THE POWER OF DHIKR

‘People will not sit remembering Allah without the angels surrounding them, mercy covering them, peace descending on them.’

—The noble Messenger Muhammad (S)

All Surahs of the Noble Qur’an, except for Surah at-

Tauba, commence by invoking the three most beautiful names of the Creator and Sustainer of all the worlds: Allah, ar-Rahman, and ar-Rahim. "In the name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful." The entire Qur’an is contained in His name, "Allah," like a whole tree contained in the seed. The value of performing salat (prayer) and dhikr of Allah (remembrance) of all the names of Almighty Allah will be realized after death.

Almighty Allah is the light of the Heavens and the Earth. In Surah Fat-h, Almighty Allah proclaims: ‘To Allah belong the forces of the Heavens and the Earth: and Allah is exalted in Might, full of Wisdom’ ([48]:7). Almighty Allah controls the visible and the invisible forces that are at work. These are angels that execute Almighty Allah’s decrees. Almighty Allah controls the tiniest cell and the entire galaxies; we are part of the tiniest cells. When we focus on the power within, we unearth the capacity with whichAlmighty Allah has blessed us.

Humankind is repeatedly commanded in the Noble Qur’an to remember Almighty Allah and His many favours. Salat and dhikr discipline, train and supply insights and energy to the mind, body and soul.

In Surah ar-R‘ad, Almighty Allah guides us to discover Him: ‘For without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction’ ([13]:28).

Almighty Allah says only those who believe will find satisfaction in remembering Him. It is only through belief that salat and dhikr will make an impact on our life and personality. Remembrance and repeating the names of Almighty Allah– whether we are at work, driving a car or are silent in the early hours of the morning—develop in us the inherent ability to tap into Almighty Allah’s information bank that is deep within us, placed there by none other than the Lord and Creator of all the worlds.

In Surah al-Anfal, Almighty Allah says: ‘If Allah findeth any good in your hearts, He will give you something better’ ([8]:70).

To discover Almighty Allah, we have to begin from within: we must cleanse ourselves of all the influences that keep us away from Almighty Allah. If there is a good intention in our heart, Almighty Allah takes us under His loving care. His

gift and blessing will be in both the spiritual and material worlds. Our essence comes from Almighty Allah, not from this world. We live in the physical body for a temporary period. Passionate love of the material things of this world without fear of the consequences is the root of all sin.

Imam Ghazali says: ‘This world is a training ground for the human heart to be purified. The human body is a tool for it. This world has a positive meaning in relation to his Goal. He who knows the heart, knows himself. He who knows himself, knows Allah.’

Almighty Allah has shown us the way out of sin through sincere repentance that consists of intense, serious realization of one’s sins, and not of focusing only on the material things of this world. Allah says in Surah at-Takathur: ‘The mutual rivalry for piling up the good things of this world distracts you from the serious matters [of life] until you reach [the time of burial in] your graves’([102]:1). Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (ra) narrates that once we were with the noble Messenger Muhammad (S) and he said: ‘If the son of Adam had two valleys full of gold and other goods, he would still seek a third. Nothing but mud [earth of the grave] can fill his stomach.’ (Sahih Bukhari). This is a reflection of human greed that has no limit.

The disease of the heart is the love of this world; we must love the Hereafter more than this world if we are truly desirous of seeking the pleasure of Allah. The meeting with Almighty Allah in the Hereafter should be our goal.

We must die before we die. When, through the power of Almighty Allah, one dies daily by turning away from the heedless pursuit of worldly goods, one becomes fearless in one’s spiritual and material journey. Hadrat Ali (r.a.) said: ‘Work in this world as if you will live in it forever, but live in this world as if you will die tomorrow.’ This advice of Hadrat Ali (r.a.), has shown us how to work and live in this world, this should make us think, reflect and enable us to adjust our lives accordingly. Almighty Allah wants us to put our best effort into this material world. We are commanded to make it a better place for posterity, always keeping in mind that we have to return to Him.

