Dhikr with Mufti Ibrahim Pandoor

Dhikr Majlis — Words of Advice

Introduction by the host: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Alhamdulillah, we are extremely fortunate that we have a guest, Mawlana Ibrahim Pandur Sahib (Damat Barakatuh) who is visiting us, as well as Mufti Rahmatullah Sahib who is also here, Alhamdulillah. So inshallah we will begin with the morning du'as, and then after that there will be a special dhikr majlis taking place. We humbly request that all the brothers stay behind and benefit from this opportunity. Jazakumullahu khairan.

Additionally, please note that starting from tomorrow: Salatul Fajr will be at 6:15am, Salatul Asr will be at 5:00pm, and Salatul Isha will be at 8:00pm.

Inshallah, before we start the dhikr majlis, Mufti Rahmatullah will give us a few words of advice. We humbly request everyone to come close, inshallah, and benefit. Jazakumullahu khairan.

The Boundlessness of Dhikr

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Allah says — I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan, in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful:

"O you who believe! Remember Allah much, and glorify Him morning and evening."

"Those who remember Allah while standing, and sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth."

And the Messenger of Allah used to remember Allah at all times. There is a great mention of dhikr in these verses.

The Five Pillars and Their Limits

There are five basic pillars of Islam. The first is faith (Iman). The second is prayer (Salat). The third is fasting (Sawm). The fourth is Zakat. The fifth is Hajj. Faith is related to the heart. All of these are related to the heart. The rest of the actions are related to the body.

Salat — these are the five basic pillars, and their times are fixed. For those who are fond of additional prayers, there is Ishraq, Chasht, Awwabeen, Tahajjud, Salatul Tawbah, and Salatul Tasbih. But there are also times during which prayer is forbidden.

Fasting — there is a fixed time for this: the month of Ramadan. If someone wants to fast more, they fast on Monday and Thursday. And if someone is especially fond of fasting, they fast on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of the month, and on Ashura and in Sha'ban. And fasting is during the day, not the night.

Zakat — Zakat is given once per year, and the amount is fixed. The quantity is fixed. The zakat on crops is different, the zakat on trade goods is different, the zakat on goats is different, the zakat on camels is different. There is a limit to everything. Then beyond that, you may give as much charity as you wish.

Hajj — the time is fixed. It will be in Dhul-Hijjah. It will be in Makkah. All actions are like this.

But Dhikr Has No Limits

But what did Allah say about dhikr? There is no limit. There is no fixed time. There is no condition. There is no prescribed position. In fact, the Quran says:

Those who remember Allah while standing — they are still doing dhikr. When they are sitting — they are still doing dhikr. And when they are lying down — they are still doing dhikr.

And where Allah mentioned the different qualities of believing men and women, He said: those who remember Allah in abundance, whether male or female — for them there is no limit. Because the purpose of dhikr is to remember Allah, and it is necessary to remember Allah at all times.

Dhikr in Every Moment of Life

It is necessary to remember Allah at all times. Even when someone is going to the toilet, it is necessary to remember Allah. When he is going to bed, it is necessary to say the appropriate du'a. If he meets someone and greets him, it is necessary to say السلام عليكم. If he reaches the dressing table and has to comb his hair, it is necessary to say:

"O Allah, just as You have beautified my appearance, beautify my character." Dhikr — at all times.

And what will be the effect of this? Allah will always remember you. When you sit in the shop, Allah will remember you. When you meet a customer, Allah will remember you. When you are in school, Allah will remember you. When you eat food, Allah will remember you.

The Problem: Lack of Practice and Presence

Our condition is like this — a person performs ablution at home, and in the light of hadith, at every step his sins were forgiven, his status was elevated. This is a well-established hadith, there is nothing wrong with it. He stood in front of the Qibla, behind the Imam, and stood in prayer. The Imam started reciting the Quran. But this man still does not have the concept of Allah. He does not have in his mind that he is standing in front of Allah. He does not have the awareness that Allah's Quran is being recited and he is listening to it.

Because this presence is not a natural thing — it is a practice. That is why we make people practice. For example, before reciting the Holy Quran, we make a student read it. Then they recite it. Then they become Hafiz. To understand the Quran, they study only the Quran. Then a person reads the translation, the Tafseer, and the Hadith. From the Quran one can understand the outward issues of Fiqh as well as the inward depths of Tafseer. But the one who starts without foundation will not be successful.

