8 Qns about Zikr (Remembrance of Allah)

and Zikrullah is the greatest thing in life without doubt - Al-Ankabut, 29:45

The following article has been published in The Muslim Reader (vol.26) which is published by Darul Arqam Singapore. The following questions have been answered by Ustaz Syed Esa Alkaff & Haji Mustafa Kadir

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• What is Zikr?

Haji Mustafa (MK): Zikr or Zikrullah is the remembrance of Allah(swt). It can be the recitation of the tongue, or of the heart that makes you remember and glorify Allah(swt). We can recite Zikr silently (sirr) in our own hearts.Or verbally, so softly with our tongues that only we could hear it. Zikr can be recited loudly (jahar) with or without rhythmic body movments, with the conditions that (1) the environemnt and situation permits and (2) without causing hindarance to oneself or others.

Ustaz Syed Esa Alkaff (SE) : Allah says, "O you who believe! Celebrate the praises of Allah, and do this often, and glorify Him morning and evening" (Al-Ahzab ,33:41-42).

• Why should we recite Zikr?

MK: Man was created to serve Allah (SWT)."I have only created jinns and men, that they may serve Me" (Al-dhariyat,51:56). Constant Zikr strengthens faith, brightens the heart, destroys the ego, and develops the feelings of servitude to our Lord (Rabb). If a house is left empty, soon it will allow dusts, cobwebs, termites, rats and, depending on its environment, even poisonous snakes.Likewise, a heart that is left without remembrance (zikr) of Allah(SWT) opens itself to harmful thoughts and whispers of the evil ones.

SE: By Zikr, we show gratitude to the Almighty for the immeasurable bounty HE has given us.

• What is the islamic commandment(Akham) for Zikr?

MK: Zikr is obligatory(wajib) in daily prayers. "Oh you who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer on the day of congregation, hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah.."(Al-Jumu'ah,62:09).

SE:It is strongly recommended (sunnah)

• What is the easiest Zikr to practise?

SE: The Kalimah ' Laa ilaaha illalah' (There is no God except Allah)

• Is there a suitable time or place for Zikr?

Mk: The blessed ones remember Allah at all times. Rasullulah (SAW) said, "My eyes sleep, my heart doesn't sleep" (Malik's Muwatta,07:02:09). Some noted suitable times are (1)in the silent of night before dawn (2) after Fajar prayer till sunrise and (3) after Maghrib until Isha. "Truly the rising by the night is most potent for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (framing) the word (of Prayer and Praise)" (Al-Muzzamil, 73:06). It can also be done while walking, travelling in bus and (for some people) even while working.

SE: Zikr can be done anywhere

• What are the benefits of zikr?

MK: There are far too many but to mention a few:

1. It srengthens Faith (Iman)
2. It brightens (Nur) the heart
3. It earns Allah's pleasure
4. it builds reliance (Tawakul) on Allah
5. It strengthens body and mind

SE: The ultimate benefit for us is having peace of mind and heart.

• What are the zikr that prophet muhammad(S.A.W) practised or encouraged?

Tawhid: Laa ilaaha illallaah (There is no God but Allah)
Tasbih: Subhanallah (Glory to Allah)
Thahmeed: Alhamdullilah (All praises belong to Allah)
Takbir: Allahu Akhbar (Allah is the Greatest)
Istighfar: Astagh firullaah al azheem (I seek forgiveness from Allah the Great)
Selawat: Allahumma salli alaa Muhammad wa alaa aali Muhammad (O Allah, shower your blessings on Muhammad(SAW) and on the family of Muhammad(SAW))

• In times of difficulty, what can we recite to calm ourselves?

MK: "And Allah says 'Call on me: I will answer your prayer" (Ghafir,40:60). In times of difficulty, one may recite the following or any other familiar Zkr and plead with the feelings to Allah for his assistance:

1. La ilaa ha illa anta sub hanaka inni kuntu minadzalimin ( there is no god but Thou:Glory to Thee I was indeed wrong! ) Al-anbiya,21:87
2. Alhamdullilahi Rabbil Aalamin (All praises belong to Allah, the Lord of all worlds)
3. Allahumumma Salli a'la muhammad(SAW) wa alaa ali muhammad (O Allah, shower your blessings on Muhammad(SAW) and on the family of Muhammad(SAW))
4. Address your need to Allah and conclude with a salutation on the Prophet (SAW) again.
   

SE: In times of difficulty, a simple Zikr that we can recite is Ya Allah, it will calm us down (Insha Allah)
SE: Wallahu ' Alam (Allah Knows Best)

MK: The above are my humble views. Where the views are right, it is truly by the grace of Allah(SWT). Where the views are improper, it is due to my ignorance and i seek your forgiveness.

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Zikr involves 3 steps:

1. Our thoughts of Allah in our mind that lead to
2. Our feelings for Allah in our heart that inspires
3. Our utterance of praises to Allah that reminds us of HIM

Zikr also frees one from all the forms of anxiety, stress and grief.

Allah says, "Remember me and i will remember you" (Al-Baqarah, 02:152). "Those who believe and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction"(Al-Ra'd,13:28).

