PART 14 – TYPES OF ZIKRULLAH
O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance. (Al Ahzab, verse 41)
The constant state of zikr will also grant one a constant state of Allah’s protection and guidance. In Surah Al Anfal, verse 45, Allah says:
“O you who have believed, when you encounter a company [from the enemy forces], stand firm and remember Allah much that you may be successful.”
This remembrance should be continuous, and we should not allow ourselves to lapse from it. We should strive to this condition, to the extent that we think of Allah when we fall asleep and the first thing in the morning when we wake up! For many, it is difficult to be consistent, because of all the other demands of daily life: the seeking of provision, the maintenance of wealth and the upbringing of children. Yet, Allah has already given us the following warning:
“O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that – then those are the losers.” (Al Munafiqun verse 9)
The disbelievers and non-believers are viewed as arrogant by Allah because they neglect the remembrance of Allah. The zikrulllah distinguishes between the believer, the disbeliever and the hypocrite. The abandonment of zikrullah will eventually invoke the wrath of Allah and the severance of His mercy, while those who maintain their remembrance of Allah will be the successful ones.
To Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And those near Him are not prevented by arrogance from His worship, nor do they tire. They exalt [Him] night and day [and] do not slacken. (Anbiya, verse 20)
Indeed, those who are near your Lord are not prevented by arrogance from His worship, and they exalt Him, and to Him they prostrate. (Al A’raf, verse 206)
Even angels perform the zikr, and this will be witnessed by those who are lucky enough to be admitted into jannah. Imagine imitating the actions of the angels who are in such a close and exalted position with Allah.
And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, exalting [Allah] with praise of their Lord. And it will be judged between them in truth, and it will be said, “[All] praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (Az Zumar, verse 75)
Prophets and Messengers are not exempt from performing zikrullah. The only reason that Allah allowed Yunus AS to be released from the belly of the whale after he was swallowed by it, was his unceasing zikrullah:
And had he not been of those who exalt Allah, He would have remained inside its belly until the Day they are resurrected. (Al Saffat, verses 143-144)
Tasbeeh removes weaknesses and gives the ability to overcome woes in life. It is the ocean of praising Allah when one is completely awash in the praise of Allah, and where nothing is relevant except for Allah.
Reported by Abu Hurairah (RA): The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “There are two statements that are light for the tongue to remember, heavy in the Scales and are dear to the Merciful: `Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-Azim [Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, (and) Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection)’.”[Bukhari & Muslim].
With this will come the humbling realization that no matter how much you praise, you always fall short, because one can never express enough gratitude to Allah.
Nowadays, when we meet someone who has achieved wealth or social status, we tend to fixate on his achievement and in fact long to be in his shoes. We will admire him have the overriding desire to achieve what he has achieved, and are willing to invest years of time, money, and effort just to keep up with him. Take the example of a dancer, singer, professor and how many years they spend pursuing their goal against the time they expend in knowing the Creator and developing a relationship with Him.
We have the choice and time on our hands, and the decision is ours as to which ambition we want to pursue.
