not within our ownselves. All we care about
nowadays is the world: money, careers, have a"name," big houses,
expensive cars--all the worldly materialistic things. This is a major
deceit of Shaytaan to the believers and the believers easily fall into
Satan's trap, except those who are true to Allah. These arethey who
are devoted to Allah's worship, who engage in His remembrance,
'sitting, standing, and reclining,' as Allah saysin Al-Qur'an (3:191).
The dhikr of Allah carries immense reward and vast and unlimited
blessings, which we often neglect. The peace of mind one attains with
the remembrance of Allah is the sweetest experience felt in the heart.
The sacred nameof Allah is so full of blessings that it, alone,has the
power to save one from the punishment of the grave. Khawaja Muhammad
Islam narrates a story in his book, The Spectacle of Death--Glimpses
of LifeBeyond the Grave, an incident of a dying man. Hadhrat Abu
Qatada (radiyallahu anhu) went to visit his ill nephew, Majan, whowas
on the verge of death. Two "black" angels appeared with hammers in
their hands. One of the angels told the other to go to the patient to
make certain if he had done any good deed. So, the angel came down and
smelt Majan's head, belly, and feet and reported to his companion that
he had smelt his head and found it empty of the knowledge of the Holy
Qur'an; he had smelt his belly, but hadfound no sign of him keeping
fasts; and he had smelt his feet and found no evidence of his standing
in worship for even a single night. Therefore,the other angel came to
Majan and did the same and found nothing until he squeezed the tip of
his tongue and reported that he had found a Takbir (i.e. Allahu Akbar)
that Majan had very sincerely uttered. And as soon as the angel wrung
his tongue, the smell of musk spread in all directions and, just then,
the soul was extracted. So, the dhikrof Allah has many virtues as
described in the verses of the Holy Qur'an and the collections of
ahaadith.
The dhikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala isthe most admirable and
virtuous and rewardful act in the sight of Allah, not to mention the
easiest deed that one could perform. Our Beloved Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) said, "Those who are admitted in to Paradise will
not repent over anything of this world, except the time spend without
dhikr in their lives." Dhikr has so many merits that it would be
difficult to list all without publishing a book about this topic.
Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) once asked his companions,
"Shall I tell you something thatis the best of all deeds, constitutes
the best actof piety in the eyes of your Lord, will elevate your
status in the Hereafter, and carries more virtue than the spending of
gold and silver in the service of Allah or taking part in jihad or
slaying or being slain in the path of Allah?" The companions
(radiyallahu anhum) begged to know, whereupon the Messenger of Allah
(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) replied, "It is the dhikr of Allah, the
Almighty." In another hadith, the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa
sallam) said, "Keep your tongues moist with the dhikr of Allah,"
meaning to keep busy in the dhikr of Allah so that way, it will
prevent one from committing the major sins of telling lies,
backbiting, talking unnecessarily, etc. Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi
wa sallam) also said, "Do dhikr so much that people will think you are
a maniac."
Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anhu) narrated:"Paradise has eight gates, one
of which is exclusively reserved for those engaged in dhikr." Dhikr is
the source of one's spiritual elevation, whether done in bed at night
or in the market, whether in good health or in sickness, or even
whenone is making most of the pleasures of life. Nothing, but dhikr,
cantake a man to such spiritual heights, the heights of the angels,
whereby one's heart is so illuminated with the light of dhikr that
even asleep, he is morewakeful than the one who is neglectful of
Allah's remembrance, who is awake all through the night. The Prophet
(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, "The contrast between a person
whoglorifies Allah and one who does not remember Him is like that
between the living and the dead."
There is a sort of hardness in the humanheart and this hardness can
only be softened by the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted. One
whoseheart is void of Allah's remembrance is as if he is dead. His
heart becomes harder than the rocks, for, as Allah says in the Qur'an,
even rocks fall down tothe fear or Allah (2:74).Allah says:
"Then woe unto those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance
of Allah. Such are in plain error." (Suratuz-Zumar39:22)
Dhikr is the remedy of all the ills of the heart. There is a corner in
theheart of man, which cannot be filled with anything, but dhikr. When
dhikr controls the heart, not only does it fill up this empty space,
it leads one to contentment, which all the wealth in the world would
fail toproduce. On the other hand, the indolent comes to disgrace in
the sight of Allah through neglect of Allah's remembrance, despite the
fact that hemay contain much wealth and riches, family and friends,
strength and power.
Dhikr is also the main source of nourishment for the ruh, the soul. Allah says:
"And be not you as those who forgot Allahand therefore He caused them
to forget their own souls. Such are the losers." (Suratul Hashr 59:19)
Dhikr is the key to nourishing and strengthening the soul and a
nourished and healthy ruh is the key to reaching the heightsof the
angels, who are ever engaged in Allah'sdhikr.
The Prophet (sallallahualaiyhi wa sallam) said, "Everything has a
polish, which takes away rust. The polish of the heart is dhikr."
