LOUD ZIKR
General loud dhikr is clearly proven from many Ahadith.
See the following Hadith:
إِنَّ
لِلَّهِ مَلاَئِكَةً يَطُوفُونَ فِي الطُّرُقِ يَلْتَمِسُونَ أَهْلَ
الذِّكْرِ، فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا قَوْمًا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ تَنَادَوْا:
هَلُمُّوا إِلَى حَاجَتِكُمْ " قَالَ: «فَيَحُفُّونَهُمْ بِأَجْنِحَتِهِمْ
إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا» قَالَ: " فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ، وَهُوَ
أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ، مَا يَقُولُ عِبَادِي؟ قَالُوا: يَقُولُونَ:
يُسَبِّحُونَكَ وَيُكَبِّرُونَكَ وَيَحْمَدُونَكَ وَيُمَجِّدُونَكَ.....
“Verily
there are angels who roam around in the streets in search for people
who perform zikr. When they come across a group of people who are
engaged in zikr, they call upon (to other angels), “Come forth unto your
sustenance!” They spread their wings upon them until the skies.
Their lord asks them (the angels) while He is more aware (of the
situation of the people of zikr), “What are my servants saying?” The angels reply, “They are glorifying, exalting, and praising you.”……
(1)In another Hadith, it is stated:
“When you come across the gardens of Jannah, receive a portion from it.” The people asked, “What is the garden of Jannah?” He (Prophet) replied, “The gatherings of Zikr.”
(2)In Mirqaat Al-Mafaateeh under the explanation of this Hadith, Mulla Ali Qari Rahmatullahi Alaih quotes with reference to Imam Nawawi Rahmatullahi Alaih:
قَالَ
النَّوَوِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ كَمَا يُسْتَحَبُّ
الذِّكْرُ يُسْتَحَبُّ الْجُلُوسُ فِي حَلَقِ أَهْلِهِ، وَهُوَ قَدْ
يَكُونُ بِالْقَلْبِ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ بِاللِّسَانِ، وَأَفْضَلُ مِنْهُمَا
مَا كَانَ بِالْقَلْبِ وَاللِّسَانِ جَمِيعًا، فَإِنِ اقْتُصِرَ عَلَى
أَحَدِهِمَا، فَالْقَلْبُ أَفْضَلُ
“Imam
Nawawi Rahmatullahi Alaih mentions: As performing zikr is regarded to
be preferable, accompanying the gatherings in which zikr takes place is
also preferable. Zikr may be performed with the heart or with the
tongue. It is better to perform zikr together with the heart and the
tongue. However, if one restricts zikr to only the heart or tongue, then
doing zikr with the heart is more preferable.”
(3)It
is possible that you are referring to some specific form of loud dhikr
being bidah. It is therefore important to understand the definition of
bidah to be able to make the correct conclusion on the various forms of
dhikr.
The educational system of Daul Ulooms and madrasas as found today were not existent at the time of Rasullullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. In
order to be able to understand the Quran and Ahadith, the Arabic
language with Sarf (etymology), Nahw (grammar), Fasahat and Balagah
(rhetoric) are taught.
Fiqh
and Usool-ul-Fiqh, Tafseer and Usool-ut-Tafseer, Hadith and
Usool-ul-Hadith are taught in order to be regarded as an Alim of Deen
and having authority on Deen. The knowledge of these subjects is
regarded to be compulsory yet no body regards studying these subjects as
bidah and prohibits it. This was not the system at the time of
Rasullullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. (4)
According to Shariah, bidah is defined as follows:
وَالْمُرَادُ
بِالْبِدْعَةِ: مَا أُحْدِثَ مِمَّا لَا أَصْلَ لَهُ فِي الشَّرِيعَةِ
يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ، فَأَمَّا مَا كَانَ لَهُ أَصْلٌ مِنَ الشَّرْعِ يَدُلُّ
عَلَيْهِ، فَلَيْسَ بِبِدْعَةٍ شَرْعًا، وَإِنْ كَانَ بِدْعَةً لُغَةً
“And
the meaning of bidah is: that act which has no origin in Shariah that
indicates to the origin. If the new act has an origin in Shariah, then
it will not be considered as bidah in terms of Shariah even if it may be
considered bidah in its literal sense.” (5) (6)
The
above definition means that if a person innovates something in Shariah
which does not have any origin in Shariah and there is no indication in
the new aspect to the origin, then that will be bidah. However, if there
is an origin for the new aspect in Shariah and the new aspect indicates
to the origin, then it will not be considered bidah.
In
order to expound on this, the following example will make the point
clear. If one wants to become an Alim of Deen and be an authority on
Deen, he has to learn all the sciences of Deen as previously indicated,
Sarf, Nahw, Usool etc.
