From: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/5140/Keeping God in the Heart |
   Description: Remembrance of God leads to peace and happiness in this life. By C. Mofty (© 2012 IslamReligion.com)Published on 07 May 2012 - Last modified on 09 May 2012 Viewed: 592 (daily average: 243) - Rating: - Rated by: 3 Printed: 6 - Emailed: 1 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Worship and Practice > Islamic Morals and Practices |
 One must understand this world in the context of Monotheism (Belief
in the Oneness of God). The message of the prophets is simple: People were
created to be God’s servants, but to be that they need to know God. The God of
Islam is a Loving Beloved God (al-Wadud), a Compassionate God
(ar-Rahman), a personal God Who befriends (al-Wali), intimate
relationship with whom is based on surrender, remembrance, yearning, and
polishing of the heart.
God does not need our praises and
worship. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Sovereign, and the
Sustainer of everything in the whole universe. Certainly some people remembering
Him on a lonely planet in an endless vast of billions of galaxies is not going
to benefit Him is any way, nor will it increase His Kingdom even by an atom’s
weight. Prophet Muhammad narrates the following on behalf of God:
“O My slaves, I have forbidden
oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress
one another.... O My slaves, you will not harm Me so nor will you benefit Me. O
My slaves, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the
jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that
would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My slaves, were the first of you
and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the
most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in
anything....”[1]
God has prescribed His
remembrance (known as zikr) and other acts of worship for our own
benefit. All forms of remembrance and worship, serve to remind us of God and
keep us always mindful of Him. And this consciousness of God, holds us from
sinning, committing injustices and oppression, and motivates us to fulfill His
rights and the rights of creation. And hence by following the ways laid out for
us by God, we are actually doing ourselves a favor, as it is the best possible
course of action that we can take in any matter and to know that you are doing
the right thing leads to contentment, peace, and happiness. We remain in harmony
with ourselves and all that is around us.
As mankind is prone to laziness
and injustice, not having any set ways to remember or worship God, would make us
heedless and sink us deeper and deeper into transgression and darkness until we
would forget about God completely, and our roles and responsibilities in life.
“Woe to those whose hearts are
hardened against the remembrance of God!” (Quran 39:22)
“O you who have faith! Let not your
possessions, neither your children, divert you from God’s remembrance. Whoso
does that - they are the losers.” (Quran 63:9)
Zikr is divided into two
branches: zikr with the tongue and zikr in the heart when the
heart contemplates God’s beauty and majesty.
Just as forgetting God leads to
the pain of being forgotten by Him, so also remembering God leads to the joy of
being remembered by Him: “Remember Me, and I will remember you” (Quran
2:152). The result of remembering God is not only to be remembered by God in the
next world, but also to achieve peace of heart in this world. “Listen, the
hearts find peace only in the remembrance of God.” (Quran 13:28). To call
upon God in times of despair, can give you comfort and solace as you have called
upon the one Who is All-Powerful and is the only One who can take you out of
difficulty.
Zikr or remembrance of God
is a way of linking the heart with the Divine. It provides with the spiritual
practices of remembering and re-connecting with what is most meaningful in our
lives, God. Muslims find consolation, comfort and strength in the frequent
repetition of sacred phrases containing the Names of God and His attributes.
Sought in the proper way, zikr is food for spiritual hunger. The pious
lives with God in the present moment through remembrance (zikr).
Zikr is a step in the way
of love; when somebody loves someone, he likes to repeat his name and constantly
remember him. Therefore, the heart in which the love of God has been implanted
will become a dwelling place of constant zikr.
Zikr is also recommended
to the faithful as a means of obtaining heavenly reward. It is considered
worship and adds to a person’s good deeds.
The particularly attractive
aspect of zikr is that it is permitted in any place and at any time; its
practice is restricted neither to the exact hours of Prayers (the ritual prayer)
nor to a specific place. God can be remembered anywhere in His world. This
practice is as available to women as it is to men.
Special words of zikr are
used for healing purposes as well. Even today the recitation of some prayers
taught by Prophet Muhammad or verses from the Holy Quran together with
“breathing upon” the sick, is common in the Muslim world.
The Quran mentions the
significance of zikr both directly and indirectly in verses scattered
throughout the scripture, “the zikr (remembrance, mindfulness) of God is
greater” or “the greatest thing.”
The most superior form of God’s
remembrance is the Quran which calls itself Al-Zikr, “the
Reminder” (Quran 20:99); therefore, another name of the Quran is
Zikr-ullah, “the Remembrance of God.” One, it is a recognition that to
recite the Quran is to remember God. Two, the first chapter of the Quran,
Al-Fatiha, is the central part of Muslim daily prayers. Not only that, it is
also an essence of Quran’s message. Three, the Quran comes from God (it is His
Word) and provides the means and the methods of living a life that is pleasing
to Him.
Zikr is all embracing
because to remember God is to put God at the center and everything else at the
periphery. All Islamic acts of devotion and worship are performed for the sake
of remembrance, to keep God at the center of spiritual life in a way. The Quran
calls the ritual prayer (salah) itself “remembrance.” After the Quran, there is
a type of Remembrance of God (zikr) which is sort of a voluntary
extension of the ritual prayer (salah).
Next to the Quran, the best
Zikr, the words God loves the most, is the profession of faith la
ilaha illa Allah (there is no true deity but God), as well as words the
words Subhan-Allah (How Perfect is God), Allahu-Akbar (God is
the Greatest), and al-Hamdu-lillah (All praise and thanks are due to
Allah).
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