Dhikr in Islam; the Meaning, Rewards and Benefits
Islam is not only a religion of worships and rituals; it is rather a life style. Islam guides people in all aspects of their life. One of the very important concepts of Islam is the reliance on Allah in all steps in life, asking help, support and power from Allah as He is the creator of the whole world and its handler of all time. This reliance on Allah is done through permanent remembrance and frequent mention of Allah, and here comes the role of Dhikr and Dua’. Adhkar and Dua are two similar and very important worships in Islam. In this article we will highlight the meaning of Dhikr and its importance for Muslims.
What is Dhikr and Adhkar?
Adhkar is the plural of Dhikr; an Arabic word that means remembrance or mention. But in the religious context it means the remembrance and mention of Allah SWT, it is the worship that simply means to praise Allah SWT and glorify Him internally in your heart and orally with your tongue. Sentences you may have heard a lot such as; SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Masha’Allah are Dhikr, each of them has its meaning, but you can just repeat them anytime for any number of times and gain the great rewards. There is also the specified Dhikr (or Adhkar) for certain situations, events and occasions. There are specified Adhkar for morning, evening, going to bed, waking up, after prayers (Salah), for entering and exit of the house, the mosque and even the market.
The Benefits and Rewards of Dhikr:
There are great benefits for Muslim who says Dhikr and keeps his heart and tongue in remembrance of Allah SWT. Here are some of them, for these benefits
Allah SWT guide/order Muslims to remember Him a lot:
{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا ، وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا} (سورة الأحزاب: 41-42)
(41-42:33) “O ye who believe! Celebrate the praises of Allah, and do this often; And glorify Him morning and evening.”
(1) Engaging your heart and tongue to Dhikr gives the heart peace and tranquility.
{الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ} (سورة الرعد: 28)
(28:13) “Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”
(2) Those who remember Allah SWT a lot and do Dhikr are promised forgiveness and great reward.
{وَالذَّاكِرِينَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَالذَّاكِرَاتِ أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا} (سورة الأحزاب:35)
(35:33) “… and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise,- for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.”
(3) Dhikr makes the Muslim closer to Allah SWT and gains the honor that Allah SWT mention him.
عن أبي هريرة، رضي الله عنه، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: ”يقول الله تعالى: أنا عند ظن عبدي بي، وأنا معه إذا ذكرني، فإن ذكرني في نفسه، ذكرته في نفسي وإن ذكرني في ملإٍ ذكرته في ملإٍ خير منهم”
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Allah the Exalted says: ‘I am as my slave expects me to be, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me inwardly, I will remember him inwardly, and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I will remember him in a better assembly (i.e., in the assembly of angels).”
(4) Dhikr keeps the Muslim’s tongue and heart busy with the good of remembrance of Allah so it helps to prevent the Muslim from making sins or speaking bad.
(5) Dhikr also brings bless to the Muslim’s life, protects him from Satan and other evils, and enlightens his heart to clearly distinguish right and wrong.
(6) Making Dhikr a lot keeps the Muslim away from hypocrisy; as hypocrites rarely mention or remember Allah.
Dhikr is a golden opportunity to strengthen your relation to Allah SWT, get closer to Him and feel peaceful and safe in His accompany
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