Dr Qadir Bakhsh, MBE
The Zikr denotes remembrance of Allah in the Islamic context, which is mentioned 55 times in the Holy Qur’an.
Allah tells us in the Quran:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِير
“O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance, i.e. frequently (33:41). At a very simple level, it refers to the repetition of particular names of Allah as invocations, including praising Allah. In the same context, it means remembering, mentioning, pondering, meditating and above all God-consciousness and be in awe 24/7 while doing any worldly deeds.
There are numerous ways of engaging in His Zikr, using various faculties and capabilities that Allah has bestowed and blessed human beings with.
Allah Almighty the Creator of ALL, knows best about the fallibility of His best creation – human beings – and has repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’an that in fulfilling the purpose of life on earth He “desires ease for you, and desires not hardship’ (2:185) or for instance ‘God desires to lighten things for you, for the human being has been created weak’ (4:28).
It is equally important to understand a very simple fact that not only He Almighty has provided all the faculties, capabilities and means of acquiring knowledge and skills to comply with His decrees, with of course any necessary respite and relaxation, but He has made His commands both conceptually and practically so easy to understand, follow and maximize the desired outcome both for the individual and the humanity at large. For instance when He says:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُون
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me (51:56).
Thus the concept of “worship” according to Allah is so all-encompassing that every deed – thought, utterance or action can become an act of worship if we get our motivation, purpose and intention (niyyah) pronounced with sincerity to seek Allah’s pleasure: which in itself is a great reward (9:72).
Similarly, the concept of Zikr or remembrance of Allah is all-inclusive too and works to incorporate and impact every aspect of every moment in our everyday lives: whether it is through our supplication toward Allah, by repenting and seeking forgiveness, by praising and adoring Him for all His favour’s, for the charity we do or the Dawa work we participate in, the good company we keep and serve the humanity at large and care for Allah creations.
Hence the remembrance of Allah can pervade every instant of the entire life of a believer, as Allah says:
“So glorify Allah when you come up to the evening and when you enter the morning. And His are all the praises and thanks in the heavens and the earth; and in the late afternoon and when you come up to the times when the day begins to decline” (30: 17-18), and “Men who remember Allah standing, sitting and lying down on their sides and contemplate the (wonders of) creation” (3:191).
Allah placed His remembrance above prayer in value by making prayer the means and remembrance the goal. He said:
Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to you, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without a doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that you do (29:45).
Allah says:
إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْر
Indeed, [I] I Am Allah. (There is) no god but I, so worship Me and establish the prayer for My remembrance (20; 14).
By the same token, all the obligatory and supererogatory deeds are excellent means of mastering the Zikr.
Anyone engaged in obeying Allah is engaged in the remembrance of Allah and anyone engaged in the remembrance of Allah (SWT) is engaged in obeying His directives. Therefore Allah commands:
“He is successful who purifies himself, and remembers the name of his Lord, and so prays” (87:14-15).
The quick rewards then are: Allah tells us in the Qur’an:
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُون
“So remember Me, I will remember you and be grateful to Me and (do) not (be) ungrateful to Me (2:152).