The Three Questions of Jibreel — Ihsan

Similarly, when Jibreel came in the form of a human being and asked the first question — "What is Iman?" — the Prophet replied. Then he asked, "What is Islam?" — the Prophet replied. Then he asked the third question: "What is Ihsan?" The Prophet replied:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 50; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 8)

"That you worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, know that He sees you." Allah is in front of you. And if this lofty position is not attained, then as a first step, one must at least have this much in one's mind and imagination: Allah is looking at me.

The Method of Hazrat Hakimul Ummah

Hazrat Hakimul Ummah, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi has written in his book on the method of reciting the Holy Quran that when one begins reciting, one should think: "Allah has commanded me to recite the Quran, and I am reciting it to fulfill the commandment of Allah. My Allah is listening to me now — how am I reciting?" So one should have this awareness in prayer — that when I recite سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ, Allah is looking at me. When I recite الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, Allah is looking at me. This is the spirit of the prayer.

This is why there is practice required for this too. The Mashayikh conduct dhikr for this purpose. And the intention is that the heart should become completely clean — everything of other-than-Allah should come out of it.

The Morning and Evening Tasbih

So they begin by giving the Tasbih first — saying the Tasbih of Allah in the early morning. Just as people do a morning walk and an evening walk, we also have to exercise our hearts in the morning and evening. The Quran says:

"And glorify Him morning and evening."

Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Hasan Gangohi used to say: "The Tasbih of the morning and evening is like the meals of the afternoon and evening. Food is important for the body — but the morning and evening Tasbih is vital for the soul."

Then he used to say: "Dhikr is a treatment to clean the heart, so that the love of other-than-Allah comes out of the heart."

La ilaha illallah — Emptying the Heart

That is why when the Mashayikh give the first lesson, they say La ilaha illallah. They say: "Pay attention to the heart and think that I have thrown everything out — I have thrown everything behind except Allah." The children are out, the house is out, my status is out, my sense of superiority over others is out. Then what will come into this heart? Again — La ilaha illallah.

It is written in Irshad ul-Muluk that when the Holy Prophet first taught لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, he said it three times. The companions said it. Then he said it a second time. The companions repeated it. Then he said it a third time. The companions said it again. And the Holy Quran says:

"Know that there is no god but Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sins and for the believing men and believing women."

Because this is the text of the Quran — La ilaha illallah — that is why the Mashayikh give this as the first exercise. And in the beginning they give 100 or 200 repetitions. Then, when the heart is clean and there arises a desire that something should come inside, they say: "Now say Allah, Allah, Allah — so that the love of Allah enters."

Stories from the Elders

Hazrat Shah Abrarul Haq Sahib and the Power of Allah's Name

There was a disciple of Hazrat Thanvi — Khawaja Azizul Hasan Majzoob. He was very well known. In Hardoi, Hazrat Shah Abrarul Haq Sahib was a youngster at the time when he received the Khilafat from Hazrat Thanvi. The system of Hazrat Thanvi was very strict — an ordinary person could not simply sit there. Personalities like Mufti Shafi Sahib, Mufti Imdadullah Deobandi, Maulana Habibur Rahman Usmani, and other great figures used to live there under strict discipline. It was Hazrat Shah Abrarul Haq Sahib who received the Khilafat while still young. He had a very pure adherence to the Sunnah. He used to revive the Sunnah in everything. He used to conduct dhikr strictly according to the Sunnah.

When someone wanted to plant the seed of Allah's love in his heart, Hazrat used to say: "Say Allah — say it many times." He used to say: "If the child is sleeping in the room, say Allah with a sweet voice, so the child also hears it." Then he would give an example: "If a child has a chest problem, the doctor says no smoke should come near that room — the smoke in the air can enter the child's chest. He used to say: if smoke can have such an effect, then can the name of Allah have no effect when it is taken?"

Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sahib Gangohi used to quote this saying of Hazrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and it is mentioned in his discourses: "No matter how carelessly the name of Allah is taken, it is never without benefit. This is such a great Name — it always carries benefit."

