Zikr

For the Quranic software, see Zekr (software).

Dhikr (also Zikr, Zekr, and variants; (Arabic: ذِکْر‎‎ ḏikr; plural أذكار aḏkār, meaning "") is the name of devotional acts in Islam in which short phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited silently within the mind or aloud. Rarely, it is counted on a string of beads (سلسلة صلوات) or a set of prayer beads (Misbaha مِسْبَحَة), comparable to the rosary of Catholic tradition. A person who recites the Dhikr is called a ḏākir (ذاكر). Tasbih (تسبيح) is a form of dhikr that involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences glorifying God. The content of the prayers includes the names of God, or a duʿāʾ (prayer of supplication) taken from the hadith or the Quran.

There are several verses in the Quran that emphasize the importance of remembering the will of God by saying phrases such as "God willing," "God knows best," and "If it is your will.' This is the basis for dhikr. Sura 18 (Al-Kahf), ayah 24 states a person who forgets to say, "God Willing," should immediately remember God by saying, "May my Lord guide me to do better next time." Other verses include sura 33 (Al-Ahzab), ayah 41, "O ye who believe! Celebrate the praises of Allah, and do this often," and sura 13 (Ar-Ra'd), ayah 28, "They are the ones whose hearts rejoice in remembering God. Absolutely, by remembering God, the hearts rejoice." Muhammad said, 'The best [dhikr] is La ilaha illa’llah ("there is no God but God"), and the best supplicatory prayer is Al-hamdu li’llah ("praise be to God").

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