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Dhikr , ذکر (Zikr in Urdu and Zekr in Persian) (Arabic "pronouncement", "invocation" or "remembrance") also called zikrullah is the remembrance of God. According to some, to engage in dhikr is to have awareness of God. Dhikr as a devotional act includes the repetition of divine names, supplications and aphorisms from hadith literature, and sections of the Qur'an.

Origins

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The origins of dhikr and its practice is an issue which is disputed within the Muslim community. While some claim it has sanction in both the Qur'an and sunnah, others consider it to be bid'ah, or an unlawful innovation into religious practice.

Dhikr Beads

Known also as tasbih, these are usually beads upon a string, 99 or 100 in number, which correspond to the ninety-nine names of God and other recitations. The beads are used to keep track of the number of recitations that make up the dhikr.

Muslim inmates are allowed to utilize dhikr beads for therapeutic effects (see, ). This was a result of a successful action brought pursuant to 28 USC @ 1983 (by Imam Hamzah S. Alameen in the State of New York against Thomas A. Coughlin III, the Department of Corrections) arguing that prisoners have a First Amendment Constitutional right to use dhikr beads.

Some Islamic scholars argue that using the beads are forbidden, however. Many claim that the usage of the fingers to count is better as that is what was practiced by Muhammad. The issue is still hotly debated in some communities and there are a number of differing opinions on the matter.

Sufi view

The Sufi orders engage in ritualized dhikr ceremonies. Each order or lineage within an order has one or more forms for group dhikr, the liturgy of which may include recitation, singing, instrumental music, dance, costumes, incense, meditation, ecstasy, and trance (Touma 1996, p.162). Dhikr in a group is not limited to these rules but most often done on Thursday and/or Sunday nights as part of the institutional practice of most orders.

Dhikr is sometimes accompanied with traditional instruments such as the Daf, Ney, Dombak, Tar (lute), Setar (lute), Santur, and so on. Recently, modern instruments have also been used to perform dhikr.

A group dhikr ceremony in Arabic countries is usually called the hadrah. The hadrah marks the climax of the Sufi's gathering regardless of any teaching or formal structure. Musically this structure includes several secular Arab genres and can last for hours. (ibid, p.165)

The hadrah section consists of the ostinato-like repetition of the name of God over which the soloist performs a richly ornamented song. Often the climax is reached through cries of "Allah! Allah!" or "hu hu" ("He! He!"), with the participants bending forward while exhaling and stand straight while inhaling. The articulation of the name of God progresses as follows, with upward beams indicating inhalatio

Modes of Dhikr

Depending upon the mode of dhikr, it has been divided into 3 kinds:

• Dhikr-e-Jalli — Dhikr with tongue loudly
• Dhikr-e-Khaffi— Dhikr in heart (hidden dhikr - i.e not from tongue)

Sufis further divide the mode of meditative dhikr according to the Latifa in which they are done. These include:

• Dhikr-e-nafsi
• Dhikr-e-Qalbi
• Dhikr-e-Ruhi
• Dhikr-e-Sirri
• Dhikr-e-Khafi
• Dhikr-e-Akfha

Forms of Dhikr

Different Sufi Orders have different syllabus of dhikr. Most common ones are as follows:

• Allah (The name of God)
• Ya-Hayyu-Ya-Qayyum (O Living & Giver of life)
• La illaha illallah (There is no god but God)
• Allah Hu (God Is)
• 99 Names of God
• Verses from Qur'an
• Poetry of the Sufi Masters
• Darud Sharif (Asking God to send peace & blessings upon Muhammad)
• Istaghfar (Asking forgiveness from God)

Source

• Habib Hassan Touma (1996). The Music of the Arabs, trans. Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0-931340-88-8.

External links

• More information about zikr and meditation
• Videocollection of different dhikr
• M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi (School of Islamic Sufism)
• Present Naqshbandi Order
• Encyclopaedia of Turkey dhikr - zikr article
• Videos of Chechen Qadiri dhikr

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