Khawaja Azizul Hasan Majzoob and His Couplets of Dhikr

After Hazrat Shah Abrarul Haq Sahib, we turn to the other Shaykh — Khawaja Azizul Hasan Majzoob. He was a judge by profession. But he immersed himself so deeply in dhikr that for every act of dhikr he would recite a couplet. And about Allah, he composed a wonderful couplet:

Allah hai Allah hai, Allah hai Allah hai,
Allah hai Allah hai, Allah hai Allah hai

He recited this couplet in the presence of Hazrat Thanvi. We know that Hazrat Thanvi was very strict in such matters — he did not permit anything that was against the Shariah. But this was understood as a form of treatment. Just as a young man, when alone, sings with a sweet voice — by taking the name of Allah in this way, his love for Allah becomes very sweet.

Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and the Munajat

Hazrat Musleh Maud used to say that there are two ways to take the name of Allah: either you take it very lovingly, with a sweet and longing voice — or, as Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki demonstrated in his Munajat, you come before Allah confessing your sins. What did he say?

Kibro nakhwat hasad keena badzani jood gheebat —
Kibro nakhwat hasad keena badzani —
Kaun beemari hai ya Rab jo nahi mujhe main hui

"I lie, I have jealousy, I have pride, I have ill feelings toward others — these are all my diseases." And further he says:

Hadse abtar ho gaya hai haal mujna Shad ka —
Kar meri imdaad Allah, waqt hai imdaad ka —
Kar meri imdaad Allah, kar meri imdaad Allah

"My condition has become extremely bad. Help me, O Allah — now is the time for Your help. Help me, O Allah."

Hazrat Maulana Ilyas Sahib and the Echo of Dhikr

It is also written in the writings of the elders that when Hazrat Maulana Ilyas Sahib used to do dhikr, at that time there was a jungle in Nizamuddin. He used to do dhikr and the voice would echo far into the jungle. It is written that the voice would echo for about a kilometre when he said Allah.

And this is all for treatment. Just as a person undergoes many treatments in the world for the body, in the same way the treatment of the heart is very important — so that the love of Allah enters our hearts.

Progress in Dhikr is Gradual

Hazrat Maulana Umar Sahib Palanpuri, may Allah have mercy on him, used to give an example. He used to say that a person thinks he will change overnight — but this does not happen. If you keep doing it, if you keep working hard, then Allah will keep giving. But a person does not feel it happening.

Then he would say: "Just like a small child — every minute he grows up. His fingers grow, his eyes grow, his size grows. But he grows in such imperceptible increments that a person does not feel it at all. But suddenly after one or two years, when a relative comes and sees him, they say, 'He has grown up so much!' Although the child did not grow in a single day — he grows every moment."

Hazrat says: If you live in a religious environment, if you live in religious hard work and effort, then every moment there will be progress in your religion. Even if you do not feel it, after a few days you will see how much difference there is in you.

Establishing a Circle of Dhikr

May Allah enable us all to do as much dhikr as possible. Those who have permission from a Shaykh should make a circle and come every day to do dhikr together in one place for 10–15 minutes. Now there is a shortcut available. Those who have come to Deoband will have seen it — everywhere where our Akabir were, there were regular gatherings of dhikr. When I used to go to Karachi, there was a gathering at the house of Dr. Abdul Haithab, on the day of the Ulama's gathering — on Thursday. Allamah Sahiban Mahmood would be there. There was a gathering in Karachi, a gathering in Deoband every day.

But now there is a shortcut — some Mashayikh have a gathering once a month, some once a week. So whatever is possible, for 10–15 minutes or as appropriate, you should have a circle of dhikr in which those who are fond of dhikr come and join. This will refresh you. Today's people call it refreshment. It is like food for the body — but this is spiritual food.

Hazrat Shah Abrarul Haq Sahib used to say: when you pray, first do the recitation of the Quran. After the recitation, he would say, "Now eat breakfast — the blessings of the Holy Quran have come, and it has refreshed the soul. Now have the breakfast of the body." He used to say: "I have had the breakfast of the soul — now have the breakfast of the body." In this way, if the soul receives refreshment daily through a circle of dhikr, then God willing, goodness will reach it.

So those who have permission from a Shaykh, they will sit and do dhikr. Those who do not have permission — by focusing on the heart and calling on Allah with a sweet voice, saying "Allah, Allah", or in whatever way suits them, for even 4–5 minutes — there is practice in this. And as is said in grammar: practice makes a man perfect. A person progresses only through practice. We should practice.

May Allah enable us to work hard on our hearts. And may He include us among the seekers.