Dhikr - What is it?
DHIKR is the remembrance of Allah. Every time we think of Allah, do Salaah, recite Quran, make a Dua, do Tasbeeh, mention Allah in conversation, we are doing Dhikr. There are also specific ways of doing Dhikr, as the Prophet(peace be upon him) taught us.
Importance/Benefits of Dhikr:
Here are some Ayahs and Hadith showing us the importance of and the benefits of doing Dhikr?
Allah(swt) says: “O ye who believe! Let not your wealth or your children divert you from the 'Dhikr' of Allah. If any act thus, the (severe) loss is their own!” [Surah Munafiqoon, Ayah 9]
“Those who believe, their hearts find satisfaction in the 'Dhikr' of Allah: for without doubt, (only) in the 'Dhikr' of Allah do hearts find satisfaction!” [Surah Raad, Ayah 28]
“If anyone withdraws himself from 'Dhikr' of (Allah) Most Gracious, We appoint for him a Shaytaan to be an intimate companion to him! [Surah Zukhruf, Ayah 36]
And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The difference between the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not, is like the difference between a living and dead body.” [Sahih al-Bukhari 6407]
Why every Morning & Evening?
Because Allah (peace be upon him) says in Surah Ahzaab, Ayahs 41-42: “O ye who believe! Celebrate the 'Dhikr' (Remembrance) of Allah and do this (as)much (as possible); And glorify Him Morning and Evening.”
What time is Morning & Evening?
According to Ibn Qayyim(ra)'s interpretation of the following words of Allah, he concludes that the:
- Morning Supplication is from Fajr till Sunrise and
- Evening Supplication is from Asr till Sunset
Surah Ta-Ha, Ayah 130: “And glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun, and before its setting.”
Surah Al-Araf, Ayah 205: “And remember your Lord within yourself with humbleness and fear and without being loud in speech – in the mornings and the evenings,” Why do we recite certain supplications a specific number of times?
See Arabic wording: The word Asaal is a plural of Aseel which means in Arabic the period between Asr and Maghrib. (If you forget to do the Dhikr at these times, you can recite it after Maghrib till the middle of the night or after Sunrise till before zawaal.)
What Dhikr should we recite Morning & Evening?
The Prophet (peace be upon him) has taught us.
Why recite it a certain number of times?
We do not know the reason why, but there is a hidden wisdom in following the Sunnah, as Allah (peace be upon him) says: “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the meeting with) Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.” [Quran 33:21] “And if you obey him (peace be upon him), you will be [rightly] guided.” [Quran 24:54]
The Dhikr as taught by Rasul (peace be upon him) is enough for us and we should avoid innovating in matters of worship, as some people like to say, ‘Recite such and such so many times’, but they have no basis for it.
