DHIKR

The highest degree of Dhikr is that a Believer should be entirely devoted to Allah, and should never forget Him. This standard of Dhikr is achieved by constant spiritual exercise, and by continuous remembrance of Allah. Those who have realized the spiritual benefits of " Dhikr ", they do not neglect it for a single moment of their life. The Holy Prophet instructed a Companion of his with the following words: " Keep thy tongue always busy with the remembrance of Allah ". In another Hadith he says: " When some people gather together in an assembly, and then get up without remembering Allah, be sure that they sat around the dead body of an ass, and left it; therefore such an assembly will be a sorrow to them on the Day of Judgment".

The true Believers should remember Allah all the time and by contemplating the wonders of His creation, they should glorify Him, and thereby strengthen their love for Him. The more they remember Allah, the better will be their good deeds, the stronger their Faith and knowledge. Then, they will have more and more love for Allah, and their service to Him will be more sincere and realistic. Particularly, during the Tabligh journey they should not forget Allah for a single moment. If all the daily prayers, which are mentioned in Hadith, viz, prayer for going to sleep and waking up, prayer at the end of a meeting, prayer for the beginning and the end of meals, prayer for entering home and going out, prayer for starting a journey, and prayer for returning from it, prayer for riding an animal (or any other transport), prayer for entering a new town or a city, etc., are remembered well, and are read on the relevant occasion, naturally the exercise of the remembrance of Allah can be improved to a great extent. No amount of time is sufficient for a sacred thing like " Dhkir ", yet most spare time should be devoted to the same; but the least thing every Muslim can do, is to read the Kali-mah, and Darud, and Istighfar ( each a complete Tasbeeh) every morning and evening; moreover, a time should be fixed for the recitation of the Holy Quran. Even some worldly loss can easily be tolerated for the boundless boons of Allah, which are going to be granted to a Believer in the next life!

The Perference of " Dhikr "
It has been mentioned in Hadith that " Dhikr " purifies and enlightens the Heart. Another Hadith says that nothing saves a Muslim from the chastisement of Allah, more than Dhikr. A Hadith of Bukhari says: " One who remembers Allah, is remembered by Him among His courtiers (angels)". Says the Holy Prophet in an other Hadith: " Anyone who remembers Allah most often, is so much preferable to a person, who distributes a great amount of money in the way of Allah”.