Remembrance of Allah — Page 35
Characteristics of True Dhikr 35 Prohibitions Regarding Dhikr In short, all these types [of dhikr ] are forbidden and illegitimate. They deserve as much condemnation as can be heaped upon them because they destroy spirituality and degrade men to the status of monkeys and bears. Islam came to make men into angels but in these ways men become monkeys. Thus, these things are frivolous and vain and they have no merit. Four Kinds of Dhikr Enjoined by the Holy Quran And those that are actually remembrances of Allah and those that are emphatically ordained in the Holy Quran, are different and are of four kinds. To not attend to these is to become deprived of very great spiritual rewards so these should never be abandoned. 1) The first of these is S al a t ; 2) the recitation of the Holy Quran; 3) repeatedly making mention of the attributes of Allah, acknowl- edging their truthfulness and verbalizing their details; 4) to pro- claim the attributes of Allah in public just as one does in private. These are those four types of dhikr that are proven from the Holy Quran and the doing of which is not only highly essential but obligatory for spirituality. Now I will provide proof of the statement that the Holy Quran has presented these types of dhikr. Concerning S al a t God Almighty says: S u rah Ta H a , 20:15— ْيِرْكِذِل َةوٰلَّصلا ِمِقَا َو ْيِنْدُبْعاَف١ۙ اَنَا ۤاَّلِا َهٰلِا ۤاَل ُهّٰللا اَنَا ْۤيِنَّنِا