Thread: What is Zikr?

I have come across a definition of Zikr in Sufism and this really interest me -

"Zikr means remembrance. Remembrance of the Beloved is remembering oneself. When we remember ourselves we remember The Beloved.

Zikr involves the repetition of certain words and phrases that specifically open us to finer spiritual energies. These can manifest as reverberations in the chest and facilitate the opening of the spiritual heart."

Can anyone knowledgeable enough in Sufism expound a little bit on the content of the words and phrases used in Zikr?

I am also intrigued by the mention of the Beloved. Who or what is meant here? Mouravieff, one of Gurdjieff's disciples, speaks of the Androgyne, or the Polar being. Each one of us has a Polar being somewhere there walking the earth. Finding her and recognizing her as such, puts man right before the gates of attainment of higher consciousness. Such a man can skip a few otherwise necessary steps of esoteric evolution and obtain what others have to labor for.

So who is the Beloved, remembered in Zikr practices?

Zikr (or dhikr) is remembrance of the Beloved whom is none other than God or Allah. The Hindus have a similar practiced called Smarana which also means "remembrance."

The first part of the Islamic shahadah, La ilaha ilAllah ("there is no god but God") can be repeated over and over as a form of Zikr. The name Allah by itself can also be used. On a misbaha (Islamic rosary usually of 33 beads) you can chant Alhamudlillah ("Praise God") 33 times, Subhanallah ("Glory be to God") 33 times, and then Allahu Akbar ("God is the Greatest") 33 times. Some people memorize the Asma ul-Husna or 99 Names of God and chant them as a form of Zikr. I think that some Muslims chant the 112th chapter of the Qur'an as a form of Zikr. Chapter 112, al-Ikhlas, is translated as "Say: He, God is One, God is Eternal. He does not beget, He is not begotten, and like Him there is not even one." The Arabic is qul hu allahu ahad allahu samad lam yalid wa lam yulad wa lamyaku lahu kufuwan ahad.

It is important to know that these practices of Zikr in Sufism are themselves Islamic practices. Zikr is explained in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah.. then it is a Sufi practice because Sufism is simply Islamic mysticism.

Zikr can be practiced at any time, in case you were wondering.

And most importantly, do you have an Islamic view of existence? If you do not believe in Qur'an nor adhere to Islam then you will probably have a hard time working with Sufis. But, who says you can't practice Zikr as a simple mystical practice? You can get wonderful results if you believe it works. It's like how anyone, Hindu or not, can do the Smarana practice of chanting the mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and get good results.

Here is a chant that can be applied to any religion, even yourself.
In your name, mighty legion, creator, destroyer, immortal, eternal, before and after, light and darkness, giver and taker of life, it is so, mighty one.

thanks for the replies.

It is interesting how various traditions have the same (or almost the same) practices. I recall that in the Russian Orthodox tradition, particularly among the monks, there is a so called "Prayer of the Lord" which goes like this -

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" It is repeated up to several thousand times in a row.

Even the top Orthodox Church fathers admit that the words of the prayer are not important. What is important is the effect that it produces on the psyche of the person praying. First of all it helps the person to hold himself in his own attention (self-remembering) and secondly, the realization of God's perfection and our imperfection creates a different in potentialities and causes, what the Orthodox call, the current of Grace.

Originally Posted by d&g

thanks for the replies.

It is interesting how various traditions have the same (or almost the same) practices. I recall that in the Russian Orthodox tradition, particularly among the monks, there is a so called "Prayer of the Lord" which goes like this -

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" It is repeated up to several thousand times in a row.

Even the top Orthodox Church fathers admit that the words of the prayer are not important. What is important is the effect that it produces on the psyche of the person praying. First of all it helps the person to hold himself in his own attention (self-remembering) and secondly, the realization of God's perfection and our imperfection creates a different in potentialities and causes, what the Orthodox call, the current of Grace.

It is called "the prayer of the heart".You are supposed to sink the words of the prayer into your heart, whatever that means.
Which fathers of the church are you talking about?
And what is the current of Grace?
No intention to troll, just want to be informed.