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Group Dhikr in light of the hadiths.
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (204) from 'Amr ibn Salamah who said:
We were sitting at the door of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood before Fajr prayer, when he came out. We walked with him to the mosque, then Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari came to us and said: "Has Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan come out to you yet?"
We said: "No."
So he sat with us until he came out, and when he came out we all stood up. Abu Moosa said to him: "O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, just now I saw something in the mosque that I have never seen before, but I do not think it was anything but good."
He said: "What was it?"
He said: "If you live, you will see it." He said: "In the mosque I saw some people sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man, and in their hands they had pebbles. He would say: 'Say Allaahu akbar one hundred times,' and they would say Allaahu akbar one hundred times. He would say: 'Say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times,' and they would say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times. He would say: 'Say Subhaan-Allaah one hundred times,' and they would say Subhaan-Allaah one hundred times."
He said: "What did you say to them?"
He said: "I did not say anything to them; I was waiting to see what you think and I waited for your command."
He said: "Why did you not tell them to count their bad deeds and guarantee to them that their good deeds would not be wasted?"
Then he moved on and we moved on with him until he came to one of those circles, and he stood over them and said: "What is this that I see you doing?"
They said: "O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, these are stones with which we count the takbeers, tahleel, and tasbeeh."
He said: "Count your bad deeds, for I guarantee to you that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O ummah of Muhammad! How quickly you have become doomed! His companions are still alive and his cloak has not worn out, and his vessel is not yet broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you are either following a way that is more guided that the way of Muhammad or you are opening the door to misguidance."
They said: "By Allaah, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, we intended nothing but good."
He said: "How many of those who intended good did not achieve it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that some people would recite the Qur'aan and it would not go any further than their collarbones. By Allaah, I do not know, perhaps most of them are from among you."
Then he turned away from them and 'Amr ibn Salamah said: "I saw most of those circles on the side of the Khawaarij fighting us on the day of al-Nahrawaan."
We were sitting at the door of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood before Fajr prayer, when he came out. We walked with him to the mosque, then Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari came to us and said: "Has Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan come out to you yet?"
We said: "No."
So he sat with us until he came out, and when he came out we all stood up. Abu Moosa said to him: "O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, just now I saw something in the mosque that I have never seen before, but I do not think it was anything but good."
He said: "What was it?"
He said: "If you live, you will see it." He said: "In the mosque I saw some people sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man, and in their hands they had pebbles. He would say: 'Say Allaahu akbar one hundred times,' and they would say Allaahu akbar one hundred times. He would say: 'Say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times,' and they would say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times. He would say: 'Say Subhaan-Allaah one hundred times,' and they would say Subhaan-Allaah one hundred times."
He said: "What did you say to them?"
He said: "I did not say anything to them; I was waiting to see what you think and I waited for your command."
He said: "Why did you not tell them to count their bad deeds and guarantee to them that their good deeds would not be wasted?"
Then he moved on and we moved on with him until he came to one of those circles, and he stood over them and said: "What is this that I see you doing?"
They said: "O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, these are stones with which we count the takbeers, tahleel, and tasbeeh."
He said: "Count your bad deeds, for I guarantee to you that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O ummah of Muhammad! How quickly you have become doomed! His companions are still alive and his cloak has not worn out, and his vessel is not yet broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you are either following a way that is more guided that the way of Muhammad or you are opening the door to misguidance."
They said: "By Allaah, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, we intended nothing but good."
He said: "How many of those who intended good did not achieve it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that some people would recite the Qur'aan and it would not go any further than their collarbones. By Allaah, I do not know, perhaps most of them are from among you."
Then he turned away from them and 'Amr ibn Salamah said: "I saw most of those circles on the side of the Khawaarij fighting us on the day of al-Nahrawaan."
Comments on this journal
Ibn `Umar reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `When you pass by a garden of paradise, avail yourselves of it.' The Companions asked, `What are the gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, `The assemblies of dhikr. There are some angels of Allah who go about looking for such assemblies of dhikr, and when they find them they surround them.'"
Dhikr by linguistics doesnt mean to sit in circles and chant. This hadeeth is not a proof for doing group dhikrs.
