Divine Remembrance - Chapter I: The Meanings and Purports of dhikr (Remembrance)

Chapter I: The Meanings and Purports of dhikr (Remembrance)

By the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Dhikr has various meanings and purports which we are going to explain here in detail one by one so that it will sufficiently help those of our brothers, sisters, friends and students who are interested in and attached to this magnificent, full of secrets and sacred feat. This book is written to enable them to understand its profound realities.

The Literal Meaning of Dhikr

In the Arabic lexicon dhikr means remembrance. ‘Remembrance’ is such a word, which can be correctly used for a thing solely if that has been forgotten or simply if attention has been diverted from it, after having once entered into the scope of one’s knowledge. Contrary to this, if a thing has not been known either by the senses or by the intellect, that is, it has not yet entered into the knowledge and recognition of a human being, the word remembrance cannot be used for it. The same example can be used in the case of forgetfulness, i.e., forgetfulness cannot be used for a thing which is totally out of a human being’s scope of knowledge and recognition.

Five Forms of Dhikr

Suppose, there was a young boy called Zayd. He took a new lesson of four words from his teacher and repeated it for a while, and he thought he had preserved and memorized it.
The next day, when he opened the book and looked, he came to know that he remembered only one word completely.
Then one more word came to his memory after having forgotten it.
The third word came to his memory as a result of reflecting.
The fourth word he had forgotten completely. He could not remember it despite reflection. Therefore, asking the teacher, he memorized it again.

This example reveals that there are five forms in dhikr or remembrance. Now in the following we will explain these five forms separately:

The First Form of Dhikr

Whatever human beings see, the voices which they hear, whatever they smell, the things which they taste and the things which they touch, the store of the results, experiences and information of all these things is preserved in the custody of the retentive faculty. Further, reflective and spiritual information is also in the custody of the retentive faculty. In this connection, the function of the memory and the first form of dhikr is preservation, which means to perceive and conceive a thing through the external or internal senses and entrust it to the retentive faculty, called retention (hifz), whereas the first form of remembrance is to bring it (i.e., the thing) back to the heart and the tongue or just to conceive it by repeating through the memory for the sake of its firmness and assurance, such as how Zayd had tried to remember his lesson by repeating it on the first day.

The Second Form of Dhikr

When for the first time some words are repeated through the retentive and memorizing faculties and it is understood that these words are now preserved in the record-office of that faculty, attention is diverted from them and one engages in other activities. When they need them they order the memorizing faculty directing it towards the retentive faculty, to bring those words which were memorized sometime ago, to the heart and the tongue. Thus the memorizing faculty asks the retentive faculty or itself peeps [into the record-office]. If the required words are there, the memorizing faculty carries out the order. This action is the second form of dhikr or remembrance, just as in the above mentioned example when Zayd used the memorizing faculty, only one word came to his memory properly.

The Third Form of Dhikr

Sometimes people forget some of their memorized words but surprisingly some of them come to their minds automatically. The reason for this is that extremely small conscious or luminous atoms or particles are appointed to the function of the faculties of retention, memory, etc., and these minute particles are controlled by small animal souls. Among these particles the one on which the word is recorded, if it becomes absent from its place or if it becomes unconscious, the word is forgotten; when it presents itself in its place or comes to consciousness, the word returns to the memory automatically. This is the third form of dhikr. As in the case of Zayd’s forgotten lesson one more word came to his memory automatically without any reflection.

The Fourth Form of Dhikr

It is also a common experience that a person succeeds in recalling forgotten words after reflection and thinking. The reason, as mentioned above, is that in such a case the conscious particles of the apartments which are built separately for the function of the different faculties in the brain become absent for some reason or the state of unconsciousness overtakes them. When as a result of reflection and thinking consciousness awakens in the brain, the particles regain their own place or they become conscious and begin to work. Consequently, the forgotten words return to the memory. This is the fourth form of dhikr, just as Zayd recalled the third word after reflection.

The Fifth Form of Dhikr

One is not always successful in recalling the forgotten word by reflection and thinking even after putting pressure on the mind as there are not only one but numerous reasons and causes of forgetfulness: absent-mindedness, not paying attention or due to a word being difficult, it is not memorized from the very beginning or the particle of soul upon which the word is recorded, disappears forever. However, if despite reflection the word does not come to mind, there is no other way of remembering it except by recourse to the person who had originally said it. This is the fifth form of dhikr, as Zayd asked his teacher for the word which he had forgotten completely and in this way he remembered it again.

Dhikr-i Ilahi

Dhikr-i Ilahi means the remembrance of God. This has many aspects and numerous stages. The highest stage is the one where Divine remembrance is performed in the light of recognition (ma`rifat). The concept of God’s recognition exists in almost every religion, but there are differences in their interpretation of it. However, regarding the recognition of God the most comprehensive guidance is that God asked all the souls of all Adam’s children: “Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes, verily.” (Qur’an 7:172).

This clearly demonstrates that the most important and the most delicate confession of Lord and Lordship cannot be made in the darkness of ignorance, absence of knowledge and recognition, nor in accordance with Divine justice was it proper to take witness from the souls of the children of Adam about the unseen realities of providence without fulfilling their physical, spiritual and intellectual upbringing. In fact, this confession of “Yes, verily” was made in the light of recognition (ma`rifat).

