Dhikr
*Dhikr* is the remembrance of Allah, whether spoken aloud, said silently, or held in the heart.
What it means for me: One answer gives a broad meaning. It includes obeying commands and abstaining from prohibitions. It also names glorifying Allah (*tasbih*), declaring His oneness (*tahlil*), praising Him (*tahmid*), and reciting the Quran. Another says remembrance with the heart is a good deed for which a person is rewarded. Another calls the declaration of Allah's oneness the best remembrance.
Example: A woman on a long drive wants to fill the time with remembrance. She asks what counts as dhikr, and whether it has to be aloud.
Do not confuse with: Supplication (*dua*). The two overlap. One answer notes that praise and glorification are also called dua, so praise is part of supplication.
Where it appears in rulings: One answer says there is no harm in combining several reported invocations (*adhkar*) in one prayer, one bowing, or one prostration. One answer on this site addresses dhikr in congregation: read it. This entry states no ruling on it.
Appears in about 2,500 English answers on this site.
See the term in context
Is it necessary to move the lips when reciting dhikr, such as the dhikr for entering the lavatory, and the dhikr for sleeping and morning, or is it sufficient to say it in one's heart?
Dhikr includes everything that brings a servant closer to Allah, whether it be in belief, thought, or actions of the heart or body. It is performed with the heart, tongue, and limbs. The foundation is the dhikr of the…
Is it permissible to engage in congregational dhikr aloud and simultaneously? Is it better than listening to music when gathering in a sitting? Or is this one of Satan's ploys?
Performing Dhikr in the manner mentioned in the question is an innovation (bid'ah). As for preferring the innovation of collective Dhikr over the sin of listening to music, this is from the whispers of Satan, for a…
Isn't the Dhikr (the Reminder) the Qur'an, and wasn't it revealed after the Zabur (Psalms)? So how does the verse state: "And indeed, We wrote in the Zabur after the Dhikr (the Reminder)"?
The "Dhikr" mentioned in the verse is not the Quran, but rather the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz), as stated by Al-Tahawi in Mushkil Al-Athar. And "Al-Zabur" does not refer exclusively to the Zabur of David, but…
Questions that use it
What is the difference between communal Dhikr and reminding others to engage in Dhikr, and is sharing Adhkar such as "Astaghfirullah" and "Salla 'ala Muhammad" via social media considered a reprehensible communal Dhikr?
Does the pronoun "هو" (huwa) in the Noble Verse: "Indeed, it is but a reminder and a clear Qur'an" refer to the Messenger or to the Qur'an, and does the word "الذكر" (al-dhikr) mean the Messenger or the Qur'an, and is it linguistically permissible for a pronoun to refer to two different things in their referential grandeur?
What is the ruling on the lack of devotion or contemplation during dhikr due to mind-wandering, and will the one who performs it be rewarded, and does the hadith "Indeed, Allah does not look at the supplication from a heedless heart" apply to it?