The following article is an entry under “Zikr” from the “Dictionary of Islam” by T.P. Hughes. T.P. Hughes was an eminent Christian missionary in India in 1888 C.E. We have meddled very little with the original idiom in this essay so as to preserve its old-style ambience. However, the grammatical use of (sic) has been used where we obviously have disagreed with the author.- Editor
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The Union of the Heart and Tongue
Some teachers tell their disciples that the heart has two doors, that which is fleshly, and that which is spiritual; and that the z i k r jali has been established for the opening of the former, and zikr khafi for the latter, in order that they may both be enlightened.
To the uninitiated, such a ceremony appears but a meaningless rite, but to the Sufi, it is one calculated to convey great benefit to his inner man, as will appear from the following instructions which are given by a member of the Order respecting the zikr, which he says is a union of the heart and the tongue in calling upon God’s name. “In the first place, the Shaikh, or teacher, must with his heart recite, ‘There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah,’ whilst the Murid [disciple] keeps his attention fixed by placing his heart opposite that of the Shaikh; he must close his eyes, keep his mouth firmly shut, and his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth; his teeth tight against each other, and hold his breath; then, with great force, accompany the Shaikh in the zikr, which he must recite with his heart, and not with his tongue. He must retain his breath patiently, so that within one respiration, he shall say the zikr three times, and by this means, allow his heart to be impressed with the meditative zikr.”
“The heart,” the same writer continues, “in this manner is kept constantly occupied with the idea of the 2 Most High God: it will be filled with awe, love, and respect for Him; and, if the practiser arrives at the power of continuing to effect this when in the company of a crowd, the zikr is perfect. If he cannot do this, it is clear that he must continue his efforts. The heart is a subtle part of the human frame, and is apt to wander away after worldly concerns, so that the easier mode of arriving at the proceeding is to compress the breath, and keep the mouth firmly closed with the tongue forced against the lips. The heart is shaped like the cone of a fir-tree; your meditations should be forced upon it, whilst you mentally recite the zikr. ‘Let the “La” be upward, the “ilaha” to the right, and the whole phrase ” La ilaha illa ‘llahu” (There is no God but Allah) be formed upon the fir-cone, and through it pass to all the members of the whole frame, and they feel its warmth. By this means, the world and all its attractions disappear from your vision, and you are enabled to behold the excellence of the Most High. Nothing must be allowed to distract your attention from the zikr, and ultimately, you retain by its medium, a proper conception of the Tawhid, or Unity of God.
“The cone-shaped heart rests in the left breast and contains the whole truth of man. Indeed, it signifies, the ‘whole truth’; it comprises the whole of man’s existence within itself and is a compendiumof man; mankind, great and small, are but an extension of it, and it is to humanity what the seed is to the whole tree which it contains within itself: in fine, the essence of the whole of God’s book and of all His secrets is the heart of man. Whoever finds a way to the heart, obtains his desire. To find a way to the heart is needed by a heartfelt service, and the heart accepts of the services of the heart. It is only through the fatigues of water and ashes that the Murid reaches the conversation of the heart and the soul; he will be then so drawn towards God, that afterwards without any difficulty, he may without trouble, in case of need, turn his face from all others towards the Ta r k (the abandonment of the world), the Haqiqat (the truth), the Hurriyat (the freedom), and the Zikr the recital of God’s names and praises).”
As a curious instance of the superstitious character (sic) of this devotional exercise, the Chishtiyah order believe that if a man sits cross-legged and seizes the vein called kaimas, which is under the leg, with his toes, that it will give peace to his heart, when accompanied by zikr of the “nafi wa isbat, which is a term used for the Kalima , namely:– La ‘ilaha illa ‘llahu, “There is no deity but God.”
The most common form of zikr is a recital of the ninety-nine names of God, for Muhammad promised those of his followers who recited them, a sure entrance to Paradise (Mishkat, book cxi); and to facilitate the recital of these names, the zakir (or reciter) uses a tasbih (or rosary).
Three other forms of zikr: Tasbih, Tahmid and Takbir
In addition to the forms of zikr already mentioned, there are three others, which are even of more common use, and are known as Tasbih, Tahmid, and Takbir. They are used as exclamations of joy and surprise, as well as for the devotional exercise of zikr.
Tasbih is the expression Subhana-Allah! “Holiness be to God!”
Tahmid, Alhamdu li-Allah! “Praise be to God!” Takbir, Allahu akbar! “God is great!” When the Tasbih and Tahmid are recited together, it is said thus, Subhanna ‘llahi bi-hamdi-hi, i.e. “Holiness be to God with His praise.” It is related in the Hadis that Muhammad said, “Whoever recites this sentence a hundred times, morning and evening, will have all his sins forgiven.”
Muhammad said, “Repeat the Tasbih a hundred times, and a thousand virtues shall be recorded by God for you, ten virtuous deeds for each repetition.”
In forming our estimation of Muhammad and Muhammadanism, we must take into consideration the important place the devotional exercise of zikr occupies in the system, not forgetting that it has had the authoritative sanction of the Prophet himself.
A description of a zikr session
The following is a graphic description of one of these devotional performances by Dr. Eugene Schuyler, in his work on Turkistan:–
“At about ten o’clock one Thursday evening, in company with several friends, we went to the mosque and were at once admitted. Some thirty men, young and old, were on their knees in front of the qiblah, reciting prayers with loud cries and violent movements of the body, and around them was a circle, two or three deep, of men standing, who were going through the same motions. We took up a position in one corner and watched the proceedings. For the most part, the performers or worshipers had taken off their outside gowns and their turbans, for the night was warm and the exercise was violent. They were reciting the words ‘My defence is in God! May Allah be magnified! My light, Muhammad – God bless him! There is no God but God!” These words were chanted to various semi-musical notes in a low 3 voice, and were accompanied by a violent movement of the head over the left shoulder towards the heart, then back, then to the right shoulder, and then down, as if directing all the movements towards the heart. These texts were repeated for hundreds and hundreds of times and thiszikrusuallylastedforanhourortwo.Atfirstthe movements were slow, but continually increased in rapidity until the performers were unable to endure it any longer. If anyone failed in his duty, or was slower, or made less movement than was required, then persons who regulated the enthusiasm went up to him and struck him over the head, or pushed him back out of the circle and called another into it. Occasionally persons got so worn out with their cries, and so wet with perspiration that it became necessary for them to retire for a few minutes rest, and their places were immediately taken by others. When their voices became entirely hoarse with one cry, another was begun and finally the cry was struck up,’Helives!Helives!Godlives!’atfirstslowly,withan inclination of the body to the ground: then the rhythm grew faster and in cadence, the body became more vertical, until at last they all stood up: the measure still increased in rapidity, and, each one placing his hand on the shoulder of his neighbour, and then forming several concentric rings, they moved in a mass from side to side of the mosque, leaping about and always crying: ‘He lives! God lives!’ Hitherto, there had been something wild and unearthly in it, but now to persons of weak nerves, it became positively painful, and two of my friends were so much impressed as to be obliged to leave the mosque. Although I was sufficiently cold-blooded to see the ridiculous (sic), rather than horrible side of this, I could not help receiving an impression that the devotees were a pack of madmen, whose motions were utterly independent of any volition of their own. . . The intonations of the voice were very remarkable and were often accompanied by most singular gestures, the hands or a book being often held to the side of the mouth in order to throw the voice as far as possible. Often these recitations are merely collections of meaningless words (sic) which always seem to produce the same effect on the hearers, and are constantly interrupted by cries of Hi, ho, och, ba, ba, and groans and sobs, and the hearers weep, beat their breasts with their fists, or fall upon the round.”