Question was asked:
Is it permissible to make dhikr by saying the name of
Allah alone i.e. saying "Allah Allah Allah" without
any accompaning phrase i.e. saying "subhaanallah,
alhamdulillah,allahuakbar, la ilaha illallah."
Is there consensus among ulama on this issue? If not,
which prominent scholars have approved/disapproved of this?
Asta`idhu billah, Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim:
{Say: ALLAH. Then leave them to their playing} (6:91).
{Surely by mentioning ALLAH hearts become peaceful} (13:28).
From Abu Sa`id al-Khudri, the Prophet ﷺ said, upon him peace:
"No people mention ALLAH but the angels surround them,
mercy covers them, tranquility descends on them, and
ALLAH mentions them to those who are with Him." (Muslim, at-Tirmidhi)
From Abu Hurayra, the Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Most High said:
"I am as My servant thinks of Me and I sit with him when he
remembers Me. If he mentions Me in himself I mention him in
Myself. If he mentions Me in a gathering I mention him in a
better gathering." (Al-Bukhari, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah,
and Ahmad)
The Prophet ﷺ said, upon him blessings and peace:
"ALLAH, ALLAH! Fear Him with regard to my Companions! Do not
make them targets after me! Whoever loves them loves them
with his love for me; and whoever hates them hates them
with his hatred for me. Whoever bears enmity for them,
bears enmity for me; and whoever bears enmity for me,
bears enmity for Allah. Whoever bears enmity for Allah is
about to perish!"
Narrated from `Abd Allah ibn Mughaffal by al-Tirmidhi who
said: gharīb (single-routed), by Ahmad with three good
chains in his Musnad, al-Bukhari in his Tarikh, al-Bayhaqi
in Shu`ab al-Iman, and others. Al-Suyuti declared it hasan
in his Jami` al-Saghir (#1442).
Asma' bint `Umays the wife of Abu Bakr and mother of
`Abd Allah ibn Ja`far ibn Abi Talib - Allah be well-pleased
with all of them! - said:
"The Messenger of Allah - upon him blessings and peace -
taught me words for me to say in times of duress:
'ALLAH, ALLAH is my Lord nor do I associate with him
anything!'" (Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah with a good chain)
The Prophet ﷺ upon him peace - said as narrated from Anas:
"The Hour will not rise until ALLAH, ALLAH is no longer
said on the earth."
Through another chain from Anas, Allah be well-pleased with him:
"The Hour will not rise on anyone saying: ALLAH, ALLAH."
Muslim narrated both in his "Sahih," Book of Iman
(belief), chapter 66 titled (by al-Nawawi): "The
Disappearance of Belief at the End of Times."
Imam al-Nawawi said in his commentary on this chapter:
"Know that the narrations of this hadith are unanimous
in the repetition of the name of Allah the Exalted for
both versions and that is the way it is found in all
the authoritative books." (Sharh Sahih Muslim,
Dar al-Qalam, Beirut ed. vol. 1/2 p. 537)
Additional Remarks on the two narrations of ALLAH, ALLAH
1. Note that Imam al-Nawawi placed Anas's hadith under
the heading of the disappearance of belief (iman) at
the end of times although there is no mention of belief
in the hadith. This shows that saying "ALLAH, ALLAH"
stands for belief. Those who say it have belief, while
those who don't, don't. Those who fight those who say it,
are actually worse than those who merely lack belief and
do not say "ALLAH, ALLAH."
2. Note that al-Nawawi highlights the authenticity of
the repetition of the form to establish that the words
"ALLAH, ALLAH" are a Sunna ma'thura (invocation inherited
from the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions) as it stands.
Ibn Taymiyya's claim that the words must not be used
alone but _obligatorily_ in contruct, e.g. with a vocative
form ("Ya Allah") is therefore an innovation departing from the Sunna.
3. One who knows that the dhikr "ALLAH, ALLAH" has been
mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ himself, is not at liberty to
muse whether it was used by the Companions or not in
order to establish its basis. It suffices for its basis
that the Prophet ﷺ said it! Sami`na wa-Ata`na!
4. One who knows that "ALLAH, ALLAH" is a dhikr used by
the Prophet, is not at liberty to object to similar forms
of dhikr such as HU and HAYY and HAQQ. { "To Allah belong
the most beautiful names, so call Him by them" } (7:180).
Moreover, it is established that Bilal used to make the
dhikr "AHAD, AHAD" while undergoing torture. As for the
hadith of the ninety-nine Names, it does not limit the
Names of Allah to only ninety-nine, as al-Nawawi made
clear in his commentary of that hadith.
5. Note that the Siddiqi translation of Sahih Muslim,
which is almost as flawed as the Khan translation of
Sahih al-Bukhari, mistranslates the first as: "The Hour
(Resurrection) would not come so long as Allah is
supplicated in the world" and the second as "The Hour
(Resurrection) would not come upon anyone so long as
he supplicates Allah."
This is wrong as translation goes, although it is right
as a commentary, since saying "ALLAH, ALLAH" is
supplicating Him, as is all worship according to the
hadith of the Prophet: "Supplication: that is what
worship is." (Tirmidhi and others narrate it.) However,
concerning accuracy in translation, the word form
highlighted by al-Nawawi must be kept intact in any
explanation of this hadith. It is not merely
"supplicating Allah". It is saying: "ALLAH, ALLAH"
according to the Prophet's own wording, upon him peace.
6. The fact that an alternate version exists in Musnad
Ahmad with the words "LA ILAHA ILLALLAH" instead of
"ALLAH, ALLAH" in no way cancels out the wording in
Muslim. We do not leave a wording in Sahih Muslim for
a wording in Musnad Ahmad nor do we make TA`TEEL and
TA'WEEL of an established, explicit, and authentic
Nass which, furthermore, confirms the letter of the Glorious Qur'an!
7. Imam al-Nawawi's daily devotion (Wird) uses the
dhikr ALLAH, ALLAH!
And Allah knows best.
Shah Naqshband said: "This Path is built upon breath,"
meaning God-consciousness, death to the world, presence
of heart, and the remembrance of ALLAH with every breath.
May Allah sanctify his secret and benefit us with him.
"During the average human lifespan, a person will breathe
500 million times." Dr. Adel M.A. Abbas, _His Throne Was
on Water_ (p. 81).
Sahl al-Tustari said - Allah be well-pleased with him:
"There are three types of eaters: one eats light and
faith from the start of his food to the end; one eats
nothing but food; and one eats garbage (sirjeen). The
first one names ALLAH at the beginning, remembers Him
with every bite, and thanks Him at the end; the second
one names Him at the beginning and thanks Him at the
end; the third one neither names Him nor thanks Him
nor remembers Him."
Imam al-Ghazzali said in Ihya' `Ulum al-Din (3:19-20),
Quarter on Muhlikaat, Book on Wonders of the Heart,
Chapter on "The Difference between inspiration and
learning," describing dhikr:
[Slightly amended from Orfan Rabbat's unpublished
translation of al-Khani's al-Bahja al-Saniyya fi
Aadaab al-Tariqat al-Naqshbandiyya]
"He secludes himself, doing no more than the obligatory
worships (faraa'id) and their non-obligatory additions
(rawaatib), does not distract his thoughts (while per-
forming the following dhikr) by reciting the Qur'aan,
nor by reflecting about Tafseer, books of Hadeeth or other
subjects. On the contrary, he makes an effort that none
but Allah Ta`aala crosses his mind.
"So after sitting in seclusion, he persists in continuously
saying with the tongue "ALLAH, ALLAH" with presence of heart
until he ends up in a state where he quits moving the tongue
and sees as if the word is (still) running over his tongue.
Then he perseveres until its traces disappear from the
tongue yet he finds his heart continuing the Dhikr.
[This Dhikr of the heart is the Dhikr of the Naqshbandi Path.
The explanations about dhikr that follow are identical to
those of the Naqshbandi Path.]
"Then he perseveres with this (Dhikr of the heart) until
are erased from the heart the image of the expression
('ALLAH'), its letters, and the form of the word, while
the meaning of the word remains alone in his heart, present
therein, as if established in the heart and not leaving it.
"He has the choice to reach this limit and the choice to
preserve this state by repelling away waswasah (and all
thoughts) but he has no choice (after that) in acquiring
Allah's Mercy (which might come then): he became, as a
result of what he did, exposed to the bestowing breezes
of Allah's Mercy! So what remains is but to wait for what
Mercy Allah may open up, as He opened it up upon the
Prophets and Awliya' in this manner.
"Then, if his resolve (irada) is truthful and his
determination pure, and if he perseveres well, such that
his desires do not keep attracting him and his internal
prattle about worldly bonds does not distract him, then
the brilliances of truth will shine in his heart!
"This will initially be unstable like swift lightning.
Then it will return, and may delay. If this returns, it
may persist and it may also be short. And if it persists,
it may be for a long while, and it may be for a short
duration. Similar but different states may follow each
other, or it may only be one type, and the levels therein
of Allah's Awliya' (beloved ones) are countless just as
their individual natures and moral features are countless.
"Thus this method goes back to
- sole purification, cleansing and polishing on your part,
- then followed only by readiness and waiting."
In his Hashiya, Ibn `Abidin said about group Dhikr, "Imam
al-Ghazzali compared doing dhikr alone and the dhikr of
a group to the adhan of someone alone and the adhan of
a group. He said, 'As the voices of a group of mu'adhdhins
reach farther than the voice of a single mu'adhdhin, so
the dhikr of a group on one heart has more effect in
lifting dense veils than the dhikr of a single person.'"
In his Hashiya, al-Tahtawi said: "Al-Sha`rawi stated that
Scholars early and late agree that it is recommended to
remember Allah Almighty in a group in the mosques and
elsewhere without any objection unless their dhikr aloud
disturbs someone sleeping, praying, or reciting the Qur'an,
as is confirmed in the books of fiqh."
Yes, al-Nabulusi, al-Lacknawi, and al-Gangohi said there
is disagreement in the Hanafi position over loud dhikr
(al-dhikr al-jahri) in the mosque ranging from ja'iz -
permissible - to makruh, to haram, and the correct position
according to Imam al-Lacknawi is that it is ja'iz as stated
in the Fatawa Khayriyya. This is also the position of al-
Shurunbulali, Kayr al-Din al-Ramli, al-Nabulusi, Ibn `Abidin,
Gangohi, and others, Allah have mercy on them.
In this respect the correct Hanafi position is in line with
that of the other Three Schools wal-Hamdu lillah.
As for the mention that the Faqih and Sufi Shaykh, Sidi Ahmad
al-Zarruq (d. 846) disapproved of the Hadra - the standing
moving Dhikr practiced by Shadhilis - that, surely, was
in his first phase, when he disapproved of many aspects of
tasawwuf on the grounds of external knowledge. In his second
and final phase there is no such disapproval. Ibn `Ajiba
narrates from his Shuyukh's Shuyukh concerning Sidi al-Zarruq
that in Tariqa he was an Imam, but not in Haqiqa and Dhawq -
until very late in life: "He was not granted an opening (fat-h)
until the last part of his life and almost parted with it empty-
handed, hence his frequent objections to the people of Nisba
and his hard stances and criticism of them" as stated in al-
Talidi's al-Mutrib (p. 152) and "I heard Mawlay al-`Arabi al-
Darqawi al-Hasani - radyAllahu `anh - say: Shaykh Zarruq among
the people of external knowledge is something big, but among
the people of internal knowledge he is something small... And
among the Awliya those of the upper levels know those below
them, not the reverse."
As for the mawquf report of Ibn Mas`ud that some adduce
against the permissibility of collective dhikr in mosques,
this report is inauthentic:
Amr ibn salmah said: We used to sit in front of
Abdullah Ibn Masoud's house before the Fajr prayer,
so that when he came out we would go with him to
the Masjid.
{one day} Abu Moosa al-Ash'aaree came
and asked us: 'Did Abu Abdur Rahmaan (i.e. Ibn
Masoud) leave yet? ' We answered: 'No.'
So Abu Moosa al-Ash'aaree sat with us waiting for him.
When he came out, we all stood up. Abu Moosa told him:
"Oh, Abu Abdur Rahmaan! I recently saw something in
the Masjid which I deemed to be evil, but all praise
is for Allah, I did see anything except good "
Ibn Masoud then asked: "then What was it?"
Abu Moosa said: "You will see it if you stay alive.
In the Masjid, I saw a group of people sitting in
circles waiting for the Salāāh. Each circle is led
by a person. And every person in these circles
carries small stones (pebbles).
The leader of a circle would say: "Say 'Allah-u
Akbar' a hundred times" so they would repeat Allah-u
Akbar a hundred times; then he says "Say 'Laa ilaaha
illallaah', a hundred times" so they would say Laa
ilaaha illallaah a hundred times; then he would say:
"Say 'Subhaanallah', a hundred times", they will say
Subhana Allah a hundred times.
Then Ibn Masoud said: "What did you tell them?"
He said: 'I didn't say anything, I waited to hear your opinion."
Abdullah Ibn Masoud said: "Could you not order them
to count their evil deeds, and assured them of getting
their rewards."
Then Abdullah Ibn Masoud went ahead and we accompanied
him. As he approached one of the circles, he said:
"What is this that you are doing?"
They said: "Oh! Abu Abdur Rahmaan, these are pebbles
to count the number of times we say Allah-u Akbar,
La ilaaha Illallah, and Subhaanallah."
He said: "Count your evil deeds, and I assure you that
you are not going to lose anything of your rewards
(Hasanat). Woe unto you, people of Muhammad, how
quickly you go to destruction! Those are your Prophet's
companions available, these are his clothes not worn out
yet, and his pots are not broken yet. I swear by Whom
my soul is in His Hands that you are either following
a religion that is better than the Prophet's religion
or you are opening a door of misguidance." They said:
"We swear by Allah Almighty, oh, Abu Abdur Rahmaan,
that we had no intention other than doing good deeds."
He said: "So what? How many people wanted to do good
deeds but never got to do them? The Prophet of Allah ﷺ
has told us about people who recited the Qur'ān with
no effect on them other than the Qur'ān passing
through their throats. [I.e. You are Khawarij]...
Al-Darimi in the Muqaddima of his Sunan, narrated from
al-Hakam ibn al-Mubarak who narrates from `Amr ibn Salima
al-Hamadani. This `Amr ibn Yahya ibn `Amr ibn Salama al-
Hamadani is da`if. Ibn Ma`in saw him and said: "his
narrations are worth nothing"; Ibn Kharrash: "he is not
accepted; al-Dhahabi listed him among those who are weak
and whose hadith is not retained in al-Du`afa' wal-Matrukin
(p. 212 #3229), Mizan al-I`tidal (3:293), and al-Mughni
fil-Du`afa' (2:491); and al-Haythami declared him weak
(da`if) in Majma` al-Zawa'id, chapter entitled Bab al-`Ummal
`ala al-Sadaqa.
Further, its authenticity was questioned by al-Suyuti in
al-Hawi (2:31); al-Hifni in Fadl al-Tasbih wal-Tahlil as
cited by al-Lacknawi, Sibahat al-Fikr (p. 25 and 42-43).
Further, it is belied by Imam Ahmad's narration in al-Zuhd
from Abu Wa'il who said: "Those who claim that `Abd Allah
[= Ibn Mas`ud] forbade dhikr [are wrong]: I never sat with
him in any gathering except he made dhikr of Allah in it."
Cited by al-Munawi in Fayd al-Qadir (1:457), al-Suyuti in
Natijat al-Fikr fil-Jahri bil-Dhikr in al-Hawi, al-Nabulusi
in Jam` al-Asrar (p. 66), al-Hifni in Fadl al-Tasbih wal-
Tahlil as cited in al-Lacknawi, Sibahat al-Fikr (p. 25).
In addition, the Prophetic narrations affirming loud dhikr
are sahih and innumerable, and definitely take precedence
over a mawquf Companion-report even if we were hypothetically
to consider it authentic.
Naysayers mention other pseudo-evidence against loud dhikr,
all weak, such as the hadith "The best Dhikr is soft, and the
best sustenance is what is sufficient," "One silent du`a is
seventy times more superior than one loud du`a," and other
da`if and maqtu` reports for which we are supposed to leave
Qur'an and Sahih evidence and the understanding of the Imams!
A final note:
"It is better for one to mention Allah once, pray one prayer,
or recite one Sura or the like of that with the state of the
Shari`a of Muhammad SallAllahu `alayhi wa-Alihi wa-Sallam than
to do it a thousand times with the blameworthy state which is
intense thirst for this world and devotion to idle talk, and
absorption in misguidance. Allah save us!" Shaykh `Arabi al-Darqawi.
Our Master, the light of our eyes, the treasure of this world,
Mawlana al-Shaykh Nazim said in the talks titled FROM DUNYA TO MAWLA:
"First condition for protection is to believe in God, and
second to continue worshipping. Run and put your prayer-carpet,
pray, make Dhikr and glorify the Lord. No protection now except
that. Even whole armies can't protect one single person.
"Angels glorify without tiring, and they are fed by it. The
power of one angel is enough to carry away the power of whole
mankind; that special power may stop everything in a moment.
One spiritual person may carry away all nuclear weapons in one moment.
"We don't fear a nuclear war. It is not going to be as they
like and think, because the control is in the hands of a wali.
The world is under heavenly control. On every bomb there is a
jinn. People think they are controlling, but they control
nothing. There are the 5 Qutubs, and they control.
"Allah likes and orders to be glorified. It gives power and peace
to you. Try to say more: La ilaha ill'Allah, say: ALLAH, ALLAH,
make Salawat [invocations of blessings on the Prophet].
"Try to give more time of your day to reach to spiritual power.
Every worshipping and Dhikr helps, giving you more love for the
Lord, and real life comes through love. Saints say: people
without love are like dead ones walking on earth.
"Love is life, light and our perfection. As much as your love
is growing, you live more enjoyful, happy. The main purpose of
tariqats is to train people to make Dhikr, so that they may
take support and power from it.
"Time of Qiyama approaching now. Hundreds of signs appeared,
and one of them is that people leave glorification of the Lord.
And sufferings rain on them. Then they ask treatment by drugs.
"All illnesses go away by glorifying the Lord. Through your
love for the Lord you will reach health, pleasure and happiness
here and hereafter."
Was-Salam.
Hajj Gibril
GF Haddad
[14 May 2003]
