Mu’aadh Ibn Jabal (radi Allahu anhu) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The People of Paradise will not regret anything except one thing alone: the hour that passed them by in which they made no remembrance of Allah.” (Narrated Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-iman).
We should remember Allah as much as we can and glorify him night and day, not just in Ramadan but until our very last breath. What better time to start remembering Allah more than in this most blessed month.
The Zikr of Allah is something that will not cost you any time. We all have very busy lifestyles and many a times we complain that we do not have enough time. With Zikr ,you do not have to make any time for it. It is something that you could super impose over your regular schedule; be it while at work, whilst cooking, whilst shopping, and even whilst relaxing. Zikr of Allah is something that is extremely easy and extremely rewardable.We may think that just because an act is simple and easy it does not carry weight in it. That is not the case.
Ibnul Jawzi (Rahmatullah alayh) delivers advice in his book Sayd al khatir. This advice is a rule for burglars. Anyone who is in the field of burglary has to learn this rule. This is the most important law and rule for burglary; you cannot graduate from it until you master this rule. What is this rule? You take whatever is very light in weight and very valuable in price. When you walk into a house to steal, you do not carry the couches and chairs, rather you will take with you the gold and jewelry.
In the same way; we need to apply this rule when dealing with the laws of Shari’ah. There are some Ibadaat which are very easy to do and carry a lot of weight. One of them is the Zikr of Allah Azza Wajal.
Zikr of Allah Azza Wajal is just like a tree, the fruit of which is the realization of Allah. The more zikr is done, the stronger shall grow the branches of this tree; and the stronger the root of this tree and the more abundant the fruits it will bear.
Let us set daily targets of doing as much Dhikr as we can. We should remember Allah in our hearts and not just by our tongues. Contemplate over his magnificence and his creations and imagine him in front of us as we glorify and remember Allah Azza Wajal.
To Mention a few Virtues of Zikr:
- It is the cause of Allah Azza Wajal’s pleasure.
- It relieves the mind of anxieties and worries.Allah mentions in the Quraan: “verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” [13:28]
- It produces joy and happiness in the heart.
- It brightens the face and the heart.
- It helps realization of Allah so that the person reaches a wherein he comes to regard Allah as his sole Cherisher, Guardian and Master, and he turns unto Him, in all afflictions.
- It is the key to nearness to Allah; the greater the zikr, the greater the nearness to Allah, and greater the indifference to Zikr, the greater the distance from Him.
- It opens the door of Ma’rifat (realization) of Allah.
- It makes one realize the greatness and grandeur of Allah Azza Wajal and strengthens the consciousness of his omnipresence.
- Zikr of Allah causes one’s mention in the Court of Allah, as said in the Quran: “Remember me, and I will remember you.”
- It gives life to the heart; Ibn Taimiyyah (Rahmatullah alaih) says that zikr is as necessary for the heart as water for the fish. Imagine the condition of a fish out of water.
- It is food for the heart and the soul; depriving them of zikr is like depriving the body of its food.
- Zikr cleanses the heart of its rust. Everything rusts according to its nature; and the heart rusts with wordly desires and sins, to purify the heart, zikr is necessary.
The following are forms of Dhikr as mentioned in various Ahadith that we can recite throughout the day and night:
We should try and aim to recite each of these Dhikr a 100 times each which makes a total of 1000 a day minimum.
1. Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘annee – Recite this abundantly during the last ten nights of Ramadan.
2. Subhanallah.
3. Alhamdulillah.
4. Allahu Akbar.
5. Laa ilaaha illallah.
6. La hawla wala quwwata illa billahil aliyil Azeem.
7. Asthaghfirullah-halladhee Laa ilaaha illa-huwal Hayyul Qayyuumu Wa athoobu Ilay.
8. Subhanallahi Wabihamdihi Subhanallahil Azeem.
9. Subhāna-llāhi, wa-l-hamdu li-llāhi, wa lā ilāha illā-llāhu, wa-llāhu akbar,Wa lā hawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi-l-aliyyi-l-azīm.
10. Lā ilāha illā-llāhu wahdahu lā sharīka lahu lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-hamdu yuhyi wa yumītu wa huwa hayyu-llā yamūtu abadan abada, dū-l-jalāli wa-l-ikrām, biyadihi-l-khayr, wa huwa alā kulli Shay-in qadīr.
11. Durood and salawaat upon Rasulullah Sallallāhu Alayhi Wasallam.
What an amazing opportunity we have been given in this blessed month to gain such closeness to Allah as well as his mercy and forgiveness of our past and present sins. There are immense rewards available for us in this blessed month if only we make the little effort required to gain them. Surely on the Day of Judgment we will BEG each other for just one good deed but we will not be able to get anything as we will all be in desperate need on that day. Therefore; the time to prepare for the Hereafter is NOW as tomorrow may never come. What better time to make lifetime changes than to do so in the most blessed of Months – Ramadaan Al Kareem.
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