"IN THE TIME OF THE PROPHET TASAWWUF WAS A REALITY WITHOUT A NAME. TODAY TASAWWUF IS A
NAME, BUT FEW KNOW ITS REALITY."
The Islamic Nation today is in need of good scholars who observe the correct teachings of Islam ('alimun 'aamil),
trying their best to bring back what has been destroyed of the Islamic religion over the years and who are able
to differentiate between right and wrong, halal and haram, and who believe in Haqq and oppose Batil, not
fearing anyone on the way of Allah.
Muslims of today have no one to advise them nor guide them in the teaching of their religion and the good
manners and behavior of Islam. On the contrary, we see only scholars pretending to know something, imposing
their corrupted ideas and beliefs about Islam on everyone. They are at every convention, giving lectures and
talks about Islam from a narrow and limited perspective, not according to the guidance the Sahaba of the
Prophet nor of the great Imams of Islam nor the consensus of the majority of Muslims.
If scholars would listen to their consciences and return in loyalty and sincerity to Islam without the influence of
governments or other powers that control Muslim countries with their money, devoting themselves only to da'wa
and irshad and remembrance of Allah and His Prophet (s), then the situation in the Islamic world could change
and Muslim life would improve tremendously. Our hope is that in this new Islamic year 1416, Muslims in America
and throughout the world will come back together in unity, linked to one rope, Allah's Rope, to establish the
Sunnah and the Shari'ah of Prophet Muhammad (s).
If people will look back deeply into history they will find that after the brave work of the Sahaba, (the Companions
of the Prophet(s)), Islam spread East and West and to the Far East through the dawa' and irshad of the
scholars and followers of Tasawwuf (Sufism), who followed the True Way of the Caliphs of the Prophet
(s)--radi-Allahu 'anhum. They were the scholars of true Sufism, which upholds the teachings of the Qur'an and
Sunnah and has never deviated from them.
Islamic zuhd (asceticism) flourished in the first Hijri century and developed into schools that had their foundation
and basis of their teachings in the Sunnah and Shari'ah, propagated by zahid scholars who came to be known
as the Sufis. Among them were the first four Imams, Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad
Ibn Hanbal, as well as al-Imam Abi 'Abdallah Muhammad AL-BUKHARI, Abul Husain MUSLIM bin al-Hajjaj, Abu
'Isa TIRMIDHI. Others were Hasan al-Basri, al-Junaid, Imam Awzai' And later these included at-Tabarani, Imam
Jalaluddin as-Suyuti, ibn Hajar al-Haythami, al-Jardani, ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi, Imam Muhyiddin bin Sharaf bin Mari
bin Hassan bin Husain bin Hazam bin NAWAWI, Imam Abu Hamid GHAZALI, Sayyid Ahmad al-Farouqi Sirhindi, to
name a few. The Muslim world has come to know Islam through the efforts of these zahid scholars who were
known as Sufis because of their loyalty, sincerity and purity of heart.
We are not hiding the fact that at that time, some enemies of Islam came to take an extreme approach, using the
name of Sufism, and pretending to be Sufis while spreading strange ideas in order to demolish the true Sufi
teachings and poison Muslim ideas about Tasawwuf which the majority of Muslims were following. True
Tasawwuf is based on zuhd and Ihsan (purity of the heart). The great Imams of the Muslim world, whose
guidance was followed in all Muslim countries, were known to have Sufi masters. Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifa,
(whose teacher was Ja'far as-Sadiq) Imam Shafi' (who followed Shayban ar-Rai') and Imam ibn Hanbal (whose
teacher was Bishr al-Hafi) all embraced Tasawwuf.
All courts and universities of Muslim countries teach from the schools of these four Imams up to today. For
example, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Djibouti, and some other countries follow the Shafi'i madhhab.
Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Libya and Somalia follow the Maliki school. Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
Kuwait, Oman and some other countries follow the Hanbali school. Turkey, Pakistan, India, Ceylon, and some of
the Russian republics follow the Hanafi school. The Far Eastern Muslim countries follow the Shafi'i school. Most
courts of Muslim countries depend for their fatwas on these four schools and all these four schools accepted
Tasawwuf.
Imam Malik in his famous saying said, "man tasawaffa wa lam yatafaqa faqad tazandaqa, wa man tafaqaha wa
lam yatasawaf faqad tafasaq, wa man tasawaffa wa tafaqaha faqad tahaqaq."
which means: " Whoever studied Tasawwuf without Fiqh is a heretic, and whoever studied Fiqh without
Tasawwuf is corrupted, and whoever studied Tasawwuf and Fiqh will find the Truth and Reality of Islam."
