Bond with the Beloved - Depth of Dhikr

               ﷽

Assalamuwalaikum wrwb.

Are you feeling
Tired,
Anxious,
Sad,
Angry,
Hopeless?

Do any of these feelings sound familiar to you?
Off lately, I have been hearing a lot of people complaining about anxiety and depression.

What do you think could be the main reason for that?
Well , apart from medical reasons ( if any) I think the main root of it is,
Perhaps, lack of bonding with our Beloved , Our Lord, The Almighty!

Many times, life can feel like a never ending merry-go round ride, from working to dealing with house-hold chores , taking care of the family, spending weekends running errands, with never ending responsibilities. I'm not saying that these activities are not important. However, most of the times we end up neglecting ourselves and our spiritual side in the daily pursuit of the fast pacing world, especially for we woman, who are often left unfairly amidst the brunt of chores and family responsibilities.

It isn't any easier to maintain and achieve the right balance between deen and duniya.
Although , we may intend wanting to read more Quran every day and gain more ajr or gain more knowledge about our deen, or offer nafawil prayers, but due to our hectic lives, we are unable to do so.
It can be too difficult sometimes to reflect on our religion and spiritually to gain a lot from it!

This is where the need of "Bonding with your Beloved" through Dhikr arises!

It can be a vital part of your day. Dhikr is not only powerful but also , a simple way to worship our Lord, when we have lack of time.

Allah swt has made our religion Islam so easy that even the shortest surahs or duas or phrases on reciting can receive abundant rewards.

Dhikr is so easy and carries huge rewards, this is an act of worship we should strive to increases in our daily lives . It is a direct and powerful way of strengthening your bond and relationship with your Lord. By praising and glorifying Allah swt, we are showing our gratitude to Him. We are acknowledging the fact that none has power except Him.
Once, we truly understand this depth, that we are not actually in control of our lives, and it is only with the help and will of Allah that we can achieve things or success in our lives.
As, we begin to depend on Allah for all things and not on people, we can live our lives with a lot more contentment which can give us inner satisfaction and peace.

For , Surely it also a means of getting peace and tranquility to our hearts!

' Verily, in the remembrance of Allah , do hearts find rest." (Quran 13:28)

Sincerely, increasing the amount of dhikr in our daily lives will have a substantial impact on all areas of our lives. By, the very essence of constantly being connected to our Creator, our Imaan will naturally increase which eventually will help us build our bond with Him in all aspects of life.

Here, I am going to list down few types of dhikr and their virtues.

The First Kalimah, ‘La illaha ill AllahMuhamadur-Rasul Allah’ 
(There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah)
 is an essential dhikr, as it is the declaration of faith. It is considered to be the best dhikr!

“When a servant of Allah utters the words La illaha ill Allah sincerely, the doors of heaven open up for these words until they reach the Throne of Allah, so long as the utterer keeps away from the major sins”- Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
[At-Timiridhi]. 

‘Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi, subhanallahil azeem’

 Glory be to Allah and Praise, Glory be to Allah, the Greatest. 

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, “There are two statements that are light on the tongue to remember, heavy upon the scales and dearest to the Merciful.”

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

‘La hawla wala quwwata illa billah’ . 
There is no power nor might without Allah.

This dhikr is a treasure from amongst the treasures of Paradise.

‘SubhanAllah wal hamdulillah, wa laa illAllah wAllahu akbar .
 Glory be to Allah, All Praise is for Allah, There is No God but Allah, Allah is the Greatest.

These are most beloved to Allah and have been encouraged in many hadith of the Prophet (ﷺ).

‘Astaghfirullah'.
 I seek Allah’s forgiveness.

This is another dhikr that can be recited abundantly to wipe away our sins. 
The Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have done this more than seventy times a day.

Learning Allah’s ninety nine names/attributes is another way to do dhikr. 

The constant recitation of the names can be the best remedy to many problems in your life. 
Allah swt commands us to supplicate to Him by invoking His beautiful names.

When Allah is mentioned in a gathering, Allah remembers those believers in a higher gathering in the heavens amongst angels. 
When you try to get closer to Allah, Allah draws even closer towards you.

"So remember Me, I will remember you."

 ( Quran 2:132 )

Dhikr is a vast and deep topic. The purpose of this article is to highlight the power of dhikr in our everyday lives and also to encourage my dear muslim brothers and sisters to increase the amount of dhikr they do in their daily lives.

I hope that this would not only be helpful and beneficial on a spiritual level from the constant recitation of Allah’s beloved phrases but also help us defeat the depressed phase most of us are facing during these tough times .
Our levels of Imaan can naturally fluctuate every day and this is an immediate way to remember Allah. 
No doubt, life can be complicated and hectic but Islam fundamentally is very simple and easy to implement in our lives, if we make the effort and have sincere intentions.

Whilst we still have to take care of matters of the dunya, we can often escape in a sort of meditative form of worship with dhikr and attain peace which will help us to sort out all the affairs of duniya and help us construct a positive balance between deen an duniya.

                                        جزاك اللهُ خيراً‎

-Hafsa Mohd.