What
deed is better than giving gold and silver? According to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him), it is dhikr, which means remembrance of Allah (God).
Dhikr
is a form of worship that comes after the ritual Prayer (salah) and reading Qur’an in importance.
While salah has to be performed at certain times and under certain conditions of purity, dhikr
can be made any time, any place. It can be done by repeating certain formulas to extol and praise
Allah, or it can be just thoughts of Allah in one’s heart.
Islam
does not require anyone to torture himself in order to reach a high stage of spirituality. Nor does
he have to shun everything of this world. Rather, one can be close to Allah (God) by frequently
remembering Him with his lips and heart, even as he is busy with his daily tasks.
Dhikr
can also take a more distinct form such as tasbeeh, which is extolling Allah. This is usually
done by counting on the fingers or on prayer beads (called sibhah) and repeating phrases such
as “Subhan Allah” (Allah is Sublime), “Al-Hamdulillah” (all praise to Allah)
and “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is Greatest) thirty-three times each. Then the Muslim says, “Laa
ilaha illa Allah. Wahdhu. La Shirika lahu. Lahu al-mulk, wa lahu al-hamd, wa hua ‘ala kulli shay’in
qadeer.” (There is no god but Allah. He is One. He has no partner. To Him is the dominion and
all praise, and He has power over all things.)
Other
formulas found in the Sunnah of the Prophet can also be used in dhikr as well. When these
formulas are repeated with the lips and also felt in the heart, they are a type of meditation that
puts the Muslim in touch with his Lord, strengthens him, and relieves him of stress.
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