1/7/2022

by Sarah Sheikh

I wanted to talk about something I myself struggle to do.

Sometimes life can feel like a never-ending merry-go-round, from going to work and school to the gym, coming home dealing with chores, and then trying to maintain a social life.  And while all of these are valuable activities; we can end up neglecting our spiritual side in our busy schedule.

We may want to read more Quran everyday, or gain more knowledge about our deen, or do nafl prayers but due to our hectic lives we are unable to do so. This is where dhikr can become a vital part of your day.

Dhikr is a very powerful and simple way to worship Allah when we have a lack of time, And despite it being one of the easiest and most forgotten forms of ibadah, it's also one of the most rewarding.

Allah says in the quran (33:14) (Surat al-ahzab: ayah 14)

“O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance”

Dhikr is an act of ibadah (worship) that the prophet always recommended and put emphasis on. In one hadith, and i'm going to paraphrase, the prophet says, should I tell you of the best and purest of deeds and when the sahabas asked what it was, he said

“The remembrance of Allah [Most High].” Then another sahabas, Mu’adh bin Jabal [radhiallahu anhu] said: “There is nothing that brings more salvation from the punishment of Allah than the remembrance of Allah.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi]

Allah (SWT) has made Islam so easy for us that even the shortest Surahs and phrases can receive the greatest reward. For example, the reward of reciting ‘Alhamdulillah’ is that it will fill the scales on the Day of Judgment with good deeds. And because dhikr is so easy and so great on the scale, it’s a form of worship that we should increase in our daily lives.

I know we all have busy schedules and it’s even hard to remember what chores were supposed to be doing for the day, but by praising and glorifying Allah we are showing our gratitude to Him and acknowledging that all that we have is because of him. We are acknowledging that we have no power without Him, as He has power over all things. Once we have truly understood this we can understand that we are not actually in control of our lives. One of the hardest things for me is remembering that everything that happens to us has already been decided by Allah. Remembering Allah and remembering that it is only with the help and will of Allah that we can achieve things in our lives is a good way to stop overthinking in situations.

Dhikr is a very direct and powerful way of strengthening your relationship with God, as you begin to depend on Allah for all things and not depend on other people. Allah loves the one who praises and glorifies him, and His love for you increases. It is through Allah’s love and mercy towards you that your duas are answered. This is a very special relationship that is especially experienced through dhikr.

One important part of being a good muslim is self awareness.  When we do dhikr, we think about all of Allah's blessings on us, and then we realize how numerous they are and how undeserving we are of these blessings. Imagine this, you wronged someone and this person didn’t mention this to anyone else, and on top of that, when you needed their help, they were always there to help you even if you didn’t ask for it, how would your reaction be to this person? How would your reaction be to someone who is good to you when He is in no need of you, while you are bad to him when you are in full need of Him.

You can increase the amount of dhikr you do by simply doing it at different times in your day, not just after salaah. For example, on your daily commutes, traveling, when you are waiting for something such as a doctor’s appointment, when you are carrying out your chores, when you have a spare ten minutes to yourself, when you are apprehensive about something (to calm your nerves) and so on.

When you have made it a habit to do dhikr regularly in your day you will find that you feel more connected to Allah. This is because dhikr focuses your mind continuously on Allah, a lot like how meditation works to block out distractions from your mind. It also has an instant calming feeling over your mind and body, and removes negative thinking from your mind.

أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَىِٕنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ     (surah rad: ayah 28)

Verily, the hearts find peace only in the remembrance of Allah