At a time when travel was most difficult, Islam spread quickly through the selfless efforts of Sufi travelers
well-schooled in the ascetic discipline (zuhd ad-dunya) required of those Allah had chosen for so noble a task.
Their life was dawa' and their sustenance was bread and water. Through such abstinence they were able to
reach the West and the Far East with the blessing of Islam.
In the 6th and 7th Hijri centuries, Tasawwuf flourished increasingly because of the progress and effort of the Sufi
teachers. Each group came to be named after its Sufi teacher, to differentiate it from other groups. Similarly
today, each person holds a degree named for the university from which he graduated. Yet it is obvious that
Islam remains the same, never changing from one Sufi teacher to another, just as Islam is not changing from
one university to another.
However, in the past students were influenced by the good manners and good morality of their teachers.
Therefore Muslims were sincere and loyal. But today our scholars are dry and Islam is taught to them in
non-Muslim universities by non-Muslims professors (if you are clever you can understand).
Sufi teachers asked their students to accept Allah as their Creator and the Prophet as His Slave and Messenger
(s), to worship Allah alone and to leave the worship of idols, to repent to God, to follow the Sunnah of the
Prophet, to purify their hearts, to clean their egoes from mistakes and to correct their beliefs in the Oneness of
God. And they were teaching them to be honest and trustworthy in everything they did, to be patient and
God-fearing, to love others, to depend on God, and all the other excellent manners demanded by Islam.
In order for them to reach all these stations of sincerity and purity they gave their students different prayers
(du`a) that the Prophet (s), his Sahaba and the Tabi'een were practicing. They were teaching Dhikr-Allah, the
remembrance of Allah, through the reading of Qur'an and dua' and tasbeeh from Hadith, and through the
recitation of Allah's Names and Attributes in tahleel, tahmeed, takbeer, tamjeed and tasbeeh, according to many
ayats and hadiths of the Prophet about Dhikr. (These can be found in all books of Hadith, including Bukhari,
Muslim, Tabarani, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud, etc., under the heading of Dhikr in Islam to which anyone can refer.)
These Sufi teachers (real scholars) refused fame and high positions and money and a materialistic life, not as
scholars of our days who run after fame and money. Rather they were zahid and dependent on Allah following
His saying: "ma khalaqtul Jinni wal Insi illa li-ya'budoon" -- "We did not create the Jinn nor Mankind except to
worship Me."
As a result of their decency and zuhd, they were able to convince wealthy people to build mosques and
dormitories (khaniqahs) throughout the Ummah of Islam, offering free food and free lodging. Thus Islam spread
quickly from one country to another through khaniqahs and mosques. Such places, in which the poor could eat
and sleep and the homeless could find shelter, were a cure for the hearts of the poor and were a connection
between the rich and the poor, between black, yellow, red and white, between Arab and non-Arab.
The Prophet (s) said in hadith, "There is no difference between Arabs and non-Arabs except through
righteousness."
These places made people to come together from all races and nations. Sufis kept the Sunnah and the
Shari'ah. Their history is full of bravery and struggle in the way of Allah, jihad fi sabeell-illah, leaving their
countries, seeking the hearts of people in every place to convert as many as possible through one method,
which is love. To love everyone without distinctions of race, age and gender. They saw everyone as deserving
of respect especially women, the downtrodden and the poor. Sufis were like bright stars, shining throughout the
world, encouraging everyone to 'jihad fi sabeel-illah,' striving in the way of Allah, to spread Islam, to help the
poor, the homeless and those in need, both far and the near. They reached with their iman, the middle of Asia,
up to India, Pakistan, Tashkent, Bukhara, Daghistan, and other areas such as China, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.
True Sufi people never deviated from the Shari'ah and the Sunnah of the Prophet and the Qur'an, regardless of
the exuberance of the ecstatic utterances of some Sufis and some explanations that revealed the Greatness of
God and the mercy and purity of His Beloved Messenger, Beloved Muhammad (s).
The main two sources of tasawwuf were the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) as it was conveyed
through the understanding of Islam of Sayiddina Abu Bakr (radi-Allahu 'anhu) and Sayiddina Ali (karam-Allahu
wajhah) who are considered the two sourcemasters of the Sufi orders. Sayiddina Abu Bakr (r) was representing
one stream of Tasawwuf. The Prophet has said about him, "whatever God poured in my heart, I poured into the
heart of Abu Bakr" "ma sab-Allahu fee sadree shayan illa wa sababtuhu fee sadree Abi Bakrin." (Hadiqa Nadiah
published in Cairo, 1313 H. p. 9). Allah said in Holy Qur'an,
'...for God did indeed help him when the unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one Companion: they
two were in the cave.' (9, 40).
