Remembrance of Allah — Page 27
Misunderstandings about Dhikr 27 Their practice—poetry, dancing, screaming and shouting, falling, and swaying their heads—none of these are substantiated by the Holy Prophet s as. Poetry as Dhikr? It is said that the Holy Prophet s as also used to listen to poetry, but it has not been proven from any source that he used to hear poetry by way of. The manner in which he would listen to couplets being recited was that Hassan r a comes and submits to him that, ‘O Messenger of Allah, such and such opponent has composed cou- plets against you and I have prepared a reply. ’ He would listen to the reply or it would happen that a person, against whom he had issued a death sentence, presented himself and after receiving permission, recited a few couplets asking for forgiveness by stating that when he was coming to see him, the people told him that the Messenger of Allah had issued an order for him to be killed and that he would have him killed. However, he did not consider these things credible and wondered that when he would go to him and seek his forgiveness, would he still be killed? Hearing this, the Noble Messenger s as spread his mantle upon him forbidding anyone from killing him. After that, he said, ‘It was not out of fear of my life that I sought forgiveness like this; rather, it was the fear that I might be killed in this very state of kufr [disbelief ], whereas I have come to realize that the religion of Islam is the true faith. ’