Remembrance of Allah — Page xi
Foreword Dhikr-e-Il a h i ( ) is an English rendering of a speech delivered by Hadrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II (may Allah be pleased with him) on 28 December 1916. This is a topic of vital importance, as Allah Himself explicitly states in the Holy Quran ُرَبْكَا ِهّٰللا ُرْكِذَل َو , ‘And the indeed is the greatest virtue ’ ( S u rah al-‘Ankab u t, 29:46). The revered speaker delivered a splendid presentation on the nature, importance, and benefits of Dhikr-e-Il a h i. He explained that Dhikr-e-Il a h i is of four types: 1) Prayer; 2) Recitation of the Holy Quran; 3) Narration of the attributes of Allah the Exalted in gatherings and acknowledging and making their verbal affirma- tion; and 4) Deliberating upon the attributes of Allah in solitude. He added the methods and timing of Dhikr-e-Il a h i for maximum benefit, and particularly emphasised the value of Tahajjud prayer as a means of attaining Maq a m-e-Ma h m u d —the praiseworthy station of nearness to Allah. He also suggested twenty-two means of fostering concentration in Prayer. Sadly, people these days question the utility of reciting the name of God. ‘What’, they ask, ‘could be the benefit of someone