Abdul Muqit Chowdhury :’Zikr’ means ‘remembrance’ and ‘Zikrullah’ means ‘remembrance of Allah’. According to the Holy Quran, it is the greatest spiritual virtue. It has special significance in the month of fasting. Because fasting enables the believers to have continuous remembrance of Allah. It needs to be conscious about the ordained responsibility of abstaining from activities not approved by Allah. Allah is the Creator of human beings and the natural phenomena. He has given us the faculties of hearing, sight, understanding and ability to speak and work. For everything we have, we should ‘remember’ Allah for His bounties and mercy on us ; and submit our highest praises. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe.The Holy Quran reveals : “Then do ye remember/ Me; I will remember/ You. Be grateful to Me,/And reject not Faith.” (Sura Baqara 2 : 152, The Holy Quran : Translation and Commentary by A. Yusuf Ali) Allama Yusuf Ali comments : “The word ‘remember’ is too pale a word for Zikr, which has now acquired a large number of associations in our religious literature, especially Sufi literature. In its verbal signification it implies : to remember ; to praise by frequently mentioning ; to rehearse ; to celebrate or commemorate ; to make much of ; to cherish the memory of as a precious possession. In Sufi devotions Zikr represents both a solemn ritual and a spiritual state of mind or heart, in which the devotee seeks to realise the presence of God. Thus there is Zikr of the mind and Zikr of the heart…………””….And remembrance of God/ Is the greatest (thing in life) /Without doubt. And God knows/ The (deeds) that ye do”. (Sura ‘Ankabut 29 : 45, Do) There are many other verses in the Holy Quran on remembrance of Allah in which Allah asks us to remember His name and devote ourselves whole-heartedly to Him. If we remember Allah, His assurance is that He will remember us. Hazrat Abu Hurayra (Ra) narrated: “Rasulullah (Sm) said, there is a group of angels of Allah, who go on searching the people in the streets who remember Allah …. “(Bukhari and Muslim Sharif) This is a detailed Hadis, which concludes that those who are related with the remembrance of Allah, are not deprived of the blessings, mercy, forgiveness and salvation from Allah. Hazrat Abu Musa (Ra) quoted Hazrat Muhammad (Sm) to have said, “The person who remembers his Lord and the person who does not remember, their example is like the living and the dead.” (Bukhari and Muslim Sharif).