"His holy Book: "O Believers, make abundant mention of ALLAH!" (33:41) And He mentions of His servants "Those who remember their Lord standing, and sitting, and lying on their sides" (3:191), in other words at all times of the day and night. He said (3:190-191): "The creation of heaven and earth and the changes of night and day are signs for people who have wisdom: -- consider who is described as having wisdom -- Those who remember (and recite and call) Allah standing up, sitting, and lying on their sides." `A'isha said, as narrated by Muslim, that the Prophet mentioned/remembered Allah at all times of the day and night."
This has nothing to do with making loud dhikr, nor is this the same dhikr the hadith is referring to. Saying Dua'a when you wake up, eat, use the bathroom, leaving the house, going to sleep, these are all forms of dhikr since you are remembering Allah SWT, and they are from the sunnah. The problem lies with Dhikr that is done out of the sunnah and made into a tradition which is known as bida'a becuase the Prophet (S) never did it.
"The Prophet said: "If your hearts were always in the state that they are in during dhikr, the angels would come to see you to the point that they would greet you in the middle of the road." Muslim narrated it. Imam Nawawi in his Sharh sahih muslim commented on this hadith saying: "This kind of sight is shown to someone who persists in meditation (muraqaba), reflection (fikr), and anticipation (iqbal) of the next world."
This narration is correct, but again has nothing to do with loud dhikr nor the innovated bida'a. There are certain dhikrs that Rasulullah did do in a systematic way and thosw are allowed. The Hadith also goes on to mention how dhikr means remember Allah in your daily life such as reflecting on your sins and repenting, and having the fear of Allah and being concious of the Akhira.
"Ibn Hajar in his Fath al-bari (1989 ed. 11:251) relates Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-`Arabi's explanation that there is no good deed except with dhikr as a precondition for its validity, and whoever does not remember Allah in his heart at the time of his sadaqa or fasting, for example, then his deed is incomplete: therefore dhikr is the best of deeds because of this. Dhikr is, therefore, something of tremendous importance. Abu Hurayra said that the Prophet said, Peace be upon him: "The earth and everything in it is cursed, except for dhikr and what attends dhikr, and a teacher (of dhikr) and a student (of dhikr)." Narrated by Tirmidhi who said it is hasan, Ibn Majah who said the same, Bayhaqi, and others. Suyuti cites it in al-Jami` al-saghir from al-Bazzar's similar narration from Ibn Mas`ud and he declared it sahih. Tabarani also narrated it in al-Awsat from Abu al-Darda'. By the words "the world and everything in it" is meant here all that claims status or existence apart from Allah instead of in Him. In fact, all creation does dhikr because Allah said that all creation does praise to Him constantly, and tasbih is a kind of dhikr. Allah said of the Prophet Yunus, when the whale swallowed him: "Had he not been one of My glorifiers (musabbihin), he would have remained inside the whale's stomach until Judgement Day." (37:143-144) The one who engages in dhikr has the highest rank of all before Allah. The people who call on Allah without distraction have been mentioned in Qur'an, as well as the effect that calling has on their heart: "In houses which Allah has allowed to be raised to honour and for His Name to be remembered in them; He is glorified there day and night by men whom neither trade nor sale can divert from the remembrance of Allah" (24:36-37). "Those who believe, and their hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: By remembering Allah, truly satisfaction comes to the heart" (13:28)."
Again this explains that dhikr is in our every day life. One who remembers Allah in all his actions will be the best of Muslims. This hadith indicates that. No mention of sitting in circles and chanting?
"During the night of Isra' and Mi`raj, the Prophet was taken up to a point where he heard the screeching of the Pens (writing the divine Decree). He saw a man who had disappeared into the light of the Throne. He said: "Who is this? Is this an angel?" It was said to him, no. He said: "Is it a Prophet?" Again the answer was no. He said: "Who is it then?" The answer was: "This is a man whose tongue was moist with Allah's remembrance in the world, and his heart was attached to the mosques, and he never incurred the curse of his father and mother." Shaykh Muhammad `Alawi al-Malaki cited it in his collated text of the sound narration?s on that topic entitled al-Anwar al-bahiyya min isra' wa mi`raj khayr al-bariyya."
The only indication is this part "This is a man whose tongue was moist with Allah's remembrance in the world" and this does not proove that sittin in circles chanting is Dhikr. As I mentioned before, even mentioning a hadith in a gathering is a dhikr.