And the Prophet said in another hadith "the sun never rose on anyone better than Abu Bakr except the
prophets." (see Suyuti, History of Caliphs, Cairo, 1952, p. 46).
There are many other hadiths explaining the station of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. The other stream of Tasawwuf came
through Sayiddina Ali (r), about whom there are very many hadiths that would take many pages to explain.
Finally, the Sunnah of the Prophet and the Shari'ah, which represent obligations, and Ihsan, which represents
good manners, were all embodied in the character of the Sufi scholars, beginning with Sayiddina Abu Bakr (r),
the first caliph of the Prophet (s) up until today.
In the 13th Century Hijri (the 19th A.C.) a new school appeared, influenced by the teachings of two scholars of
Islam of the 7th C. Hijri, (14th A.C.). This school was a new school in Islam, which though based in the Hanbali
school was different from it in 'aqida. Though this school also accepted Tasawwuf, it kept a much more
restrictive and narrow interpretation of what is allowed in Islam than the first Four Schools.
Lately, the followers of this school had deviated from the original teachings of the founders of the school and
have exaggerated to great extremes in invoking accusations against Muslims based on the fatwas of modern
scholars, who have taken the most literalist and restrictive view of Islam and come against the mainstream of
Muslims. And these new beliefs have spread very quickly in this century with the support of a minority of Muslims
who have their own beliefs and their own interpretation of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
These people are now fighting Sufism and trying to demean the bravery and efforts of the Sufis in spreading
Islam througout the world during the preceding 1300 years.
As a Muslim Nation, we respect all schools in Islam without discrimination. But in return we don't accept that
anyone impose his ideas on us, as we are following beliefs acceptable to the majority of Muslims, who accept
Tasawwuf.
In America, we are surprised to see of 1400 years of Islamic history and culture denied and rejected by a
minority of scholars with their own point of view, as if the past 1400 years of scholars' following the Sufi schools
and the four madhahib did not exist and had never existed.
For our brothers and sisters information we are presenting the names of some of the countless modern scholars
following Sufi schools and the four madhahib, who represent the majority of Muslims througout the Islamic world:
Mufti of Egypt, Hassanain Muhammad al-Mukhloof, member of Muslim World League,
Muhammad at-Tayib an-Najjar, president of Sunnah and Shariah Intl. and President of Azhar University,
Shaikh 'Abdallah Qanun al-Hassani, President of the Morocco Scholars and Deputy of the World Islamic League,
Dr. Hussaini Hashim, Deputy of Azhar of Egypt and General Secretary of the Research Institute of Mecca,
as-Sayyid Hashim al-Rafai, former Minister of Religion in Kuwait,
as-Shaikh Sayyid Ahmad al-Awad, Mufti of Sudan,
ash-Shaikh Malik al-Kandhalawi, President of the League of Islamic Scholars in Pakistan and President of
Ashrafiya University,
Ustaz Abdul Ghafoor al-Attar, President of Saudi Arabian Society of Authors,
Qadi Yusuf bin Ahmad as-Siddiqui, Judge of the High Court of Bahrain,
Muhammad Khazraji, Shaikh Ahmad ibn Muhammad bin Zabara, Mufti of Yemen,
ash-Shaikh Muhammad ash-Shadili an-Nivar, President of Shariah University in Tunisia,
ash-Shaikh Khal al-Banani, President of the Mauritania Islamic League,
Shaikh Muhammad Abdul Wahid Ahmad, Minister of Religious Affairs of Egypt,
Shaikh Muhammad bin Ali Habashi, President of the Islamic League in Indonesia,
Shaikh Ahmad Koftaro, Mufti of Syria,
Shaikh Abu Saleh Mohammed al-Fattih al-Maliki of Ondurman, Sudan,
Shaikh Muhammad Rashid Kabbani, Mufti of Lebanon,
ash-Shaikh as-Sayyid Muhammad al-Maliki al-Hassani, Professor of Shari'ah and teacher in the two Holy
Mosques, Makka and Madina,
and many many more throughout Arab and other Muslim countries.
