The importance and virtue of dhikr

Allah the Most High says:

﴿فَاذْكُرُوْنِيْٓ اَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوْا لِيْ وَلَا تَكْفُرُوْنِ﴾

So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.

1. Surah al-Baqarah, no. (2), verse (152)

﴿يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللّٰهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيْرًا﴾

O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance.

1. Surah al-Ahzab, no. (33), verse (41).

﴿وَالذّٰكِرِيْنَ اللّٰهَ كَثِيْرًا وَّالذّٰكِرٰتِ اَعَدَّ اللّٰهُ لَهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةً وَّاَجْرًا عَظِيْمًا﴾

And the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so - for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.

1. Surah al-Ahzab, no. (33), verse (35).

﴿وَاذْكُرْ رَّبَّكَ فِيْ نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَّخِيْفَةً وَّدُوْنَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْاٰصَالِ وَلَا تَكُنْ مِّنَ الْغٰفِلِيْنَ﴾

And (O Prophet ﷺ!) remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.

1. Surah al-A'raf, no. (7), verse (205).

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

مَثَلُ الَّذِيْ يَذْكُرُ رَبَّهُ، وَالَّذِيْ لَا يَذْكُرُ رَبَّهُ، مَثَلُ الْحَيِّ وَالْمَيِّتِ

The example of the one who remembers his Lord and (of) the one who does not remember his Lord is like that of the living and the dead.

1. Sahih al-Bukhari, no. (6407), the wording is his. In Sahih Muslim no. (779) and other books of hadith the wording is: “مثل البيت الذي يذكر الله فيه والبيت الذي لا يذكر الله فيه مثل الحي والميت”.

Abu ad-Darda' (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

اَلَآ اُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ اَعْمَالِكُمْ وَاَزْكَاهَا عِنْدَ مَلِيْكِكُمْ، وَاَرْفَعِهَا فِيْ دَرَجَاتِكُمْ، وَخَيْرٍ لَّكُمْ مِنْ اِنْفَاقِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ وَخَيْرٍ لَّكُمْ مِّنْ اَنْ تَلْقَوْا عَدُوَّكُمْ فَتَضْرِبُوْٓا اَعْنَاقَهُمْ وَيَضْرِبُوْٓا اَعْنَاقَكُمْ ؕ قَالُوْا بَلٰى قَالَ:((ذِكْرُ اللّٰهِ تَعَالٰى))

Shall I not tell you of a deed that is the best of all your deeds, the purest in the sight of your King, the highest in raising your ranks, better for you than giving gold and silver in charity, and better for you than meeting your enemy so that you strike their necks and they strike your necks? The Companions said: Certainly! (Do tell us of such a deed) He said: “(It is) the remembrance of Allah the Most High.”

1. Sahih, Sunan at-Tirmidhi no. (3377), the wording is his, Sunan Ibn Majah no. (3790), and al-Albani graded it Sahih in his notes on “Hidayat ar-Ruwat” (2/422) no. (2209).

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

يَقُوْلُ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى:اَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِيْ بِيْ وَاَنَا مَعَهٗ اِذَا ذَكَرَنِيْ فَاِنْ ذَكَرَنِيْ فِيْ نَفْسِهٖ ذَكَرْتُهٗ فِيْ نَفْسِيْ وَاِنْ ذَكَرَنِيْ فِيْ مَلَأٍ ذَكَرْتُهٗ فِيْ مَلَأٍ خَيْرٍ مِّنْهُمْ وَاِنْ تَقَرَّبَ اِلَيَّ شِبْرًا تَقَرَّبْتُ اِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا وَّاِنْ تَقَرَّبَ اِلَيَّ ذِرَاعًا تَقَرَّبْتُ اِلَيْهِ بَاعًا وَّاِنْ اَتَانِيْ يَمْشِيْ اَتَيْتُهٗ هَرْوَلَةً

Allah the Most High says: I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me within himself, I remember him within Myself; and if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering better than theirs; and if he draws near to Me by a hand-span, I draw near to him by an arm's length; and if he draws near to Me by an arm's length, I draw near to him by the span of two outstretched arms; and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running.

1. Sahih al-Bukhari, no. (7405), the wording is his, Sahih Muslim no. (2675).

Abdullah bin Busr (RA) narrated:

اَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ ﷺ اِنَّ شَرَآئِعَ الْاِسْلَامِ قَدْ كَثُرَتْ عَلَيَّ فَاَخْبِرْنِيْ بِشَيْءٍ اَتَشَبَّثُ بِهٖ قَالَ لَا يَزَالُ لِسَانُكَ رَطْبًا مِّنْ ذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ

A man said: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! The rulings of Islam have become too many for me, so tell me of something (small yet great in reward) that I can hold on to firmly. He ﷺ said: “لَا يَزَالُ لِسَانُكَ رَطْبًا مِّنْ ذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ” Let your tongue remain moist with the remembrance of Allah.

1. Sahih, Sunan at-Tirmidhi no. (3375), the wording is his, Sunan Ibn Majah (3793), and al-Albani graded it Sahih in “Takhrij al-Kalim at-Tayyib” no. (3).