Every morning when we wake up, each one of us must thank Almighty Allah for blessing us with another beautiful day, and an opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of mankind. We must always live as if this is our last day. Spend this day to make a difference in the life of everyone we meet. Think how we should spend this last day of our lives. This is an excellent and sincere way to ensure our day is productive.

We are Almighty Allah’s vicegerents; we are on this material plane to forge a connection with Him in such intimacy that we are in dhikr of Him all the time. Salat and dhikr develop in us the power to control our inner nature; we then solve the imbalances that Iblees endeavours to inflict on us.

Almighty Allah has blessed humankind with the tools — Iman (faith), salat, fasting and zakat—to develop self-awareness that will enable us to unleash Almighty Allah’s power from within.

Inner  awareness is the source of all healing; only a man in unity and balance, experiences the power of Almighty Allah.

By understanding the power of unity within, we will then appreciate the power of unity in the world and the universe at large. The galaxies and the planets and in fact the entire creation of Almighty Allah operate in unison and are in perfect balance. The level of undreamed reality and consciousness develops with salat and dhikr and this causes the shift in our awareness that is needed to give us freedom and fulfilment.

Almighty Allah has placed a powerful world within every one of us. He has blessed humankind with the highest level of intelligence, unequalled by any of His creation. Our role in this world is to be the representative of Almighty Allah, living according to His Laws and Commands. All fears are unnatural; it is the Ibleesi forces that have conditioned us by fear.

In life there are no accidents; everything we experience in one way or another is a necessary part for perfecting life. Through the process of struggle we experience pain and we ask ‘Why me?’ We spend time contemplating why such a misfortune could have befallen us. A great sufi said: ‘Unless thou burneth, thou canst not give off the smell of incense.’ Consistent prayer and dhikr of Allah will help us recover. Then we will be in a position to look back and realize why we had to go through these difficulties. During this period we must contemplate and  ask  ourselves:  What  is  in  this experience? What does Almighty Allah want me to learn out of it? Almighty Allah has positive reasons for everything we experience in life.

Be careful not to fall into the trap of Iblees and become negative. This evil force wants us to dwell on the past and remember the negative reasons that create resistance within. When we focus on the positive reasons, Iblees is neutralized, then adversity turns into prosperity.

Goal-oriented people look for an outcome from every struggle or adversity. They spend their lives seeing every obstacle as an opportunity.

Life is a challenge. We can never get exhausted from doing right; finding an easy way to success is rare. Success is progressive. The sun will set on all of us. Don’t wait to say that I hope I can do it all again. In life there is no second chance to live it again. Appreciate the gift of life that we are blessed with. Almighty Allah does not want us to cling to security. He wants us to do our best and be His agent so we can fulfil His desires. Pray to Almighty Allah to allow His desires to be ours.

Salat and Dhikrullah (repeating the powerful names of Almighty Allah) will free us from self-imposed restrictions; we then endeavour to expand the mind beyond its limits. We free ourselves from fulfilling personal desires and strive towards fulfilling Almighty Allah’s desires. When we do that, our life changes profoundly.

When we are aligned and in tune with Almighty Allah’s desires we can succeed in life easily. Almighty Allah then becomes our ally. His power works with us. No human being is unworthy or unlucky. Almighty Allah wants humankind to enjoy His blessings (the good in life) that will come to us when our desires are aligned with Almighty Allah’s.

In hadith qudsi, Almighty Allah says: ‘You have your desire and I have My desire. My desire shall reign. But if you surrender yourself into My desire, I shall bestow you also your desire. And if you oppose My desire then I shall tire you of fulfilling your desire and ultimately what is to happen will be of My desire.’

In Surah al-Anfal, Almighty Allah reveals the secret to a prosperous successful life: ‘And call Allah in remembrance much (and often) that you may prosper’ ([8]:45).

Remembrance of Almighty Allah is the first and only path in our journey to grow, learn and be successful in life. Constant remembrance of Almighty Allah maintains our relationship with Him that helps us to control our inner being. When we remember Almighty Allah, we remain conscious that He watches every thought, every move and every action we take. This awareness helps us to do the right thing. Iblees tries to create conflict while salat and dhikr ensure that we unleash the Power of Almighty Allah from within and remain on the righteous path.

In Surah al-Isra Almighty Allah says: ‘We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe’ ([17]:82).

Salat and dhikr strengthen and fortify our intuition and knowledge and metabolize our experience, which influences the healing power of the body. Salat and dhikrullah release the healing powers within our body, placed in every human being by Almighty Allah (SWT). Our body contains all the chemicals needed to heal and purify itself, the mind and soul. Remembrance of Almighty Allah develops our immune system; awareness of the powers of Almighty Allah is the key to successful living.

Reading the Noble Qur’an in both English and Arabic, pondering over its message, contemplating and then performing regular salat and dhikrullah will change our consciousness. We have within us the ability to change our environment, as well as the world.

Imam Ghazali advised the novice to ‘learn by heart all important prayers and use them at every moment of daily life’.

The best way to continuously remember Almighty Allah is to organize, regulate and plan our daily lives, ensuring that we perform our salat and dhikr on time. Almighty Allah is able to provide us with abundance. All we have to do is tune into His frequency; salat, dhikr and Iman (belief) go hand in hand.

Imam Mansur al-Hallaj said: ‘The first step is to cease isolating oneself from Almighty Allah.’

By repeating any one of Almighty Allah’s ninety nine names that He has blessed humankind with, we change and attract His power within. Study the names of Almighty Allah, each one will empower us. In seeking guidance repeat the name Ya Hadi (The Guide) and Ya Rasheed (one who guides to righteous path). In seeking power of thought, repeat Ya Allah, Ya Basit (The Expander)—to expand, to unfold. Almighty Allah is a source of ease, flow, growth and expansion.

In Surah ar-Ra‘d Almighty Allah explains the power of one of His names, Muta ‘ali: ‘He knows all that lies beyond the reach of human perception, the unseen and the seen. He is the Great, the Most High’ ([13]:9). Our most hidden thoughts and motives are known to him at all times. He is beyond all limitations, yet He says: ‘He is closer to us than our jugular vein.’ The ninety-nine names of Almighty Allah will transform us; we will Insha’Allah transcend the mind and its limitations. That is the power of His attributes.

These verses, as explained repeatedly in the Noble

Qur’an, celebrate the praises of Almighty Allah and glorify Him. The entire universe, the birds, bees, ants, animals, mountains, animate and inanimate objects all glorify and praise Almighty Allah. Human beings and jinn are the only creation that are given freedom of choice. Almighty Allah has blessed humanity with the power of thought. It distinguishes us from animals and all other creation of Almighty Allah.

The sound of Allah’s powerful names generates creative energy. Allah Allah! Allah Allah! Allah Allah! Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim, Ya Malik, Ya Qudus, Ya Salaam. Almighty Allah’s ninety-nine powerful names are triggers for transformation. All the prophets, saints, religious leaders,  companions  and scholars have reached a higher state repeating Almighty Allah’s beautiful names.

Consistent dhikr, over time, gives life to the heart and ultimately impacts the entire body. Every particle of the body utters Allah Allah! Allah Allah! Allah Allah!

Almighty Allah repeatedly reminds us in the Noble Qur’an the importance of, dhikr, salat and zakat. The habit of praising Allah, performing salat and being charitable are imperative for our spiritual wellbeing and development. Glorifying Almighty Allah in our salat brings us closer to ‘He who has promised that the righteous shall inherit the earth’ (Surah al-Nur [24]:55). Without doubt, those who follow Almighty Allah’s guidance will be successful in this world and in the Hereafter.