"In Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, and Ibn Hibban declared it fair (hasan): A man came to the Prophet and said, "O Rasulallah, the laws and conditions of Islam have become too many for me. Tell me something that I can always keep (i.e. in particular, as opposed to the many rules and conditions that must be kept in general)." By reading that the man said there were too many conditions to keep, one must understand that he was unsure that he could keep them all. He wanted something that he would be sure to keep always. The Prophet said: "(I am advising you in one thing:) Keep your tongue always moist with dhikrullah.""
Again Dhikr mentioned here is not the dhikr that the sufis claim it is to be. A person can remember Allah in his daily activities, and this is dhikr. This is the dhikr that will keep you constatnly in his rememberence becuase you start and end everything with His name.
"It is well-known in Islam that the best work in the path of Allah is jihad. Yet the Prophet, Peace be upon him, placed dhikr even above jihad in the following authentic hadiths.
Abu al-Darda' narrates: The Prophet once asked his companions: "Shall I tell you about the best of all deeds, the best act of piety in the eyes of your Lord, which will elevate your status in the Hereafter, and carries more virtue than the spending of gold and silver in the service of Allah or taking part in jihad and slaying or being slain in the path of Allah? The dhikr of Allah." Related in the Malik's Muwatta', the Musnad of Ahmad, the Sunan of Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and the Mustadrak of Hakim. Al-Bayhaqi, Hakim and others declared it sahih.
Abu Sa`id narrates: The Prophet was asked, "Which of the servants of Allah is best in rank before Allah on the Day of resurrection?" He said: "The ones who remember him much." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, what about the fighter in the way of Allah?" He answered: "Even if he strikes the unbelievers and mushrikin with his sword until it broke, and becomes red with their blood, truly those who do dhikr are better than him in rank." Related in Ahmad, Tirmidhi, and Bayhaqi.
`Abd Allah ibn `Umar said that the Prophet used to say: "Everything has a polish, and the polish of hearts is dhikr of Allah. Nothing is more calculated to rescue from Allah's punishment than dhikr of Allah." He was asked whether this did not apply also to jihad in Allah's path, and he replied: "Not even if one should ply his sword until it breaks." Bayhaqi narrated it in Kitab al-da`awat al-kabir as well as in his Shu`ab al-iman (1:396 #522), also al-Mundhiri in al-Targhib (2:396) and Tibrizi mentions it in Mishkat al-masabih, at the end of the book of Supplications."
Thse hadiths are daeef and the claim that they are sahee are obviously forged. The ayats in the Quran CLEARLY indicate this. There is non like the status of the Mujahid who gave his wealth and his life for Allah. Its funny how the author gave some kind of proof the third hadith but the first 2 on which he derives his point from mainly have non proofs, no page numbes, nothing? How can a hadith be sound if it contradicts the Quran?
Now to the next part of the article" Loudness in Dhikr "
"- Invocation of Allah with the tongue according to one of the formulas taught by the Prophet or any other formula"
here the author has made an outrageous claim with out any evidence what so ever. how can you take from such a person??? He is out right said that a person may use another formula OTHER than what the prophet said. Isnt this an innovation? Something that prophet did not do in an act of Ibadah is an innovation. So he is basically saying that bid'a is okay in dhikr? Obviously he chose to ignore the hadith whihc the prophet qouted in EVERY khutba which states that "every bid'a is a going astray and every going astray is in the hell fire" (bukhari, muslim, ibn majah, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, dawoud)
Such an outragous claim, May Allah save him for encouraging such bida'a.
"The Prophet praised a man who was awwah -- literally: one who says ah, ah! -- that is: loud in his dhikr, even when others censured him. Ahmad narrated with a good chain in his Musnad (4:159) from `Uqba ibn `Amir: "The Prophet said of a man named Dhu al-bijadayn: innahu awwah, He is a man who says ah a lot. This is because he was a man abundant in his dhikr of Allah in Qur'an-recitation, and he would raise his voice high when supplicating."
This does not serve as evidence, The man woudl raise his voice in SUPPLICATION as in making DUA'A. The hadith is clear itself.
