Qushairi Manifest
Dhikr (Divine Remembrance)
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Allah has said: O ye who believe!
Celebrate the praises of Allah, and do this often. (Koran
[33:41])
Abu Dardā’ narrates from the Prophet: Should I not inform you about the
best & most cleansed & nearest to Allah & loftiest of the
deeds, even better than giving away gold and silver to the poor? People
responded what is that O Prophet? Prophet replied: Dhikr (Remembrance)
of Allah The Almighty & The Momentous.
Anas said: There is no Day of Judgment for as long as someone stands on
this earth saying “Allah Allah” i.e. Dhikr.
Ostād Imam Abul-Qāsim said: Dhikr (Remembrance) is a powerful &
firm foundation for the Tariqa (Path) towards Allah The Sublime. No one
can reach Allah unless by maintaining Dhikr (Remembrance). And there
are two kinds of Dhikr:
1. Dhikr for the tongue
2. Dhikr for the heart
By perpetually maintaining the Dhikr (Remembrance) of the tongue the
slave can reach the Dhikr of the heart (affecting his heart). And once
the slave is Dhākir (Rememberer) by both tongue & heart, has
reached the Kamāl (Perfection) within the Hāla (Momentary States of he
Heart) upon the Sūlūk (Journey).
People said that in the beginning of the Shebly’s affair (traveling
upon the Divine Path), he used to retire to a cellar while holding a
stick, and if for a moment he was negligent of Allah’s Dhikr
(Remembrance) he would hit himself by that stick to the point that when
he finally emerged from the cellar nothing of the stick was left! And
if he was still suffering from the negligence (forgetting Allah) he
would slap his hands & feet upon the ground or the wall. (Shebly
had reached the ultimate state of Drunkenness when the Sufi is in deep
attention of the Divine Presence and lost all contact with this world.
His speech was altered as well, as we notice in what is left of his
words. But the Murid (Seekers) should understand that Shebly was an
extreme and unique member of Sufi Nation and such descriptions of self
torture should not be taken as a norm for teachings of Sufism.)
Some have said that the sword of Murids (Seekers) is the Allah’s Dhikr
(Remembrance) within the hearts. Indeed with this weapon they can
battle their enemies to defy the evil plague of enmity. And if there
are hardships befallen the slave, his heart in full Dhikr (Remembrance)
would remove the hardship.
Wāseti said: Dhikr (Remembrance) is to exit the arena of the negligence
in order to enter the (patent) plain of Mushāhidah (Divine Perception).
Dhan-nun Al-Masri said: Whoever does the Dhikr (Remembrance), and does
so truly (not just repeated words), he would forget everything, and
along this Dhikr (Remembrance) all things support him. (Translation?
When he forgets all worldly things, those very things would support him
as long as he is maintaining the Dhikr. Previously he forgot Allah and
remembered those worldly things, and yet those worldly things forgot
him in return left him forsaken.)
Abu ‘Uthmān was asked: We are doing the Dhikr (Remembrance) but no
sweetness enters our hearts? He replied: Offer your gratitude to Allah
that at least one organ of your body is obeying Allah (meaning the
tongue). (Any form of Dhikr be it a word on the tongue is a great
blessing bestowed upon the slave and s/he must offer much gratitude)
A famous Hadith (Narration) from the Prophet states: Graze within the
meadows of Paradise, someone asked what is the ‘meadows of Paradise’?
Prophet responded: The gatherings for Dhikr (Remembrance). (Chain of
narration from Jābir ‘Ibn Abdullah)
Prophet peace be upon him said: From dawn to dusk do the Dhikr
(Remembrance) of Allah, and whosoever would like to know his/her status
with Allah tell them to look upon the status of Allah with themselves
since Allah keeps the status of the slave as the slave keeps the status
of Allah. (If you remember Allah it means Allah remembered you nicely,
if you offer gratitude to Allah it means Allah is offering gratitude
for your deeds, if you forgot Allah means Allah is not remembering you,
if you are not offering gratitude means Allah does not appreciate your
deeds, and so on so forth)
Abdullah Ibn Musā said that once Shebly had a meeting and versed this
poem:
I remembered you and not even negligent for blink of an eye
And indeed the easiest of all remembrance that of the tongue
And I without consciousness killed by desires
And the sufferance upon my heart palpitates
And when I became conscious of Your Presence
I eye-witnessed your being-ness in every place
I spoke with some-One without talking
I met with some-One without seeing
One of the characteristics of the Dhikr (Remembrance) is that it is
time and circumstance independent i.e. the slave is obliged/encouraged
to remember Allah no matter what. Even the most noble of all worships
meaning the Salāt (Obligatory 5 daily prayers) is not allowed in
certain times or circumstances, yet Dhikr (Remembrance) is
required/encouraged at all times. (For example after the mid-afternoon
Salāt there is no prayer allowed, or immediately after intercourse
(prior to bathing), or during the women’s menses, but during all these
times (even the intercourse) Dhikr is allowed and encouraged)
“Men who celebrate the praises
(Dhikr) of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides”.
(Koran [3:191])
Ostād Abu Abdul-Rahman asked from Ostād Abu Ali: Is Dhikr (Remembrance)
better or thinking (about Allah)? And the sheikh responded: For me
Dhikr (Remembrance) is better than thinking, since Allah is attributed
by Dhikr (i.e. Allah has allowed to be remembered by humans or angels,
and Allah does do Dhikr for us humans) but not attributed by thinking
(Allah does not think, and our minds are forbidden to think about
Allah’s nature).
Kattāni said: Had it not been obligatory I would not have made Dhikr
(Remembrance) for Allah, how could someone (lowly) like I remember
Allah possessor of such Momentous Glory!? Unless a thousand times
rinsing the mouth with water (of repentance).
