Remembrance of Allah — Page 44
44 animal is forbidden. A second form of this dhikr is nafl [supererog- atory] which is repeated in a low voice at other times. The Holy Prophet s as has made this into something very vast; that is to say, he has prescribed some form of dhikr for every occasion. For exam- ple, when you sit down to eat he has taught us to say: ِنٰمْحَّرلا ِهّٰللا ِمْسِب ِمْيِحَّرلا [‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful’]. This does not mean that if someone does not recite this, his belly will not get filled, but what it does mean is that the true pur- pose behind eating will be fully achieved in this way; that is, recit- ing the name of Allah will greatly benefit our spirituality. Then there is the command to recite ِمْيِحَّرلا ِنٰمْحَّرلا ِهّٰللا ِمْسِب at the commencement of every activity, so that there may be blessings in that work. And when that task is completed we are taught to say: * َنْيِمَلٰعْلا ِّبَر ِهّٰلِل ُدْمَحْلَا so that there may be blessings in that task. Similarly, if someone dons new clothes or begins the use of something new, he should say Al h amdulill a h [‘All praise belongs to Allah’] to express gratitude. On every occasion of sorrow and difficulty we are to say: ** َنْوُعِجٰر ِهْيَلِا ۤاَّنِا َو ِهّٰلِل اَّنِا When faced with a task beyond one’s power and capability, we * All Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. ( S u rah al-F a ti h ah, 1:2) [Publisher] ** Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:157) [Publisher]