Dhikr and Guidance

If a human being has forgotten those realities and recognitions (haqa’iq-u ma`arif) of pre-eternity (azal) and ‘Am I not?’ (alast) in which God’s true recognition is hidden, its sole remedy lies in the obedience of God, the Prophet and ulu’l-amr i.e., the Imam, so that through remembrance and worship (dhikr-u `ibadat) and acquiring recognition in the light of the external and internal guidance of these ranks of obedience, everything will return to their memory gradually. As the Qur’an says: “Remind them, for you are but a reminder” (88:21). This means that the Prophet was entrusted with the duty of inviting and admonishing the people of the entire world towards the right path and of reminding the people of his community, according to their status, of all that they had forgotten, even the realities and recognitions of the day of alast (i.e., the day when God made His covenant with human beings). However, the (Divine) law is that the knowledge of the secrets of recognition (ma`rifat) is imparted step by step.

Ahl-i Dhikr (the People of dhikr)

Dhikr, in addition to meaning God’s remembrance, is also the wise Qur’an’s name and that of the holy Prophet. Thus “the People of dhikr” has three meanings:

Those who are the possessors of dhikr i.e., those who are the means of dhikr;
Those who are the owners of the Qur’an, i.e., those who are the bearers of the knowledge and wisdom of the Qur’an; and
Those who are the progeny of the Prophet

These three characteristics belong only to the Imams from the progeny of the Prophet Muhammad(s). Therefore, after the Prophet it is only these pure Imams who hold this position and in the case of all problems or questions pertaining to guidance or knowledge and wisdom, people should have recourse to them, as God says: “Ask the people of dhikr if you know not” (16:43).

This clearly shows that the People of dhikr are none other than the bearers of the light of imamat, for it is only they who can answer every question correctly, can unveil every hidden reality and can remind others of every forgotten thing, no matter how lofty it may be. It is they, who are both dhikr (remembrance) and mudhakkir (reminder), i.e., they are the Prophet’s successors and the People of dhikr, the pure Imams who are the treasurers and trustees of all his sciences, who continue to remind the people about God through remembrance and recognition (dhikr-u ma`rifat).

Dhikr and Self-Recognition (khwud-shinasi)

According to the religion of Islam it is impossible and inconceivable to attain God’s recognition without self-recognition. It is because of the fact that recognition is nothing but what the `arif attains through the observation of the inner eye, while the Lord through manifestations of His luminous attributes nourishes him spiritually. This is possible only if the `arif lives in this material world. Had the trial of God’s worship and attainment of His recognition been possible without this world, the latter would have been without wisdom and useless.

Here it is quite clear that the Qur’anic purport of God’s remembrance (dhikr-i Ilahi) is to remove the veil of negligence from the heart’s eye and to remember the Divine manifestations of the event of “alast” (Am I not?) practically, for this is the practical form of God’s remembrance and recognition and its main purpose.

Further, here we have repeatedly drawn attention towards the event of “alast”, for it is such a simple and easy concept and a well accepted fact that nobody doubts it. In that state, [i.e., the event of alast], human beings recognized their souls perfectly and as a result also recognized God. But, later on, they forgot this recognition. As the Qur’an says: “And he has coined for Us a similitude and has forgotten his own creation” (36:78). This holy verse alludes that long ago before this [state of forgetfulness], human beings were enriched with the wealth of self-recognition and used to recognize the realities of their creation. But afterwards they forgot all this. Now, its remedy is nothing but Divine remembrance.

The holy Qur’an says “It is We Who Created you then made your (spiritual) forms, then told the angels: Fall you prostrate before Adam! And they fell prostrate all save Iblis” (7:11).

The above Qur’anic wisdom teaches that human beings exist not only in the present, but have done so for a very long time and they existed even when all the angels save Iblis prostrated before Adam. Nobody remembers this event, except the Perfect Man (insan-i kamil). A few people accept this to the extent of belief. This means that these matters belong to the high and lofty stages of ma`rifat and to understand them is the recognition of a human being’s own self [or soul], in which lies God’s recognition. Human beings have forgotten all that belongs to this stage, which they can recall only in the light of Divine remembrance. This is the Qur’anic purport of God’s remembrance.

It is said in the Qur’an: “And be not you like those who forgot Allah, and caused them to forget their own souls” (59:19). This means that those who neglect God’s remembrance forget also the pre-eternal (azali) realities of their own souls. However, those who are on the different stages of dhikr can conceive the luminous concept of the past and future realities and recognitions of their soul according to their status.

The Divine Law (qanun-i Ilahi)

How can the forgotten secrets of the world of spirituality and the lost treasures of ma`rifat be regained? The reality of this is that the unchangeable Divine practice, habit and law is one and the same forever, that is, the law which pertains to the Qur’an is also applicable to the physical as well as the spiritual world. Thus this command: “None of Our verses do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but bring one better or similar” (2:106) is not only about the Qur’anic verses but also about the internal and external signs of the entire universe and all existents.

Here it is necessary to think seriously about the difference between abrogating a verse and causing it to be forgotten, for none of the Qur’anic verses after being revealed and brought before the people has been taken back so that the people may forget it. From this the truth becomes inevitable [to think] that abrogation relates to the tanzil (exoteric aspect) of the Qur’an, while causing it to be forgotten relates to the ta’wil (esoteric aspect) of the Qur’an, because God according to the demands and needs of the time and place takes away one ta’wil and inspires another. Further, ‘abrogation’ pertains to the verses of scriptures and ‘causing to forget’ to the signs of the physical and spiritual worlds or the external and internal worlds. Thus there should not be any surprise if human beings, according to this Divine law, have forgotten the numerous secrets of life and the universe. However, God is Omnipotent, He can acquaint a human being with a better recognition of those secrets or a recognition similar to the previous one, which depends on the dhikr of the dhakir.

Thus, according to the Qur’an, Divine remembrance means to regain those secrets of ma`rifat which have disappeared from their memory and which are related to the observation of the manifestations of the Divine attributes.

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