Divine Remembrance - Chapter IV: The General Conditions of dhikr
Chapter IV: The General Conditions of dhikr
Tags: Darwish, Dhikr, Remembrance, Word and Deed
A darwish, in order to execute and complete the general conditions of dhikr first adorns himself with good manners and the attributes of righteousness in accordance with the clear and exoteric teachings and guidance of Islam and Iman (submission and true faith). All this can be done only in the form of good [intention] word and deed. Therefore, in this connection some important matters will be discussed in this chapter.
Means of Goodness
It should be known that in every person the means of goodness is first of all intention, then word (or speech) and finally action. Thus through these three means all goodness, which is within the rules of religion and is exactly according to the spirit of Islam and wisdom of religion can be accomplished. The purpose and purport of this goodness is the fulfilment of the rights of God and those of people and to seek God’s pleasure, which strengthens religion and faith, avails splendour to knowledge, peace to the heart and comfort to the soul. Not only is it the cause of an individual’s moral elevation, but also the means of the community’s respect, progress and prosperity. This is called good intention, good speech and right action and the same is faith, righteousness (taqwa), justice and benevolence, and in which is the welfare and success of this world and the world of religion. Therefore, the dhakir should always adhere to goodness, the means of which is intention, word and action.
Word and Deed
To explain and elaborate religion many things need to be considered. However, if you want to define religion succinctly, it can be epitomized by two words: Word and Deed. That is, religion consists of pure words and good deeds as is said in the Qur’an (35:10): “Unto Him ascends good word and the good deed lifts it up (elevates it)”. The “word” here consists of belief, faith, worship, remembrance and knowledge and whatever may be the state of the word, it cannot reach God’s presence without good deed. This means that mu’mins who remember God should, in addition to the remembrance, necessarily perform good deeds too, so that they may attain the proximity of God’s sacred light.
There are numerous verses in the Qur’an which prove that all the ordinances (ahkam) of Islam are summed up and confined within Word and Deed and there is nothing outside Word and Deed. Intention, after all, is nothing but the heart’s will, which is related to both. That is, pure word and good deed automatically includes intention, as it is said in (41:33): “And who can be better in speech than one who invites (people) to God and does good deed, and says: Verily! I am of those who submit (to Him)”. Here “inviting to God” includes all the matters of religion, for in all the words of Islam there is nothing which does not have an aspect of “inviting to God” directly or indirectly. Similarly, in “good deed” are mentioned all the deeds taught by religion. In short, religion is the sum total of two important things – Word and Deed. Thus remembrance is invitation to God, not only in the sense that God is invoked in it, but also in the sense that thereby one invites their own soul to God. However, whatever may be the purpose of this invitation it can only be accepted and fulfilled when it is accompanied by good deed.
Deed and Divine Help
It is obvious that remembrance (dhikr) means to invoke God. Now it is important to see with what purpose the mu’mins invoke Him. If He is invoked for some kind of help, the Divine law will necessarily answer that first they must work according to their abilities and only then invoke help. This is because even from the worldly point of view, the general principle is that a person is only helped when they are unable to accomplish some work despite the utmost struggle and using all their abilities.
Deed and Love of God
If the purpose of Divine remembrance is God’s friendship and love for God, even then it is not possible without good deeds. It is because of the fact that the friendship and love of friends can be attained only when what they say is acted upon. Whatever they say should be done, is done, and whatever they prohibit should not be pursued. Thus we have come to know that it is necessary to act upon all the rules of religion before or together with the performance of Divine remembrance.
Deed and Pleasure of God
It is possible that a person remembers God for no purpose other than the intention of attaining His pleasure. However, they should understand that His pleasure is attainable only through following His command. Therefore, both the word and deed of mu’mins have to be in accordance with the rules of religion.
Deed and Worship (`ibadat)
It is also possible that a simple person may engage in Divine remembrance thinking that God’s entire worship is fulfilled and with that [understanding] go into seclusion, whereas `ibadat means slavery, and a slave’s true slavery is that he has to continue to perform all the duties in and out of the house, according to the command of his lord. Similarly, God’s `ibadat is performed through both word and deed. This example proves that God’s slavery comprises all words and deeds of religion.