"Allah said of the Prophet Ibrahim: "Verily, Ibrahim is awwah and halim" (9:114, 11:75), that is, according to Tafsir al-jalalayn: "Crying out and suffering much, out of fear and dread of his Lord." The Prophet prayed to be awwah in the following invocation: rabbi ij`alni ilayka awwahan, "O Allah, make me one who often cries out ah to you." Narrated by Tirmidhi (book of da`awat #102, hasan sahih), Ibn Majah (Du`a' #2), and Ahmad (1:227) with a strong chain with the following wording:
The Prophet used to supplicate thus: "O my Lord! help me and do not cause me to face difficulty; grant me victory and do not grant anyone victory over me; devise for me and not against me; guide me and facilitate guidance for me; make me overcome whoever rebels against me; O my Lord! make me abundantly thankful to You (shakkaran laka), abundantly mindful of You (dhakkaran laka), abundantly devoted to You (rahhaban laka), perfectly obedient to You (mitwa`an ilayks), lowly and humble before You (mukhbitan laka), always crying out and turning back to You (awwahan muniban)!...."
This mention has NOTHING to do with the topic! How does the author relate this to Sitting in a circle and chanting? Crying while remembering Allah but how does this prove that we should sit in circles and chant?
I coudl go on and on proving this article is baseless. It does not provide any evidence for sitting in groups and chanting. They are manupilating the word "dhiikr" to meet their needs.
The hadith I have mentioned above shows that if ANY dhikr (in its wording or in its actions) that is made habitual or "prescribed" that is against the Sunnah, it is a Bida'a and of the hell fire. As the hadith mentioed in the JE, eventhough they thought it was good, it was bad for them.
I hope this is not anyones evidence for doing loud dhikr in groups , because if it is, may Allah have mercy on them! I fear the fate of these people.
Dhikr by linguistics doesnt mean to sit in circles and chant. This hadeeth is not a proof for doing group dhikrs.
"His holy Book: "O Believers, make abundant mention of ALLAH!" (33:41) And He mentions of His servants "Those who remember their Lord standing, and sitting, and lying on their sides" (3:191), in other words at all times of the day and night. He said (3:190-191): "The creation of heaven and earth and the changes of night and day are signs for people who have wisdom: -- consider who is described as having wisdom -- Those who remember (and recite and call) Allah standing up, sitting, and lying on their sides." `A'isha said, as narrated by Muslim, that the Prophet mentioned/remembered Allah at all times of the day and night."
This has nothing to do with making loud dhikr, nor is this the same dhikr the hadith is referring to. Saying Dua'a when you wake up, eat, use the bathroom, leaving the house, going to sleep, these are all forms of dhikr since you are remembering Allah SWT, and they are from the sunnah. The problem lies with Dhikr that is done out of the sunnah and made into a tradition which is known as bida'a becuase the Prophet (S) never did it.
"The Prophet said: "If your hearts were always in the state that they are in during dhikr, the angels would come to see you to the point that they would greet you in the middle of the road." Muslim narrated it. Imam Nawawi in his Sharh sahih muslim commented on this hadith saying: "This kind of sight is shown to someone who persists in meditation (muraqaba), reflection (fikr), and anticipation (iqbal) of the next world."
This narration is correct, but again has nothing to do with loud dhikr nor the innovated bida'a. There are certain dhikrs that Rasulullah did do in a systematic way and thosw are allowed. The Hadith also goes on to mention how dhikr means remember Allah in your daily life such as reflecting on your sins and repenting, and having the fear of Allah and being concious of the Akhira.
"Ibn Hajar in his Fath al-bari (1989 ed. 11:251) relates Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-`Arabi's explanation that there is no good deed except with dhikr as a precondition for its validity, and whoever does not remember Allah in his heart at the time of his sadaqa or fasting, for example, then his deed is incomplete: therefore dhikr is the best of deeds because of this. Dhikr is, therefore, something of tremendous importance. Abu Hurayra said that the Prophet said, Peace be upon him: "The earth and everything in it is cursed, except for dhikr and what attends dhikr, and a teacher (of dhikr) and a student (of dhikr)." Narrated by Tirmidhi who said it is hasan, Ibn Majah who said the same, Bayhaqi, and others. Suyuti cites it in al-Jami` al-saghir from al-Bazzar's similar narration from Ibn Mas`ud and he declared it sahih. Tabarani also narrated it in al-Awsat from Abu al-Darda'. By the words "the world and everything in it" is meant here all that claims status or existence apart from Allah instead of in Him. In fact, all creation does dhikr because Allah said that all creation does praise to Him constantly, and tasbih is a kind of dhikr. Allah said of the Prophet Yunus, when the whale swallowed him: "Had he not been one of My glorifiers (musabbihin), he would have remained inside the whale's stomach until Judgement Day." (37:143-144) The one who engages in dhikr has the highest rank of all before Allah. The people who call on Allah without distraction have been mentioned in Qur'an, as well as the effect that calling has on their heart: "In houses which Allah has allowed to be raised to honour and for His Name to be remembered in them; He is glorified there day and night by men whom neither trade nor sale can divert from the remembrance of Allah" (24:36-37). "Those who believe, and their hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: By remembering Allah, truly satisfaction comes to the heart" (13:28)."