Oh our beloved brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, Islam is tolerance (hilm), Islam
is love, Islam is Peace. Islam is humbleness, Islam is perfection. Islam is zuhd, Islam is Ihsan. Islam means
relationships. Islam means family. Islam is sisterhood and brotherhood. Islam means equality. Islam is one body.
Islam is knowledge. Islam is spirituality. Islam has external as well as internal knowledge. ISLAM IS SUFISM.
SUFISM IS ISLAM.
Finally, Islam is Light that Allah has sent to us through his final Messenger Muhammad (s), who is the True
symbol of love, the symbol of external and internal knowledge, the symbol of mercy to all human beings. He is
our means to God. He is the intercessor for everyone, without doubt and this is expressed in all books of fiqh.
Dhikr - Remembrance of God
Dhikr is the means by which Stations yield their fruit, until the seeker reaches the Divine Presence. On the
journey to the Divine Presence the seed of remembrance is planted in the heart and nourished with the water of
praise and the food of glorification, until the tree of dhikr becomes deeply rooted and bears its fruit. It is the
power of all journeying and the foundation of all success. It is the reviver from the sleep of heedlessness, the
bridge to the One remembered.
The shaikhs strive to remember their Lord with every breath, as the angels are always in the state of dhikr,
praising Allah. One of our shaikhs said, "I remembered You because I forgot You for a moment, and the easiest
way for me is to remember You on my tongue." If the seeker will mention his Lord in every moment, he will find
peace and satisfaction in his heart, he will uplift his spirit and his soul, and he will sit in the Presence of his Lord.
The Prophet (s) said in an authentic hadith mentioned in Ahmad's Musnad, "The people of Dhikr are the people
of My presence." So the gnostic is the one who keeps the dhikr in his heart, and leaves behind the attachments
of the lower worldly life.
Mention of Dhikr in the Qur'an
Dhikr is mentioned in many places in the Holy Qur'an, and in most verses, what was meant by the word dhikr is
tasbih, glorifying; takbir, exalting; tahmid, praising; and praising and praying upon the Prophet (s).
Allah said in Surat al-Baqara, 152: "Remember Me and I will remember you." [2:152]
He said in Surat ali cImran, 41, "...and remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and in the early
morning." And again, 191, "Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides..." [3:41,
191]
He said in Surat al-Racd, 28, "Those who believe, and whose hearts find their rest in the remembrance of
Allah--for, verily, in the remembrance of Allah hearts do find their rest." [13:28]
And He said in Surat al-Ah zab, 35, "...and men who remember Allah much and women who remember Him..."
And again, 41,42, "O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance; and glorify Him morning and
evening." [33: 35, 41-42]
There are many, many other verses of Qur'an mentioning dhikr. Imam Nawawi said in his book, "Futahat
ar-Rabbani cala-l- Adhkar an-Nawawiyya," vol. 1, p. 106-109, "All scholars of Islam have agreed on the
acceptance and permissibility of Dhikr by heart and by tongue, for the adult men and women, for children, for
the one who has ablution, and for the one without ablution; even for the woman during her menses. Moreover,
dhikr is allowed by all scholars in the form of tasbih, tahmid, takbir and praising and praying for the Prophet (s)."
Dhikr polishes the heart and is the source of the Divine breath that revives the dead spirits by filling them with
the Blessings of Allah, decorating them with His Attributess, and bringing them from a state of heedlessness to
the state of complete wakefulness. If we keep busy with Dhikrullah, happiness and peace will be granted to us.
Dhikr is the key to happiness, the key to joy, and the key to Divine Love.
Mention of Dhikr in the Sunnah
According to Bukhari, Abu Musa al-Ashcari related that the Prophet (s) said, "The difference between the one
who makes dhikr and the one who doesn't make dhikr is like the difference between the living and the dead."
Tirmidhi narrated from Anas (r) that the Prophet (s) said, "If you pass by the Paradises of Heavens stay there."
They asked, "Ya Rasul-Allah, what are the Paradises of Heavens?" He said, "The associations of Dhikr!"
