What is Dhikr?
‘Dhikr’ (ذِكر) is the practice of ‘remembering’ or beseeching our Creator. This is often done in times of need. But it can also be practiced daily as a form of meditation to strengthen your spirit. Practicing Dhikr makes you mentally strong, helps you escape all kinds of stress and feeds your spirit. Dhikr is not just a way to attain spiritual enlightenment but also a method to develop resilience against the uncanny sufferings that life offers in a platter.
Why practice Dhikr?
Nothing attunes a person to the suffering of the world more than a pandemic. With the recent outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, sickness and disease has inflicted almost every family directly or indirectly. An unfortunate side effect of this has been the mental stress and trauma. Depression and anxiety are on an all-time high and there are more people taking anti-depressants than ever before. We have been marred by financial troubles, health scares, loss of loved ones and more.
In this time of need, building resilience and mental toughness is the key. We need, ‘hope and help’. Dhikr can fill that void in our lives. Mastering the practice of Dhikr can make us infallible in the face of danger. We can build the right attitude and correct our approach to life.
How to practice Dhikr
The Aim
In Dhikr, our focus is to turn our attention to our problems and then diverting those problems towards our Creator. The God who created us, surely has the power to alleviate us from our troubles, no matter what those troubles maybe. An important point to keep in mind is to not let the magnitude of the problem intimidate you. The problem maybe great, but our Lord is greater and surely, He answers to the calls of those who seek His assistance. As the saying goes, “Seek and you shall find”.
Pre-requisites
The act of Dhikr is simple. It can be performed anywhere or in any state you prefer. You can practice Dhikr while you are standing, sitting, lying down, even as you go to sleep. You can practice Dhikr while at work, cooking, driving your car or while performing any other task.
But if you are just getting started and have no prior experience, then we recommend finding a place in your home or outside that naturally calms or soothes you. For some it’s their bedroom, for others it can be their living room or even the park.
Performing Dhikr
Start by saying ‘In the name of Allah, the most compassionate and most merciful. (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم)
Step 1: Take a deep breath in through your nose and hold for a few seconds. Then release through your mouth. Do this for a few minutes until you start to feel your heart settle.
Step 2: Visualize the problem that you are facing. Acknowledge the problem in your mind.
Step 3: Now as you breath in, say “La Ilaha”. And as you say that, visualize that problem as any object heading in your direction.
Step 4: And as you release your breath, say “Illallah”. And as you say that, divert the direction of that object towards your creator.
Step 5: Keep repeating the steps above as frequently as you possibly can, throughout the day. The more you practice, the better the results.
Note: You do not have to say “La Ilaha Illallah” out loud, if you don’t want to. Repeating it silently in your mind has the same effect.
The Logic
By taking deep breaths initially, you are calming your brain, so you can focus better. Some people think there are different gods or God has a body or he transforms into a human being, etc., but the fact is that there is only one Omnipotent God who has created us all. ‘Read more.’
God is called Allah in Arabic language. And the meaning of Arabic statement 'La Ilaha Illallah' (لا اله الا الله) is, ‘there is no God but Allah.’ When we call Allah repeatedly to alleviate our difficulty or ailment, He will turn His attention towards us and help us find a solution. When we take a breath, we are saying the first half (i.e., La Ilaha) and when we release, we are saying the second half (i.e., Ilallah).
In life, we don’t always get to choose the circumstances that we must face. Which is why turning our problems into the hands of our Creator alleviates our stress. By this simple act of surrender, we are essentially telling our mind, “we are not in-charge. God is. And surely, God will deliver us from this problem”. This resolves all fear and stress we hold, and the deliverance of God solves our problems.
Audio Aid
If you require a guided audio to help you focus during this practice, listen to this short audio, as you perform Dhikr. For better concentration, we recommend using headphones.
Counting Dhikr
Although you do not have to keep track of the no. of times you are practicing Dhikr, for some people keeping track can help. It is a general understanding among experts that repetitive practice of Dhikr yields better results over time. Feel free to make use of this tool to keep track.
The Benefits
The benefits of regular remembrance of God are innumerable. Some of these are provided below.
1. The Dhikr will provide peace of mind and will help you to focus your attention with which the prospects of your work and study will multiply.
2. It will help you to keep away disempowering thoughts.
3. It will help you develop human values, like generosity, helping each other to make this world a Paradise for human beings.
4. Most importantly, it will make you mentally stronger and more resilient in facing challenges of life.
5. It will make you more spiritually connected with yourself and the universe. You become a part of the whole instead of feeling like a disconnected node in a network.
Be Confident
While you are practicing Dhikr, know that Ash Shaikh Mir Asedullah Quadri is also doing Dhikr on your behalf and praying for your speedy recovery and success. Allah is listening to you and the Shaikh’s supplication on your behalf, attentively. Allah is most compassionate and most merciful, and we are confident that He will respond to our repeated calls.
Ash Shaikh Mir Asedullah Quadri constantly practices Dhikr, day and night. This is a practice that he has built over 50 years in his life. He supplicates Allah and His Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) on behalf of all those who practice Dhikr.
Allah says - ‘Indeed I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So let them respond to Me, and believe and trust in Me, so that they may be guided. (Al-Baqara – 186). Allah also says - 'You remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.' (Al-Baqara - 152).
Anyone can practice the Dhikr 'La Ilaha Illallah' (لا اله الا الله) and benefit from it, irrespective of their religion, region and ethnic background. Everyone has the liberty to remember his Creator but make sure that you maintain cleanliness of your body.
Make sure to keep learning and growing. At CIF, we provide you with an online library of over 1000+ books free of cost to facilitate better learning from authentic and trusted sources. Make sure to checkout the Tazkia-tun-Nafs section which provides resources specifically to help you get in touch with your soul and build a better life.