The
study of all these subjects is new but has its roots in its origin that
is educating oneself in Shariah (taleem) which is one of the 3 missions
of Rasullullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. These subjects are
subsidiaries to the origin and preserves to compliment the original,
educating oneself in Shariah. Hence, studying the different subjects is
not bidah. Furthermore, these subjects are not principle requirements,
Fardh, Wajib or Sunnah in Deen. They are administrative issues serving
to support and fulfill an origin in Shariah.
In
the same light as the above, tazkiyyah (purifying oneself) is Fardh
like taleem (education). Both, taleem and tazkiyyah are clearly
mentioned in the Quran and Ahadith. The different forms of Zikr which
are not specifically stated in the Quran and Ahadith, for example,
muraqabah of certain verses of the Quran like الم يعلم بان الله يري generally
practiced by the Naqshbandiyyah followers or the famous 12 tasbeehaat
prescribed by the Chistiyyah Mashaaikh with a specific head movement are
aimed to achieve tazkiyyah.
These
means are tried, tested and proven to be beneficial in obtaining
tazkiyyah. Muraqabah with its different forms and zikr with its
different forms compliment tazkiyyah and are not regarded as fundamental
principles like Fardh, Wajib etc. in Shariah. They are administrative
issues to achieve the objective. Hence, these new acts point towards its
origin in Shariah which is tazkiyyah. To further elaborate on this, an
example of a physically sick person may be appropriate.
When
a person is ill, he takes medications which are prescribed to him by a
doctor to cure his sickness. Similarly, doing the dhikr of Allah is a
spiritual treatment and cure for the heart. When a person does the dhikr
of Allah, it removes the spiritual sicknesses and the diseases from the
heart.
Tazkiyyah (purifying the soul), is Fardh upon every individual. It has been mentioned in the Quran:
كَمَا
أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولًا مِنْكُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِنَا
وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمْ
مَا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ
(القرآن 2:151)
Just
as We have sent among you a messenger from yourselves reciting to you
Our verses and purifying you and teaching you the Book and wisdom and
teaching you that which you did not know. (Quran 2:151)
A
special form of dhikr prescribed by a spiritual guide has been tested
and found to be efficient by many scholars of the past as a spiritual
remedy. It has been recorded to treat many diseases of the heart such as
anger, hatred, jealousy, pride love for the money, love for the world
etc.
It
is agreed that if a person performs dhikr loudly with the intention
that it is Fardh, Wajib or Sunnah, then such an act will be considered
Bidah. However, if a person does loud dhikr with the intention that it
is a spiritual remedy for the sicknesses of the heart, then there is no
harm in performing such dhikr performed in a particular way and with a
prescribed amount as that is merely a means to attain tazkiyyah similar
to learning the Arabic language and the different subjects to educate
oneself on Shariah.
Learning
Arabic has its roots in educating oneself in Shariah. Likewise, the
different forms of zikr have its roots and origin in tazkiyyah. Just as
Arabic is a ladder to learning Shariah, the different forms of zikr are
also a ladder to tazkiyyah.
It
is however important to confine the different means of taleem and
tazkiyyah to its position and not regard them to be the actual purpose
or to be Sunnah or compulsory in Shariah. If one regards the means to be
compulsory in Shariah, it will now be an act of bidah.
Hereunder are at least three relevant fatwaas from our Aslaaf (pious predecessors).
1. Allamah Tahtawi Rahmatullahi Alahi, a very reliable Hanafi jurist states in Hashiyah At-Tahtaawi Ala Maraaqi Al-Falah with the reference of Allamah She’raani:
“Allamah
She’raani Rahmatullahi Alahi states in his book Zikr Az-Zaakir Lil
Mazkoor Wa As-Shakir Lil Mashkoor, that the former and the latter Ulama
have unanimously permitted doing zikr in a gathering in a Masjid as well as
anywhere else other than the Masjid without prohibiting them except
that if their loud zikr cause disturbance to a sleeping person or to a
person performing Salah or to the one reciting Quran as this has been
established in the books of Fiqh.
” (Hashiyah At-Tahtaawi Ala Maraaqi Al-Falah, Pg.318, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah) (7)
2. Hadhrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi Rahmatullahi Alaih states in Imdaadul Fatawa:
Translation: “…It
has been mentioned in Tafseer-e-Ahmadi under the discussion of audible
and inaudible. There is a difference of opinion amongst the Ulama
regarding this discussion in our time. It does not matter beyond that as
the purpose is to reach Allah in any way.
This
proves the fact that performing loud zikr is permissible in every way.
No person shall be prohibited in any way. And this opinion is the most
authentic and preferred one. In fact, even if the opinion which prohibits (performing loud zikr) is given preference
to, the laymen should not be prohibited from performing loud zikr. With
this, the laymen will accomplish some rewards. Hence, the ones
prohibiting (from performing loud zikr) themselves have stated this.
3. Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Al-Hasan Al-Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alahi states in Fatawa Mahmoodiyyah:
Translation: “Those
Hanafi scholars who permit performing zikr audibly are in fact
permitting it as a remedy from which the heart is rejuvenated. This
facilitates traversing this path of tazkiyyah.”
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
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