Bukhari narrated in his book from Abu Huraira that the Prophet (s) said, "Allah, Almighty and Exalted, has angels
who seek the people of Dhikr. If they find the people of Dhikr they encompass them until they reach the first
heaven. And Allah asks his angels, 'What are my servants doing?' The angels say, 'O Allah, they are praising
You and glorifying You and they are making Dhikr.' Allah says, 'Did they see Me?' The angels answer, 'No, they
didn't see You.' Then Allah asks, 'How would it be if they were to see Me?' The angels reply, 'O Allah, if they
were to see You, they would be making more praise of You and more glorification of You and more Dhikr of
You.' And Allah asks 'What are they asking for?' The angels say, 'They are asking for Your Paradise.' Allah
asks, 'Did they see My Paradise?' The angels answer, 'No, Our Lord.' Allah continues, 'How would it be if they
saw My Paradise?' The angels reply, 'They would be more attracted and more eager to reach it.' Then Allah
asks them, 'Of what are they afraid?' And the angels say, 'They are afraid of hellfire.' and Allah asks, 'How would
it be if they saw my Hellfire?' and they reply, 'They would be running more and more away from it and asking
more and more protection from it.' Then Allah said,' I am making you all My witnesses: that I am forgiving them of
all their sins.' Then one angel asked, 'O our Lord, there is among these people one who is not from them, he
came only to ask for something from one of them.' Allah said, 'Those are my beloved ones who are making My
Dhikr. Anyone who comes into their circle will be forgiven, and I am forgiving him.'"
In Bukhari and Muslim it is narrated from Abu Huraira that the Prophet (s) said, "As my servant thinks about Me
so will I be for him. I am with him if he will remember Me. If he calls on Me in himself I will call him in Myself, and if
he calls on Me in a group of people, I mention him in a better group in My presence. If he approaches Me one
handspan, I will approach him one arm's length; if he approaches Me one arm's length, I will approach him by a
cubit; if he comes to Me walking, I will come to him running."
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah narrated on the authority of Abi Darda that the Prophet said, "Do you want me to tell you
of your best deeds, and the most honored and praised and sanctified to Your Lord, and the highest in its
reward; better than spending gold and better than meeting your enemy and cutting their necks in the jihad?"
They said, "Yes, Ya Rasulallah." He said, "Dhikrullah."
The Prophet (s) said, "Everything has its polish and the polish of hearts is dhikrullah."
Mu'adh bin Jabal (r) said, "Nothing saves you from Allah's punishment except Dhikrullah."
There are many, many other hadith about the benefits and blessings of Dhikr such that it is impossible to quote
all of them here.
From the Sayings of Imams and Scholars about Dhikr
Ibn cAbbas (r) said "Allah, Almighty and Exalted, put a limit on all the obligations that He ordered human beings
except for Dhikr. For it there is no limit."
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya said in his book, Al-Wabil as-Sa'ib, p. 52, "There is no doubt that the heart oxidizes, just
as copper and silver oxidize. Its polishing is the dhikr, which will make it like a white mirror. The oxidation of the
heart is due to heedlessness and sin. Its polishing is by means of two actions: repentance and dhikr. If
someone's heart is cloudy, the reflections of images will be unclear, he will see falsehood as truth and truth in
the image of falsehood (batil). When there is too much oxidization on the heart, the heart will be darkened, and
in the darkness the images of the Truth and Reality never appear. The best way to polish it is through
Dhikrullah."
Ibn cAta'illah as-Sakandari said, "By Dhikr you leave behind heedlessness and forgetfulness, and you keep your
heart Present with Allah, Almighty and Exalted. The best way to approach His Presence is by reciting the name
'Allah,' in the heart or on the tongue, or by reciting any of His Names." [Miftah al-Falah, p. 4]
Abul Qasim al-Qushayri said, "Dhikr is the strongest support in the way of Allah, 'Azza wa Jall. No one can reach
the Divine Presence except by continuing to recite Dhikr." [Risalat al-Qushayriyya]
Mulay al-cArabi ad-Darqawi said, "Do not say, 'I am nothing'; neither say, 'I am something.' Do not say: 'I need
such and such a thing'; nor yet: 'I need nothing.' But say: 'Allah,' and you will see marvels." [Letters of a Sufi
Master]
We see from what has been mentioned that all guides and perfect shaikhs advised the seeker in the Way of
Allah to make continuous dhikr in all states of their lives and to keep the company of the people in associations
of Dhikr. We see that the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and the scholars are all in accordance
on this matter.
The Types of Dhikr
Dhikr can be can be done both silently or aloud. The Prophet (s) encouraged people to do both kinds. Among
the scholars of shari'ah and the Sufi shaikhs, some preferred the loud dhikr and some preferred the silent dhikr.
Loud Dhikr
Bukhari narrated that Abu Huraira (r) reported that the Prophet (s) said, "If My servant mentions Me in himself, I
will mention him in Myself. If he mentions Me in a group, I will mention him in a group in My presence." We
understand from this hadith that to mention Allah in a group indicates loud dhikr. Some scholars determined
from this that using loud dhikr is permitted.