Abdullah bin Mas'ud (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ قَرَاَ حَرْفًا مِّنْ كِتَابِ اللّٰهِ فَلَهٗ بِهٖ حَسَنَةٌ وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ اَمْثَالِهَا لَآ اَقُوْلُ: الٓمّٓ حَرْفٌ وَّلٰكِنْ اَلِفٌ حَرْفٌ وَّلَامٌ حَرْفٌ وَّمِيْمٌ حَرْفٌ

Whoever reads one letter of the Book of Allah will have a good deed for it, and a good deed is rewarded as ten like it (that is, a tenfold reward). I do not say that “Alif-Lam-Mim” is one letter, but “Alif” is a letter, “Lam” is a letter and “Mim” is a letter.

1. Hasan, Sunan at-Tirmidhi no. (2910), and al-Albani graded it Sahih in “as-Sahihah” no. (3327).

Uqbah bin Amir (RA) narrated:

خَرَجَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ ﷺ وَنَحْنُ فِي الصُّفَّةِ فَقَالَ: اَيُّكُمْ يُحِبُّ اَنْ يَّغْدُوَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ اِلٰى بُطْحَانَ اَوْ اِلَى الْعَقِيْقِ فَيَاْتِيَ مِنْهُ بِنَاقَتَيْنِ كَوْمَاوَيْنِ فِيْ غَيْرِ اِثْمٍ وَّلَا قَطِيْعَةِ رَحِمٍ فَقُلْنَا :يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ نُحِبُّ ذٰلِكَ قَالَ: اَفَلَا يَغْدُوْ اَحَدُكُمْ اِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَيَعْلَمَ اَوْ يَقْرَأَ اٰيَتَيْنِ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَيْرٌ لَّهٗ مِنْ نَّاقَتَيْنِ وَثَلَاثٌ خَيْرٌ لَّهٗ مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ، وَّاَرْبَعٌ خَيْرٌ لَّهٗ مِنْ اَرْبَعٍ وَّمِنْ اَعْدَادِهِنَّ مِنَ الْاِبِلِ

Allah's Messenger ﷺ came out (of his house) while we were in “the Suffah”, and he said: “Which of you would like to go out every day to Buthan or al-Aqiq and bring back from there two she-camels with large humps, without committing any sin or cutting family ties? We said: O Messenger of Allah! We (all) would like that. He said: Does not one of you go out to the mosque and learn or recite two verses from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic? That is better for him than two she-camels, three verses are better for him than three (she-camels), four (verses) are better for him than four (she-camels), and (however many verses there are) than their number of camels (they are better).”

1. Sahih Muslim, no. (803), the wording is his, Sunan Abi Dawud, no. (1456).

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

مَنْ قَعَدَ مَقْعَدًا لَّمْ يَذْكُرِ اللّٰهَ فِيْهِ كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ اللّٰهِ تِرَةً وَّمَنِ اضْطَجَعَ مَضْجَعًا [ لَّا يَذْكُرُ اللّٰهَ ] فِيْهِ كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ اللّٰهِ تِرَةً

Whoever sits in a place where he does not remember Allah the Most High, that (sitting) will be a cause of loss for him from Allah the Most High. And whoever lies down in a place where he does not remember Allah the Most High, that (lying down) will be a cause of loss for him from Allah the Most High.

1. Hasan, Sunan Abi Dawud, no. (4856), and al-Albani graded it Hasan in “as-Sahihah”, no. (78). In place of the bracketed words the original book has “لَمْ يَذْكُرِ”, but in Sunan Abi Dawud it is “لَا يَذْكُر”.

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

مَا جَلَسَ قَوْمٌ مَّجْلِسًا لَّمْ يَذْكُرُوا اللّٰهَ فِيْهِ وَلَمْ يُصَلُّوْا عَلٰى نَبِيِّهِمْ اِلَّا كَانَ عَلَيْهِمْ تِرَةً فَاِنْ شَآءَ عَذَّبَهُمْ وَاِنْ شَآءَ غَفَرَ لَهُمْ

When people sit in a gathering in which they neither remember Allah nor send blessings upon their Prophet, that (gathering) will be a cause of loss for them. Then if (Allah the Most High) wills He will punish them, and if He wills He will forgive them.

1. Sahih, Sunan at-Tirmidhi, no. (3380), and al-Albani graded it Sahih in “as-Sahihah” (1/23-26) and no. (74). Sufyan from Salih: Imarah bin Ghaziyyah supported him in this in Ibn Abi Asim's as-Salat ala an-Nabi ﷺ (page 66), and its chain is sahih. In narrating from Salih, Sufyan is supported by Imarah bin Ghaziyyah (as-Salat of Ibn Abi Asim, page 66), so there is no room at all to object to the route of Sufyan from Salih or to Sufyan's 'an'anah.

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

مَا مِنْ قَوْمٍ يَّقُوْمُوْنَ مِنْ مَّجْلِسٍ لَّا يَذْكُرُوْنَ اللّٰهَ فِيْهِ اِلَّا قَامُوْا عَنْ مِّثْلِ جِيْفَةِ حِمَارٍ وَّكَانَ لَهُمْ حَسْرَةً

When people get up from a gathering in which they did not remember Allah, they get up from something like the stinking corpse of a dead donkey, and (this deed) will be a cause of regret for them.

1. Sahih, Sunan Abi Dawud, no. (4855), and al-Albani graded it Sahih in “as-Sahihah” no. (77).