Again this explains that dhikr is in our every day life. One who remembers Allah in all his actions will be the best of Muslims. This hadith indicates that. No mention of sitting in circles and chanting?
"During the night of Isra' and Mi`raj, the Prophet was taken up to a point where he heard the screeching of the Pens (writing the divine Decree). He saw a man who had disappeared into the light of the Throne. He said: "Who is this? Is this an angel?" It was said to him, no. He said: "Is it a Prophet?" Again the answer was no. He said: "Who is it then?" The answer was: "This is a man whose tongue was moist with Allah's remembrance in the world, and his heart was attached to the mosques, and he never incurred the curse of his father and mother." Shaykh Muhammad `Alawi al-Malaki cited it in his collated text of the sound narration?s on that topic entitled al-Anwar al-bahiyya min isra' wa mi`raj khayr al-bariyya."
The only indication is this part "This is a man whose tongue was moist with Allah's remembrance in the world" and this does not proove that sittin in circles chanting is Dhikr. As I mentioned before, even mentioning a hadith in a gathering is a dhikr.
"In Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, and Ibn Hibban declared it fair (hasan): A man came to the Prophet and said, "O Rasulallah, the laws and conditions of Islam have become too many for me. Tell me something that I can always keep (i.e. in particular, as opposed to the many rules and conditions that must be kept in general)." By reading that the man said there were too many conditions to keep, one must understand that he was unsure that he could keep them all. He wanted something that he would be sure to keep always. The Prophet said: "(I am advising you in one thing:) Keep your tongue always moist with dhikrullah.""
Again Dhikr mentioned here is not the dhikr that the sufis claim it is to be. A person can remember Allah in his daily activities, and this is dhikr. This is the dhikr that will keep you constatnly in his rememberence becuase you start and end everything with His name.
"It is well-known in Islam that the best work in the path of Allah is jihad. Yet the Prophet, Peace be upon him, placed dhikr even above jihad in the following authentic hadiths.
Abu al-Darda' narrates: The Prophet once asked his companions: "Shall I tell you about the best of all deeds, the best act of piety in the eyes of your Lord, which will elevate your status in the Hereafter, and carries more virtue than the spending of gold and silver in the service of Allah or taking part in jihad and slaying or being slain in the path of Allah? The dhikr of Allah." Related in the Malik's Muwatta', the Musnad of Ahmad, the Sunan of Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and the Mustadrak of Hakim. Al-Bayhaqi, Hakim and others declared it sahih.
Abu Sa`id narrates: The Prophet was asked, "Which of the servants of Allah is best in rank before Allah on the Day of resurrection?" He said: "The ones who remember him much." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, what about the fighter in the way of Allah?" He answered: "Even if he strikes the unbelievers and mushrikin with his sword until it broke, and becomes red with their blood, truly those who do dhikr are better than him in rank." Related in Ahmad, Tirmidhi, and Bayhaqi.
`Abd Allah ibn `Umar said that the Prophet used to say: "Everything has a polish, and the polish of hearts is dhikr of Allah. Nothing is more calculated to rescue from Allah's punishment than dhikr of Allah." He was asked whether this did not apply also to jihad in Allah's path, and he replied: "Not even if one should ply his sword until it breaks." Bayhaqi narrated it in Kitab al-da`awat al-kabir as well as in his Shu`ab al-iman (1:396 #522), also al-Mundhiri in al-Targhib (2:396) and Tibrizi mentions it in Mishkat al-masabih, at the end of the book of Supplications."
Thse hadiths are daeef and the claim that they are sahee are obviously forged. The ayats in the Quran CLEARLY indicate this. There is non like the status of the Mujahid who gave his wealth and his life for Allah. Its funny how the author gave some kind of proof the third hadith but the first 2 on which he derives his point from mainly have non proofs, no page numbes, nothing? How can a hadith be sound if it contradicts the Quran?