Bukhari narrated in his book of hadith, that Ibn 'Abbas (r) said, "In the time of the Prophet (s) the people used to
raise their voices in Dhikr."
Bukhari narrated in his book of hadith, that Abu Ma'bad (r), the freed slave of Ibn 'Abbas (r), said: "Ibn 'Abbas
told me, 'In the lifetime of the Prophet (s), it was the custom to celebrate Allah's praises aloud after the
obligatory congregational prayers.'" Ibn 'Abbas (r) continued, "When I heard the Dhikr, I would know that the
congregational prayer had ended."
Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi related that as-Sa'ib (r) preported that the Prophet (s) said, "Jibril came
to me and ordered me to order my Companions to raise their voices in takbir."
It is narrated by Bukhari and Muslim and mentioned by Jalaluddin as-Suyuti, from other collections, that 'Ali bin
Abi Talib (r) said, "I asked the Prophet (s) one time, 'O Messenger of Allah, guide me to the shortest way to
Allah's Presence, and the easiest way to worship, and the best way for Allah, Almighty and Exalted. The Prophet
(s) said, 'O 'Ali, you have to be continuously making Dhikrullah, silently and aloud.' I replied, 'O Prophet (s), all
human beings are making dhikr. Give me something special.' The Prophet (s) said, 'O 'Ali, the best of what I,
and all prophets before me, said is, la ilaha illallah. If all the heavens and earth were placed on one side of the
balance and la ilaha illallah were placed in the other, la ilaha illallah would be heavier. Judgment Day will never
come as long as there are people on this earth saying la ilaha illallah.' Then I said, 'How should I recite.' The
Prophet (s) said, 'Close your eyes and listen to me reciting la ilaha ill-Allah three times. Then you say it three
times and I will listen to you.' Then the Prophet (s) said it and I repeated it in a loud voice."
In the narration of Imam Ahmad and Tabarani this hadith is continued, describing how the Prophet taught his
Companions the dhikr. "'Ibada bin Samit said that the Prophet (s) said, 'Is there any stranger among you?' And
we said, 'No, Ya Rasul-Allah.' He said, 'Close the door.' Then he said, 'Raise your hand and repeat after me La
ilaha illallah' We raised our hand and said, la ilaha illallah. Then the Prophet (s) said, 'Praise be to Allah that He
sent me to this world with this kalimah, and He ordered me with it, and He promised me the Paradise with it, and
He never changes His Promise.' Then the Prophet (s) said, 'Be happy! Allah has forgiven you.'"
Jalaladin as-Suyuti mentioned in an article called "Natijat al-Fikr fi Jahri-dh-Dhikr," the Benefits of Loud Dhikr,
twenty-five authentic hadiths which mention doing loud dhikr.
Silent Dhikr
Allah mentioned in Surat al-Acraf, 205, "And remember thy Lord in thy self with humility and fear, and without
loudness of speech, in the mornings and evenings; and be not of the neglectful." [7:205]
Imam Ahmad narrated, "Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (s) said that Allah says, 'I am with my servant
when he remembers Me and by his remembrance of Me his lips move." Commenting on this hadith, Imam
Nawawi said, "Allah is with the one who remembers Him and calls Him in his heart, and calls Him on his tongue,
but we must realize that the dhikr of the heart is more perfect. The rememberer made dhikr of the tongue in
order to reflect the occurrence of the dhikr in his heart. When the love of Allah and His Remembrance
overwhelms the heart and the spirit, the tongue is moved and the seeker brought near."
Sheikh Amin al-Kurdi said in The Enlightenment of Hearts (Tanwir al-Qulub) p. 522: "The dhikr by tongue, which
combines sounds and letters, is not easy to perform at all times, because buying and selling and other such
activities altogether divert one's attention from such dhikr. The contrary is true of the dhikr by heart, which is
named that way in order to signify its freedom from letters and sounds. In that way nothing distracts one from his
dhikr, as the poet says:
With the heart remember Allah, secretly from creation, wordlessly and speechlessly.
That remembrance is best of all: out of it flowed the sayings of the saints.
"That is why our Naqshbandi masters have chosen the dhikr of the heart. Moreover, the heart is the place where
the Forgiver casts his gaze, and the seat of belief, and the receptacle of secrets, and the source of lights. If it is
sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is unsound, the whole body is unsound, as was made clear for us by
the chosen Prophet (s).
"Something that confirms this was narrated on the authority of cA'isha (r): 'Alla
