Remembering and Glorifying Allah - Dhikr ( Abdullah Cheng)
Dear brothers and sisters,
On this very blessed day of Jumu’ah, we are commanded to increase in Salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ and to hasten to the remembrance of Allah. Allah says in Surah Al-Jumu’ah:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ
O you who believe ! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then proceed ˹diligently˺ to the remembrance of Allah and leave off ˹your˺ business. [62:9]
This gathering itself is being described as a Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah, even though all of us are listening here without moving our mouths.
When we talk about Dhikr, we don’t just refer to the movement of the lips. Many of the classical scholars mentioned that there are two levels of Dhikr: the Dhikr of the tongue, and the Dhikr of the heart. The Dhikr of the heart is better than the Dhikr of the tongue, and the best is when there is both.
So Dhikr is not just a ritual, but it’s also a constant state of awareness and mindfulness of Allah in every single thing we do in our life. The opposite of it is to let ourselves distracted and be controlled by our actions rather than us controlling them. Whatever we are doing in our life at any moment, we should be focused to it and think of it from a point of view that Allah is present, and this can be done even silently. When you are walking on the street, think about how Allah has allowed us to develop our civilization to this extent; when you are eating, think about how Allah has provided for you and where did you receive your money; when you are travelling, think about how Allah has made us different. It’s through these types of thinking and mindfulness that helps us appreciate more of what we have and look at our life from a bigger picture, so that we don’t become overexcited or depressed when we encounter anything good or bad.
As for the Dhikr of the tongue, it is a powerful tool that help us achieve the Dhikr of the heart. If we only use our minds to remember, we can easily be distracted with different thoughts; but when we use our tongue and move our lips and even listen from what we say ourselves, it is a lot more easier to help us focus on remembering Allah. So the point of doing Dhikr of the tongue is that it should reach to our heart, not just stopping at our throat.
When we are told to say Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar each 33 times after the prayer, this is not just about reaching a number. Instead, Allah in His wisdom has given us these numbers to count because He knows what helps the human heart focus. Because without a number, many of us might quickly leave it, or just say a few times and stop. But when there is a specific set of number, we would be motivated to complete it, and in that process, our tongue trains the heart to be engaged.
Unfortunately, many of us fall into the mistake of treating it like a task to be completed, instead of focusing what it brings to our hearts. The point is not just thirty-three, but that each time we say ‘Subhanallah’, it is a moment to reflect on Allah’s perfection, each time we say ‘Alhamdulillah’, it is a moment to recognize His blessings, and each time we say ‘Allahu Akbar’, it is a moment to submit to His greatness. As Allah says in Surah al-Aḥzāb:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا
‘O you who believe! Always remember Allah often.’ [33:41]
This is why from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, we have so many different Adhkar for different moments and scenarios. Before and after we use the bathroom, when we leave and enter our house, when we travel, even when we enter the marketplace, for example, there is a Hadith that mentions to say this when we enter the market:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
There is no god but Allah, alone without partner, to Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He has power over all things. [Tirmidhi]
And when we hear the word ‘marketplace,’ we shouldn’t think only of the old bazaars. For us today, the marketplace is the 7-11, the FamilyMart, the PX Mart where we buy groceries, and even the online stores on our phones like Shopee. All of these are the modern marketplace, and the Dhikr can still be applied. Even during these moments we are able to worship Allah by remembering Him in what we do in our daily life, and when we are in the state of remembering, it prevents us from committing sins right at that moment, and when we are free from evil, that’s when our heart feels at peace and tranquility, as Allah says in Surah Ar-Ra’d:
أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort. [13:28]
May Allah make us among those who remember Him with our hearts and our tongues, may Allah grant us tranquility in our hears, and may Allah protect us from the evil of our own selves.