Say Allah, Allah, Allah!

There are a few things in my life that consistently offer a feeling of freshness and renewal. One is wudu’, the ritual ablution Muslims perform before prayer, its impact on the soul is a significant one. After performing the wudu’ one has a strong sense of cleanliness and purity that can be felt for long periods of time. This is real, and most Muslims would agree that this practice, wudu’, does exactly that, creates a sense of purity for the Believer. I have written about the practice of wudu’ in an earlier article called, The Beauty of Wudu’.

The second item in my life that consistently offers a feeling of renewal and freshness is the salah/namaz, the Islamic ritual prayer. This is particularly true with Fajr (the Morning Prayer). After the Morning Prayer one receives a strong sense of renewal and freshness. The crispness of the morning air is uplifting. The dim lighting that is proper protocol for this prayer is soothing for the sleepy Muslim struggling to make it through the prayer and the combination of the air, dim lighting and subtle activity in the form of postures slowly wakes the body to a state where it is functioning at its optimum capacity. And while all of this is occurring the recitation of the Qur’an is a reminder to us, a reminder of our purpose a renewal of our faith; our intention; our beginning and our end.

The third is item of renewal not only offers a sense of renewal and freshness but also brings a great satisfaction to the heart and emotions. That is the act of loud dhikr (remembrance), this practice is most commonly known in today’s society to be practiced by sufis. But loud dhikr (prounounced zee-kur) is a practice taught to the Companions of the Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) by the Prophet, Sayyidina Maulana Muhammad (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) himself. Loud dhikr was performed in the Prophet’s mosque by him and his Companions and the tradition is upheld today by those called sufis, but the practice itself is not sufi its sunnat, the tradition of the Holy Prophet (may Peace and Blessings be upon him).

Loud dhikr was something that I was taught early on in life but it wasn’t until I met Shaykh Abdul-Kerim al-Kibrisi that the benefit of loud dhikr became opened to me. Having attained some maturity in these days I immediately noticed some effects that were taking place. One of these effects I noted on my own, in my private journals and was later instructed that what I had been noting was exactly what was supposed to happen. That happening was a deep sense of satisfaction, Shaykh Effendi (In Turkish Effendi is an honorable title given to a man) is saying,

“Ala bi zikrillahi taqma’in qulub. Allah is saying to us, “If you want your heart to be satisfied, you must say Allah.” Leave what others say. We want our hearts to be satisfied and we must say Allah. That’s why we are here and that’s why this is a loud Zikr.”

Saying Allah, Allah, Allah, is indeed satisfying. What could be more satisfying? Pure water is nice but afterward we must relieve ourselves; good food is nice but eventually you must use the toilet; clothes are nice but they cost money and money is nice but we must work for it. Saying Allah, Allah, Allah, is indeed satisfying provides relief, saying Allah creates no waste; saying Allah has no cost and takes little effort but the reward is satisfaction or in other words Peace, Salaam. The reward is Peace from the Most Peaceful, salaam min as-Salaam.

When loud dhikr is happening, we are changing the environment to concentrate on Him whose name we are remembering. Shaykh Effendi instructs us on dhikrullah saying,

“When the Zikr is going on we are closing the lights for you not to be busy with what is around. This way you will be able to participate. And don’t worry about what the guy sitting next to you is going to say. Whether he is going to say you are crazy or you are a wali/saint. It doesn’t matter what anybody says. You are here for Allah, remembering Allah and if you are remembering just like that, mashallah. This will take you directly to paradise.”

A final thought on this is that the key to a happy person requires little effort, no money and produces no waste. But we are steadily falling to the evil idea that we can buy happiness. That our happiness; our satisfaction somehow lies in something we can get over the internet or in a shopping mall. How did we end up here? Despite our religious differences the mankind can benefit from saying Allah. So give it a shot, say Allah, Allah Allah and be next to accept your reward, free of charge.