Topic
Remembrance
remembrance of Allah
17 entries
-
What is dhikr, and why is it central to Sufism?
The essence of the path of Tasawwuf is not to waste a breath without the remembrance of Allah, and the path itself lies in the knowledge of the Shariah and in following the Prophetic Sunnah. Whatever form dhikr takes, the essence of every method is the invocation of the Divine Name, Allah, and La ilaha illallah. It is the dhikr of "Allah" that is the source code of this universe, as mentioned in the hadith on the final hour.
-
What is Tazkiya, and how is the self actually purified?
Tazkiya is the cleansing of the carnal self from worldly evils, a cleansing of thoughts and deeds, of the heart and the soul. The heart is cleansed through remembrance, and the self is then rectified through rigor.
-
What happens to the heart when a person sins?
A black spot appears on it. If he desists and repents, the heart becomes clear again. If he persists, the marks accumulate until they overshadow the heart, and that is the rust the Qur'an speaks of.
-
Is dhikr (the remembrance of Allah) an innovation?
The remembrance of Allah is not a reprehensible innovation: it is among the greatest of the supererogatory works of worship. Even self-composed supplications and the use of counting-beads have a basis in the Prophet's own encouragement and his household.
-
Are prayer beads (tasbih) an innovation?
The basis for the tasbih, or counting beads, is a hadith in which the Prophet found a Mother of the Believers using date pits to count her glorification of Allah. The beads are a counting aid; the string simply holds them together.
-
Is a forty-day spiritual retreat (chilla) part of Islam?
Many Sufi masters have adopted the practice of remaining in seclusion for forty days. Its basis is the hadith on worshipping Allah for forty days with sincerity, and the Prophet's own seclusion in the cave of Hira before revelation began.
-
Are self-composed supplications (du’as) allowed, or is that innovation?
Self-composed supplications are allowed, as long as they don't compete against a specific du'a the Sunnah prescribed for that moment. The Prophet himself encouraged supplications that were not part of the Sunnah.