Heart talks...

( With reference to the previous post, 'Dear Femme..')

In our cosmopolitan society, practically everything is westernized. So is our culture, our way of life and of course, our behavior.

Like once a sister told me, ‘it is so hard to live as a good muslim in the society today. There are so much of temptations to go astray. It is hard, but not impossible’. Very true indeed.

I am a normal muslim lady who accepts my faults and mistakes and look forward to change myself for the better through which, Inshallah, I would be a better muslim whom Allah s.w.t. loves. And frankly, it is not easy at all to ignore the abundant amount of alluring calls of syaitaan everywhere, all the time.

It takes strong faith and fear towards Allah s.w.t. and the life hereafter to constantly keep myself away from the evil. This would have never been possible without the proper guidance of my family and friends.

It hurts me sometimes when I see my fellow muslim friends not dressing up modestly. I wish they embrace the hijab whole heartedly which would bring only goodness to their mind, soul and conduct. I have always wanted to advise them on being modest, but never had the apt opportunity to do so. Insha allah, I would do it at the soonest. It is my duty as a friend and as a muslim to lead my friends.

Allah s.w.t. resides in the heart of a modest muslimah. Insha allah.

Unfortunately, on the other hand, I see muslim women who pray and adorn the hijab, but lie uncontrollably and live up a false front. Worse is that, they defend themselves by rationalizing that their lies don’t hurt anyone, so it is okay. NauzuBillah.

Inshallah, He allows them to realize their mistakes and allow them to change.

Ameen.

Dear Femme...

This is one of the most beautiful articles related to Islam that i have ever read. Masha Allah.The following is brought to you, courtesy of Irfana :)

Behind your colourful make up
Which you can remove
Lies a simple face

Which is given by Allah
With a beautiful fate
Dont let it fly like a feather
Dont let it be ruined with immodesty and unshamefulness
Allah destinied motherhood and beautiful marriages
for us femmes..

Which is the most beautiful things on earth

Catch your fate before it flies..

What you cant remove is the negative values you acquired unconciously

How are you going to erase it from the punishments in the Afterlife?

Behind your blow dried, soft hair
Are Angels praying for you
To cover your head from Syaitan's curse
Can you hear it?

Nothing is more beautiful than a Hijabi,my dear..
For Muslimah, who becomes a hijabi on with an open heart..
Allah will come to see you when you enter Paradise

MasyaAllah..No one can be as lucky..
Hijab is protection of the mind and soul.

Behind the fancy, immodest clothes you wear and admire
Lies the discomfort of the Angels
And the decent people around you

Angels who surround you for your safety
Angels who want to carry your duas to Allah but cant
due to your immodesty

Let us cover ourselves with dignity..
for Allah who made us
to dwell in love,tranquility and comfort..

Behind the liquor, premarital relations and illegal substances you consume
Lies the curse of Angels
who are dissapointed of your foolish act

Behind the immodesty you display with the males
Lies the unhappiness of Allah towards you, Nauzubillah

Let us not be in this curse anymore
Taubah is the best

Give your heart and fate to Allah

Give your tears of repentence to Him

Submit yourself to Allah
For Allah is Most Forgiving

Most Gentle, Most Kind

Let us be on His Path
Making Him Happy Always

For that is the best road
For unconditional happiness on earth and in the Afterlife.

Dear Femme
Dear Hijabi
Dear honourable Muslim Wife, Mothers and Daughters

For nothing is more beautiful in the world,than the Hayaa and shyness that you posess.
May Allah bless you,

For all the patience, gentleness and nobleness you display towards your family and Ummah
in simplicity, dignity, and values, in elegance.

Ameen.

For Sisters:Working from Home

HireMyMom is a site created by non-Muslims. So if you believe that there is a need for moms to stay at home, read on.
__________________________________________________
Assalaamu alaikum .I know YOU aren't a mom, but you know lots of families with stay-at-home moms. If you can just pass this information along, maybe it will help somebody. I got a part time work-from-home job as a healthcare recruiter (hiring nurses) from a job listing on this website: http://www.hiremymom.com .

HireMyMom is just a job board for moms who want to work from home, and all the jobs are posted by businesses who want to hire somebody to work from home. So it's like Monster.com but much more specific.

Instead of posting their jobs online for everyone to see, HireMyMom emails them to you directly once you pay to subscribe. You pay them a fee because they screen out all the scam jobs and fake business schemes etc., so you can find a real job working from home. I've seen ads for lawyers, web designers, journalists, and all sorts of stuff.

It's $29.95 for 3 months or $99 a year. I hate to sound like a commercial. I promise I'm not on their advertising board. :) I just thought it was a good opportunity for legitimate work for women.

Jazak Allah khair!
Sister A.

Upcoming event - Spore

Dear all,
Please note there is a public lecture by Dr.Jeffrey Lang from USA. The topic would be 'A journey to Islam' at HBD hub (toa pa yoh) auditiorium basement on 10th May 2008 from 6p.m to 8p.m. Admission is free to all.