I heard Ostād Abu Ali quoting these poems from the Sufi Grand Sheikhs:
Just when remembered You suffering from guilt
My heart sirr & soul while in Your remembrance
Until a caller from Your side called upon I loud
Be aware! Woe unto you! Not remembering your faults
A characteristic of Dhikr (Remembrance) is that Hu (IT)
has placed, side by side, our Dhikr next to Hus (ITs) Dhikr: Then do ye remember Me; I will remember
you. (Koran [2:152]) (This is an incredible observation! What we
call Dhikr has a Divine counterpart in the other universe a similar
form of remembrance by Allah for us! This means this Dhikr is a Divine
object of some kind and not a few chants rolling down the tongue.
Therefore there is a difference between a recorder chanting Dhikr and a
human being make Dhikr i.e.the machine’s has no counterpart in the
other universe)
It is in the Hadith (Prophetic Narration) that Arch Angel Gabriel
informed the Prophet: Allah has given your nation something that has
not given any other nation! Mohammad peace be upon him asked the angel:
O Gabriel what is that (unique offering)? The angel replied: Then do ye remember Me; I will remember
you. (Koran [2:152]) (Again the Sufis listened carefully to the
conversation between the Prophet and the angel, and they understand the
immense importance of Dhikr given exclusively to this nation!)
Some said that angels need special permission to take the life of a
Dhākir (Rememberer).
In some books it is mentioned that Moses asked Allah: O Lord where are
you? Lord replied: Within the heart of the believing slave. (Meaning
Allah’s Dhikr within the heart of slaves since Allah is afar away and
cleansed from anything of Hus (ITs)
creation—Ostād Imam)
Sahl Abdullah said: There is not a single day passing that Allah does
not say: O slave be just, I remember you and you forget me, I call you
to myself and you go to the doors of others, I block the afflictions
and you serve the sins with devotion, O son of the Adam tomorrow when
you shall reach close by Me, what excuse you shall fabricate?
Abu Solaimān Dārāni said: In Paradise there is a desert that once the
Dhākir (Rememberer) does Dhikr (Remembrance) the angels start planting
trees, and when the angel stalls it is asked: why did you stopped? And
responds: The one for whose sake was planting trees has stopped!
(Meaning the person stopped the Dhikr. “Seest thou not how Allah sets forth a
parable? - A goodly word like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly
fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens … It brings forth its
fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord…” (Koran
[14:24-25]). Dhikr’s nature is botanical i.e. one seed bears 100 and so
on. Dhikr is a tree roots in this world i.e. our tongue & heart but
its branches in heavens bearing fruits for all humanity to benefit from)
Some said: There is sweetness in three things 1) Dhikr (Remembrance) 2)
Salāt (5 daily prayers) and Koran, that is if you find doing them with
ease, else (if you found them hard) some door is closed. (Translation?)
Hāmid Aswad said: I was in a trip by Ibrahim Khaw-wās and reached a
point to rest but this place was filled with snakes. So we both sat
down, as night approached so did the snakes coming out. I called upon
the sheikh (to do something about the snakes) so he instructed to make
Dhikr (Remembrance). I did make Dhikr, and the snakes went back to
their nests. After a while the snakes came back again, again I called
upon the sheikh and he made the same advice. I made Dhikr and the
snakes went back to their nests. And the night passed doing this again
and again. At dawn I went to the Shiekh when I discovered a coiled
snake close by (the sheikh). So I asked the Sheikh: Didn’t you know
there was a snake here? Sheikh replied: There was no night ever as good
as last night. (Meaning he slept so well since someone was keep
remembering Allah and all the safety descended upon them to the point
that snakes did not harm them)
Abu ‘Utham said: If the person has not tasted the horrors of
negligence, s/he would never taste the sweetness of the Dhikr’s
(Remembrance’s) intimacy.
Junaid quotes Serri: That Allah has revealed in some of the scripture
that once My Dhikr (Remembrance) conquers the slave, he will fall in
love with Me and I in love with him.
Nuri said: For everyone there is retribution and the retribution for
‘Aref (Divine Cognoscente) is the halt of his Dhikr (Remembrance).
It is in Injil (The book sent to Prophet Jesus): Remember Me when you
are enraged so that I remember you when I am enraged (remember you not
to punish you) and My victory suffices for you since my triumph is far
better than victory you obtain. (Make Dhikr when you are angry at
people and things, and Allah’s victory/revenge is far superior to
anything you can muster up)
A monk was once asked: Are you fasting? He replied: I am fasting by Hus
(ITs)
Dhikr (Remembrance) since my breaking of the fast is remembering other
than Hu (IT).
Some said when the Dhikr (Remembrance) resides within the heart; if
Satan comes close to the heart some form of epileptic fit befalls the
Satan, similar to the human epilepsy. The devil monsters then gather
around the Satan and wonder what happened to it.
Sahl said: I found no sin worse than forgetting Allah The Almighty The
Momentous.
Some said that silent & hidden Dhikr (Remembrance) cannot be raised
to the heavens by the angels, since they cannot sense this Dhikr which
is a secret between the salve and Allah.
Someone said: I was shown a Dhākir (Rememberer) in a bamboo forest, I
went close by him and he was sitting. Suddenly I saw a large wild beast
appeared attacking him and tore up a piece of his flesh. Both of us
swooned. When we came to I asked him what happened and he replied:
Allah has sent this beast over me, any moment I forget Hus (ITs)
Dhikr (Remembrance) the beast attacks me as you witnessed.
Ja’far Bin Nusair heard from Jurairi: One of his people perpetually was
saying “Allah Allah” and one day a stick hit his head and his blood
gushed on the ground scribing: Allah Allah!
End.
© 2005-2002, Dara O.
Shayda