Deed and Spiritual Progress
It is absolutely correct that one special purpose among the many purposes of Divine remembrance is spiritual and moral elevation, in which every sublime thing is automatically included. It includes the help and true love of God as well as His pleasure and worship. However, here again the question of deed arises, for spiritual elevation which is the supreme feat of religion, is not possible without the accomplishment of good deeds. Supposing a person, having separated themselves from their family and society, occupy themselves for forty years in Divine remembrance in a secluded corner, we would accept that they accomplished only one big right amongst God’s rights, but the rest would remain unfulfilled. On the other hand, the rights of God’s servants remain, namely, that they did not accomplish a single right from the numerous rights of God’s servants such as the rights of parents, the rights of their wives and children, the rights of family members, the rights of relatives and neighbours, the rights of orphans, the poor, the needy and the sick, the rights of the living and the dead, the rights of society, community, nation and country. How then is the spiritual progress of such a person possible when they have avoided all these rights enjoined by God and the Prophet and which determine the performance of good deeds? This shows not only the importance and benefit of good deeds but also why monasticism is prohibited in Islam. It is prohibited because the spiritual benefit achieved by it is not as much as living a religious life among the community.
Deed is Body and Word is Soul
The completion of human existence in this world is possible by the coming together of two things: the body and the soul. If not, neither the soul nor the body alone can accomplish any work. Similarly, if the pure word stands for the soul of religion, good deed stands for its body. Therefore, the faithful servant (of God) should perform good deeds as much as the spirit of Divine remembrance is pure, so that their angelic existence may become complete and they become angels.
The true religion (din-i haqq) is like an extremely wise, sound and healthy human being. Now, the fact is that in this body Divine remembrance is in the position of the heart, the brain and the intellect and wisdom. However, it is obvious that the heart is protected by the chest and the brain by the head. Similarly, the chest and the head are also in need of other organs, each of which holds a great importance in its own place. This example shows the fact that just as [a wise and healthy] person’s spiritual and physical faculties and external and internal senses are connected with each other and organized, in the same way all the words and deeds of religion are joined to and connected with each other. Thus if any word and deed of religion is neglected, the entire system of religion is upset. Therefore, it is necessary to act upon every guidance of religion.
Nothing in Religion is Useless
When an intelligent person ponders on the manufacturing system of a ship, a motor car or a machine, they cannot say that such and such part or such and such thing is useless or superfluous. They know that all its small and large parts are necessary in their own place, and that none of them is unnecessary. The same is the example of the sacred compendium of the commands of religion, in which whatever minor or major commands exist are productive and useful, and none of them is useless. Therefore, it is imperative to act upon every command of religion.
It is clear that nothing in religion is useless. Yet, in order to explain it further, another vivid example of religion is given from a tree. A tree is the sum total of all its parts and the fruit is its supreme purpose; the fruit is borne by small and tender branches and they depend upon the big branches which further depend upon the trunk, and the trunk depends on the roots. Further, neither the leaves of the tree nor its bark are useless, for if the leaves were plucked from the tree the fruit would not ripen properly. The bark serves the tree as its garment; in the absence of the bark, the tree would dry up due to the cold and the heat. This is the very case of the tree of religion. Although its fruit, the supreme purpose, is Divine remembrance, how is it possible to attain delicious fruit without nourishing and protecting the entire tree? Whether the purpose of the tree of religion is fruit or flower or shadow, in any case the protection and care of all its parts is necessary.
Example of Boat
A person, who complies with only one of the word and deed of religion neglecting the other, is like an ignorant and inexperienced sailor who, in order to row the boat to its destination, does so only with one oar and does not use the other. Consequently, instead of going forward the boat continues to move in a circle and he suffers from the conjecture that the boat is advancing towards the desired destination. From this example you can estimate what a great mistake and failure it is to act upon one and neglect the other from the word and the deed of religion. Therefore, a wise mu’min is the one who knows the worth and value of every word and every deed of religion and complies with them duly.
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