It is the first Day of Hajj, Dhul-Hijjah 8, a blessed day for both pilgrims and non-pilgrims.
One of the most recommended acts on these special days is remembering Allah, Dhikr.
The Virtues of Some Adhkar
Abu Malik al-Ash`ari said: the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Subhanallah and Alhamdulillah fill what is between the heavens and the earth.” (Muslim)
Imam An-Nawawi said: “If we were to approximate the reward for saying this as physical matter, it would fill what is between the heavens and the earth. This great reward is due to the sublimity and exaltation of God found in the first statement (Subhanallah) and the delegation and impoverishment exhibited in the second (Alhamdulillah).”
The Prophet said “Whoever says ‘Glory to God the Great by His praise’ (Subhanallahi ‘l-Adheem wa bi hamdihi) then a palm will be planted in Paradise for him.” (At-Tirmidhi)
How to Make This Lowly Life a Blessed One?
Turning the ethereal into the physical seems to be impossible. The most we can do is draw parallels to our world. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “In Paradise is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and has never been imagined by the human heart.” (Al-Bukhari)
Now, how then can we make this lowly life of ours blessed? What is out connection in this life to the purity and serenity of the next?
The Prophet said “This life is cursed as is all that is in it except for the scholar, the student, and the dhikr of God.” (At-Tirmidhi)
In order for us to remain protected, at peace, and in tune with the rest of creation we must act on the basis of our Love for Allah. The operational term here being “act” meaning we take every action and tie it to God’s remembrance.
We tie our hearts to dhikr by purifying our intentions. Also we tie our minds to dhikr by thinking good and expecting good of others. We tie our actions to dhikr by performing the good deeds that accompany those remembrances.
Prophet Muhammad: The Embodiment of Dhikr
Notice that in nearly every instance of the Prophet making dhikr, it was tied to a devotional practice or a natural occurrence. There was never a time that he would simply make dhikr in an orchestrated fashion.
Dhikr Goes Beyond Remembering Allah
Imam An-Nawawi comments on this saying:
“The most correct position is that remembrance of the tongue along with the heart is better than by the heart alone. So, the virtue of dhikr goes beyond the utterances of Tasbih, Tahmid, Tahlil, Takbir and the like.
Instead, every one that acts in the obedience of Allah is making dhikr of Allah. Said ibn Jubair and others narrated this from the scholars.
Ata’ said: ‘The sittings of dhikr are the sittings of halal and haram, how you buy and sell, how you pray and fast, how you marry and divorce, how you make hajj and similar.'” (Al-Adhkar)
This was the dhikr of the Beloved Prophet. He was the embodiment of dhikr. The thought of Allah seeded his heart, came to blossom on his lips, and came to fruition through his acts.
Ask yourself:
What seeds are you planting in your heart?
What blossoms on your lips?
What fruits do you acts bear?
What harvest will you present to your Prophet and would he be pleased?
Join Imam Joe Bradford to understand and internalize the significance of dhikr and how it goes beyond remembering Allah.