Q244 :May I quote from a book which I have been
reading recently entitled: What Islam Is. Speaking on Zikr, the author
makes this suggestion: “There is no need for those in whose hearts zikr
of Allah has nete to dwell permanently as a result of constant endeavor
and benete a part of their existence, to follow a set routine, or make
a special effort in this respect. But if netmon people like us want to
strengthen their bond with Allah and partake of its suspiciousness and
blessedness, they must practice zikr at a fixed time and in a fixed
number according to their individual circumstances. Better still they
should seek the advice of a spiritual guide while choosing a zikr
formula for themselves. Or, they can select a ‘kalimah’ from the
‘kalimahs’ we have given above which may be most suited to their
temperament. Time should also be set aside daily for the recitation of
the Qur’an.” May I ask to what extent are these suggestions valid,
according to the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet? Could you
please give names of spiritual guides?
A244 : ‘Zikr’ or ‘thikr’ to spell it more
accurately, is the Arabic term used to denote the remembrance of Allah
whether in secret or verbally, in a whisper, or a low or loud voice. A
good believer is one who practices thikr very frequently. Indeed, the
firmer a believer is in his faith, the more he practices thikr which
keeps him always mindful of his Islamic obligations. He is thus
conscious of Allah and his consciousness of Him provides a check
against deviation from Islamic teachings. Man is always liable to
forget his obligations when an immediate interest or temptation offers
itself. Being conscious of Allah is the best safeguard against falling
to such temptations or pursuing such an interest, if it is of the type
which is forbidden by Allah. Since thikr helps develop and enhance such
conscience, it is part of Islamic worship. Indeed, all Islamic worship
can be said to fall within the overall framework of remembering Allah,
which is the translation offered by many scholars of the term thikr.
Allah is certainly aware that man’s behavior can be partly influenced
by his convictions. Nevertheless, man often resorts to harmful
practices, knowing in advance they have a negative effect on him, or on
his life. No one on earth knows the fact better than those who use, or
rather abuse those practices. Their conviction of the harm which is
shown to result from their action is not sufficient to bring about a
behavioral change. Similarly the overwhelming majority of people know
deep in their hearts that this universe could not have existed without
a Creator who is all powerful and who controls its operation.
Nevertheless, many people turn their backs on this fact and deny
Allah’s existence altogether or lead a life which is totally oblivious
of what Allah requires of human beings. Other people profess to be
believers but they nevertheless tend to prefer an immediate interest,
or a temporary pleasure, or an easy gain to doing their religious
duties. Had their belief in Allah been netbined with a strong and clear
consciousness of Him and the relative positions of man and Allah, their
behavior would have changed. They would have certainly preferred to do
what Allah has bidden them to do and refrain from doing what He has
forbidden. This shows the importance of thikr which the Qur’an and the
Hadith highlight. It certainly helps people to be always conscious of
Allah, mindful of their duties, wary of violating divine teachings.
But how do we practice thikr? Obviously, we learn our religion from
Allah’s messenger who has been sent specifically for the purpose of
conveying to us Allah’s message and explaining to us how to please
Allah and earn His reward and how to avoid His displeasure and the
punishment that is attendant on incurring it. The first thing in thikr
is to do the duties Allah has imposed on us, such as praying, fasting,
pilgrimage and paying zakah. Moreover, we can glorify Allah and praise
Him. We can recite the Qur’an and study its meaning. We should endeavor
to understand what it says and to abide by its teachings. It is not
sufficient just to read it without understanding. Moreover, we should
contemplate and think of Allah’s perfect design of the universe. When
we see something of Allah’s creation, we should try to see the
perfection that is the mark of Allah’s work. We look at the balance
that exists in nature and glorify Allah for having established such a
balance which ensures the continuity of life. When we do all this, we
develop a consciousness of Allah that will affect our behavior in every
respect, making us better human beings. This is in a nutshell what the
Prophet has taught us of how to practice thikr. This is supported by
the sacred, or Qudsi Hadith in which Allah states that the best thing
to draw a human being closer to Allah is for that human being to do
what Allah has ordered him to do. When he has done that, he can do more
of a sunnah and nafl. In the light of the foregoing, let us consider
the quotation you have given us from this book. It speaks of two grades
of thikr and two classes of human beings. The lower class is that which
needs a fixed time for thikr and a fixed number of religious duties
such as prayers and fasting. They also need a spiritual guide. Who and
where that guide netes from, it does not tell us. The nature of his
work is kept ambiguous. His authority, however, is clear and absolute.
Whatever he orders should be obeyed. Is it not right to wonder how far
does this fit in with what the Prophet has taught us? We have learned
from the Prophet that we have to offer our prayers five times a day and
a time range is specified for each prayer. He has taught us to fast in
Ramadan from dawn to dusk. He has also ordered us to do the pilgrimage
at a particular time of the year, going on a journey which takes us to
particular places and to do certain acts and rituals at specific times.
In other words, he has taught us to do the thikr in a particular manner
at a specific time and in fixed numbers. Moreover, he told us that no
matter what our circumstances are, prayers must be offered on time. He
himself practiced what he has taught us. He did his thikr in a
particular manner at specified times and in fixed numbers. If we take
the quotation you have cited as correct, then we are bound to conclude
that the Prophet has done no more than teaching his followers to be
members of the lower class and he himself remained in that class with
them. This is certainly a mouthful which is sufficient to throw anyone
who says it in the abyss of hell. Besides, this author is saying that
some people, with whom the Prophet is not included, can attain a higher
grade through certain endeavor. When they have attained this grade,
they are released from the “minor affairs” of offering acts of worship
which Allah requires of people, such as prayer, fasting, payment of
zakah, pilgrimage, etc. What the “constant endeavor” signifies, the
author does not tell us. What his words mean, however, is that certain
people may exceed the Prophet in their endeavor to worship Allah as He
wants to be worshipped. This is again a mouthful which brings anyone
who says it to ruin. Such people are thus given a status higher than
that of the Prophet and are claimed to be endowed with knowledge which
the Prophet had not attained. This is not just a total absurdity;
indeed, anyone who claims it needs to have his mind examined. If you
look closely at the life of those spiritual guides who are said not to
need to practice the thikr of Allah in a specific manner or in a fixed
time, you will find that they have but scanty knowledge of Islam. Their
qualifications do not give them the right to make a pronouncement on
even the simplest of questions. Moreover, they find themselves in a
position which gives them some prestige, much authority and brings them
an innete for which they do not have to work. Hence, they try to
perpetuate this position. In addition, they do not have enough faith in
order to conduct their lives as Islam wishes every Muslim to do. They
do not wish to offer prayers as regularly as all Muslims must. Hence,
they nete up with the idea that they have attained a stage which
released them from that requirement. If the Prophet himself and his
best netpanions, such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman and Ali were not exempt
from offering prayers at a particular time, in a specific number of
rak’ahs and so on, how nete such “guides” can reach this stage? The
fact is that these persons may be called “guides” but they only guide
their followers to ruin, as they take them away from the path shown to
us by Prophet Muhammad, Allah’s last messenger (peace be upon him).
You need not ask me of the names of spiritual guides in the Islamic
world. The only spiritual guide a Muslim may have is the Prophet (peace
be upon him). Everyone who follows the Prophet is a good Muslim and
needs no more spiritual guidance than what the Prophet has taught us.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )