Dhikr , ذکر (Zikr in Urdu and Zekr in Persian) (Arabic "pronouncement", "invocation" or "remembrance") is an Islamic practice that focuses on the remembrance of God. Dhikr as a devotional act often includes the repetition of the names of Allah, supplications and aphorisms from hadith literature, and sections of the Qur'an. Urdu ( , , trans. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... The 99 Names of God, also known as The 99 Attributes of God (Arabic: transliteration: ), are the names of God revealed in the Quran;[1] even though the names (as adjectives, word constructs, or otherwise) exceed ninety-nine in the Quran. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Origins

The origins of dhikr and its practice is an issue which is disputed within the Muslim community. While some claim it has sanction in both the Qur'an and sunnah, others consider it to be bid'ah, or an unlawful innovation into religious practice. There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Bidah (Arabic: بدعة ) is an Islamic term meaning (improper) innovation of religious beliefs or worship. ...

Dhikr Beads

Known also as tasbih, these are usually beads upon a string, 99 or 100 in number, which correspond to the ninety-nine names of God and other recitations. The beads are used to keep track of the number of recitations that make up the dhikr. A Tasbih A Tasbih تسبيح (Arabic) is a string of Prayer beads probably of Persian origin which is traditionally used by Muslims in prayer. ...

Muslim inmates are allowed to utilize dhikr beads for therapeutic effects (see, [1]). This was a result of a successful action brought pursuant to 28 USC @ 1983 (by Imam Hamzah S. Alameen in the State of New York against Thomas A. Coughlin III, the Department of Corrections) arguing that prisoners have a First Amendment Constitutional right to use dhikr beads.

Some Islamic scholars argue that using the beads are forbidden, however. Many claim that the usage of the fingers to count is better as that is what was practiced by Muhammad.^{[citation needed]} The issue is still hotly debated in some communities and there are a number of differing opinions on the matter. Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ...

Sufi view

The Sufi orders engage in ritualized dhikr ceremonies. Each order or lineage within an order has one or more forms for group dhikr, the liturgy of which may include recitation, singing, instrumental music, dance, costumes, incense, meditation, ecstasy, and trance (Touma 1996, p.162). Dhikr in a group is not limited to these rules but most often done on Thursday and/or Sunday nights as part of the institutional practice of most orders. Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ... Quran reading is the reading (tarteel, tajwid, or taghbir) aloud, reciting, chanting portions of the Quran. ... Harry Belafonte singing, photograph by C. van Vechten Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with speech. ... Instrumental An instrumental is, in contrast to a song, a musical composition or piece without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. ... Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) generally refers to movement used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Incense is a preparation of aromatic organic materials, intended to release fragrant smoke when burned. ... A large statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating Meditation describes a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An altered state of consciousness is any state which is significantly different from a normative waking beta wave state. ...

Dhikr is sometimes accompanied with traditional instruments such as the Daf, Ney, Dombak, Tar (lute), Setar (lute), Santur, and so on. Recently, modern instruments have also been used to perform dhikr. The word daf and similar can mean: The word daff is a colloquial short form of daffodil. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Goblet drum is a goblet or hour-glass shaped hand drum used in Arab music, Persian music, Balkan music and Turkish music. ... Iranian Tar Woman playing the tar in a painting from the Hasht-Behesht Palace in Isfahan Iran, 1669 Iranian Tar The tar is a long-necked, waisted lute found in Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and other areas near the Caucasus region. ... Hamid Motebassem Playing Setar Setar Azerbaijani Setar Setar (Persian: سه‌تار se three tār string) is an Iranian musical instrument. ... Santur Woman playing the santur in a painting from the Hasht-Behesht Palace in Isfahan Iran, 1669 The santur (سنتور – also santūr, santour, santoor) is a hammered dulcimer of Iran. ...

A group dhikr ceremony in Arabic countries is usually called the hadrah. The hadrah marks the climax of the Sufi's gathering regardless of any teaching or formal structure. Musically this structure includes several secular Arab genres and can last for hours. (ibid, p.165) Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predomiantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Alawite Islam, Druzism, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ... Hadra (Arabic:حضرة) is the term given to the collective supererogatory rituals performed by Sufi orders. ... The climax of a narrative work is its point of highest tension or drama in which the outcome is made known. ... The term musical form refers to two related concepts: the type of composition (for example, a musical work can have the form of a symphony, a concerto, or other generic type -- see Multi-movement forms below) the structure of a particular piece (for example, a piece can be written in... Arab music is the music of Arabic-speaking people or countries, especially those centered around the Arabian Peninsula. ...

The hadrah section consists of the ostinato-like repetition of the name of God over which the soloist performs a richly ornamented song. Often the climax is reached through cries of "Allah! Allah!" or "hu hu" ("He! He!"), with the participants bending forward while exhaling and stand straight while inhaling. The articulation of the name of God progresses as follows, with upward beams indicating inhalatio. In music, an ostinato (derived from Italian: stubborn, compare English: obstinate) is a motif or phrase which is persistently repeated at the same pitch. ...

Source

• Habib Hassan Touma (1996). The Music of the Arabs, trans. Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0-931340-88-8.
• Bruce Privratsky, Muslim Turkistan, p.104

External links

• More information about zikr and meditation: Qalbi Zikr
• Dhikr of Rifai Sayyadi Dervishes
• Rifai Dhikr
• Oveyssi-Shahmaghsoudi Zekr
• Videocollection of different dhikr