Therefore, one who has forgotten Allah, the Creator of all that isin
the heavens and the earth, has a heart whose sins surround itand veil
it from the nurof Allah entering.
Dhikr is so virtuous that it can save one from the punishment of the
grave. In a hadith, Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) stated,
"No other action of a person can surpass dhikr of Allah in savinghim
from the punishment of the grave." Dhikr is so easyto perform and for
his most effortless deed, we receive such immense reward. We, in turn,
should not be neglectful of it becauseit will help us in many many
ways. If we remember Allah in our happy times, He will remember us in
our afflictions. Dhikr is the key to the nearness of Allah, the
Merciful, the Wise, the Mighty. The greater the amount and quality of
dhikr, the greater the nearness to the Creator. And the greater the
neglectfulness of dhikr,the greater the distance from Him.
Abu Hurairah (radiyallah anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) saidthat Allah said, "I treat My slave according to
his expectations from Me and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he
remembers Me in his heart, I remember him in My heart. If he
remembersMe in a gathering, I remember him in a better gathering (i.e.
the gathering of the angels). If he comes closer to Me by one span, I
go towards hima cubit's length. If he comes towards me a cubit's
length, I go towards him an arm's length, and if he walks towards Me,
I run towards him." If one increases his devotion to Allah subhanahu
wata'ala, the increase in Allah's mercy and kindness is far greater,as
mentioned in his hadith by "getting near" and "running." If one wants
to be successful in this world, in the akhirah, and in the eyes of
Allah, he should increase his devotion to Him.
On the other hand, one who is devoid of dhikr and remembrance of
Allah, becomes dry andstiff and as lifeless as a dried up leaf. If you
step on it, it will crumble into pieces, but if you moisten it, it
will revive.
Dhikr is the one act, which is not performed at prescribed times, as
are salah, zakah, fasting, and hajj. This is one of the reasons why it
is one of the most virtuous and significant acts of worship in the
sight of Allah. Its rewards carrymuch weight. It keeps Shaytaan away
and weakens his strength. Abu Sa'eed Khazaz (rahmatullahi alaiyh)
stated that once, he saw in a dream that Shaytaan attacked him and he
also fought back by beating him with a stick, but Shaytaan did not
care for this beating. Then he heard a heavenly voice saying that the
devil is not frightened by the beating. He is only frightened by the
spiritual light in one's heart.
This most favorable actis the cause of Allah's pleasure, the source of
happiness and joy felt in the heart, the reasonfor success in the
Hereafter. Some brothers, who go in jamaat to different locations of
the world, say that even when they are the most tired, hungry, and
exhausted, they are still the happiest in theworld because they know
they've got Allah.If only we all could feel this! It relieves the mind
of anxieties and worries and brightens the face and heart withnur and
peace. It induces love for Allah, which is the spirit of Islam, the
pivot of deen, the source of success and salvation in the akhirah. It
helps one realize the Greatness and Grandeur of Allah, the
All-Knowing, and strengthens the consciousness of his Presence and
Existence. It is the key to Paradise. Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaiyhi
wa sallam) said, "When you pass the Gardens of Paradise, graze in
yourheart's content." Someone asked, "O Prophet of Allah! What is
meant by Gardens of Paradise?" He replied,"Gatherings for performing
dhikr." If a person is fortunate enough to get access to such
gatherings, he should not hesitate to join and should take full
advantage of this, as these are the Gardens of Paradise onEarth, as
the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) explained. In these
gatherings, the angels of the heavens descend to also join the
gathering of the dhikr of their Creator, the All-Embracing.
Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, "Jibreel
(alaiyhis-salam) laid so much emphasis on doing dhikr that I felt,
without dhikr, nothingcan benefit whatsoever." Dhikr is an act most
loved by Allah. It is what strengthens a person's iman, belief, and
faith. The Prophet (sallallahualaiyhi wa sallam) advised for us to
keep renewing our faith by reciting 'La ilalah illallah,' and this
kalimah is the most rewardful and most heavy on the scales of justice
on the Day of Resurrection. It is mostblessed and the one who performs
dhikr and remembers Allah, the angels pray for his forgiveness. When a
person does dhikr often, the angels become familiar with his voice and
pray on his behalf when he is in afflictions, but if a person does not
engage in Allah's glorification, the angels are unfamiliar with his
voice, and therefore, do not pray on his behalf. Dhikr is avery
auspicious act, which is tremendously stressed in many ahaadith and
verses of the Qur'an, some of which have been mentioned in this
reading.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala include us among the most fortunate
servants who engage in His dhikr and who are included in the 'Gardens
of Paradise' on Earth. May He give us towfique to practicesuch a
favorable, rewardful, and easy acthabitually and abundantly throughout
our lives. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless us with Jannatul
Firdaus through this most virtuous and meritful act. And may we be
included among those of whom He has favored, not those whoearn His
anger, nor those who go astray. And may we be included among the
successful in attaining the pleasure of our Lord. Ameen.
Alhumdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

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