Dhikr

Remembrance of Allah, in set phrases and in the wider habit of not forgetting Him.

Also written · Zikr · Zikir · Zikar · Thikr · Dhkr · Zekr · Dhikrullah · Dhikr Allah · Remembrance of Allah · Remembering Allah · Zikr Allah

The meaning

What Dhikr means in Islam

The Qur'an says hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah (Qur'an 13:28) and tells believers to remember Him and He will remember them (Qur'an 2:152). In practice dhikr covers the short phrases such as subhan Allah and la ilaha illa Allah, the morning and evening adhkar, reciting the Qur'an, and the wider state of living aware of Him. Sufi orders add group and audible forms, and that is where scholars disagree about method, not about dhikr itself.

Evidence · Qur’an · Stated directly in the Qur’an

Read beside it

Rooms that name it

The book makes a claim about its own survivalA Light · Surah al-Hijr, a Makkan chapter
The Qur'an's name for itself is a word about memoryA Light · Root dh k r, to remember and to mention
The word for prayer also means blessing the ProphetA Light · Surah Ta-Ha, verse 14

Words that sit beside it

AdhkarThe set remembrances of the day: morning, evening, sleeping, waking, eating, travel and distress.الأَذْكَار
TasbihDeclaring Allah free of every imperfection, most often in the words subhan Allah.التَّسْبِيح
WirdA personal daily portion of remembrance or recitation that a person keeps to.الوِرْد
GhaflahHeedlessness: not the denial of the truth, but the habit of never getting round to it.الغَفْلَة
SakinahA stillness Allah sends down into the heart, usually at the moment it is least expected.السَّكِينَة