Al Minah Al `Aliyyah (45)

Dhikr is of two types: restricted and unrestricted:

The worshipper should be eager to remember Allah with both his tongue and heart as this is the best position. Some people do not feel the taste of the adhkar they make because it is only their tongue that makes the adhkar. However, if their hearts would feel what they do, then their faith would increase and their hearts would become tender.

Respected and blessed brothers and sisters, you should know that dhikr is of two types: restricted and unrestricted. As for the restricted one, it is the one that is confined to a specific place, time, or case. However, the unrestricted one is the type that could be said anytime of the day such as the adhkar after the prayers or the adhkar after the adhan. In this same regard, every dhikr the Prophet r  said in a specific place or time should be given preference over the rest of unrestricted dhikr just to follow his Sunnah. In other words, if a person finished his obligatory prayer, it is better for him to say the adhkar that are for this purpose particularly. He should not say other adhkar even if he is going to read the Qur’an because thats what the Prophet r did. Goodness can only be achieved by following his r guidance.

By doing dhikr the worshipper will be among the as-Sabiqeen (those foremost in Islamic Faith of Monotheism and in performing righteous deeds):

Discussing dhikr and it’s merits will take a long time, but the Muslim should increase his adhkar and should do his best to keep those great blessings that could be found in dhikr. He should do his best to get accustomed to this habit which is part of worship. Hence, he would repeat a particular dhikr and say it for a while until it becomes part of his daily life. Then, he would wish to move to another dhikr and so on until he becomes among those who remember Allah most of the times and for whom Allah prepared forgiveness and a great reward.

Thus, he will be among the Mufarideen, those people that the Prophet r mentioned in the following hadith. Imam Muslim narrated through Abu Hurairah t that the Prophet r was passing in Makkah. He came across a mountain called Humdan. He said, “Proceed, this is Jumdan. The devotees have surpassed all.” They asked, “Who are these exceptional people (mufarridun), O Prophet of Allah?” He replied, “Those men and women who remember Allah unceasingly.”^[1]

Thus, the Prophet r defined the mufarideen as those who remember Allah most of the time. This means that they excelled others in their closeness to Allah the Almighty. Some scholars said it is very shameful for the person to have a heart that is void of Allah’s remembrance and a tongue that does not mention Allah.

A man came to the Prophet r and said to him, “The laws of Islam are too much for me, so tell me something that I can easily follow,” the Prophet told him, “Let your tongue always be busy with the remembrance of Allah.”^[2]

My dear and respected brother, if there is something that you cannot achieve all of it, never leave all of it. Just stick to one dhikr and this will help you to stick to the others. That would be better for you than leaving all of this sublime form of worship altogether.

There are many Sunnah adhkar in this regard:

Abu Hurairah t narrated that Allah’s Messenger r said,

“ If one says one hundred times in one day: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Alone Who has no partners, to Him belongs Dominion and to Him belong all the Praises, and He has power over all things (i.e. Omnipotent),” one will get the reward of freeing ten slaves, and one hundred good deeds will be written in his account, and one hundred bad deeds will be wiped off or erased from his account. Also for that day he will be protected from the morning till evening from Satan, and nobody will be superior to him except one who has done more than that which he has done. And whoever says, ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,’ (glory and praise be to Allah) one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea. ”^[3]

Abu Ayub t narrated that Allah’s Messenger r said,

“Whoever says there is no god but Allah alone, who has no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is able to do all things ten times, will have the reward for freeing four slaves from the Children of Isma’il.”^[4]

Sa’d Ibn abi Waqqas t narrated: “We were sitting with Allah’s Messenger r and he said,

‘Is anyone of you incapable of earning one thousand Hasanah (rewards) a day?’ Someone from the gathering asked, ‘How can anyone of us earn a thousand Hasanah?’ Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: ‘Glorify Allah a hundred times by just saying, “Subhanallah” and good deeds will be written for you, or a thousand sins will be wiped away.’”^[5]

Abu Hurairah t narrated that Allah’s Messenger r said,

“Whoever says ‘Glory be to Allah and Praise Him’ at morning and evening time, one hundred times, none shall come on the Day of Resurrection with anything better except someone who has said the same or more.”^[6] Also in a hadith reported by Muslim, Allah’s Messenger r said, “Whoever says, “Glory be to Allah and Praise Him”  one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.”^[7]

Ahadith about the virtues of adhkar are so many. The ones I quoted are the well-know and authentic ahadith. Yet, there are also other ahadith the deal with the same issue.

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari t said, Allah’s Messenger r said to me,

“Shall I tell you a word that is one of the treasures of Paradise? It is: ‘There is no power, nor any might except with the permission of Allah’”^[8]

Abu Hurairah t that Allah’s Messenger r said,

“For me to say (Glory be to Allah, all praise is for Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest) is dearer to me and all that the sun rises upon (i.e. the whole world).”^[9]

Furthermore, asking Allah’s forgiveness is a type of dhikr. We already quoted the hadith of al-Aghar al-Mazny that Muslim reported, the Prophet r said,

 “Sometimes I perceive a veil over my heart, and I supplicate Allah for forgiveness a hundred times in a day.”^[10]

This is the deed of Allah’s Messenger r and he urged us to ask forgiveness also as Muslim reported through al-Aghar t also,

“Oh people, repent to Allah, for indeed, I repent to Allah hundred times every day.”^[11]

Al-Bukhari also reported through Abu Hurairah t that the Prophet r said,

“I swear by Allah that I supplicate for Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”^[12]

Finally, I would conclude the Sunnan of dhikr – and all daily Sunnan as well - with this great dhikr. It is the dhikr by which Al-Bukhari ended his sahih and by which Ibn Hajar ended his book entitled Bulugh al-Maram, Abu Hurairah t reported that Allah’s Messenger r said,

 “Two words are light on the tongue, but weigh heavy in the balance and they are loved by the Most Merciful One. Glory be to Allah, and Praise, Glory be to Allah, the Supreme ”^[13]

Praise be to Allah,

by His favors goodness is accomplished.