Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother, Asalam Alaikum. Could you please kindly let me know of some dhikrs i.e. how to pronounce them in Arabic and translate them into English. Thank you very much for your help. May Allah reward you for all your efforts. Ma salaams.

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Answer:

Dhikrs

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The Prophet (saws) said in an authentic narration: “The best of ‘dhikr’ is the following: Laa Ilaha illallaho, wahdahu, laa shareeka lahu, lahul mulk, wala hul hamd, wa howa alaa kulle shayin kadeer.” (meaning, there is no god worthy of worship, except Allah Alone. He is One. He does not have any partners or associates. To Him belongs the sovereignity and Kingdom. All Praises are only for Him Alone. He Alone has Power over everything.)

We will try to explain the above dhikr in some detail:

Laa ilaaha illah.

We testify that there is no god, no prophet, no angel, no imam, no leader, nobody: worthy of worship, except Allah Alone. He is our Creator, and the Creator of everything that exists. Thus he alone deserves our worship and He alone deserves all our rites of worship. Nobody is worthy of worship and invocation except Allah Alone.

Wahdahu:

We testify that Allah is One. He is Unique. There is nothing in the universe like unto Him. He Alone is the Creator, Sustainer, and Provider of everything that exists.

Laa shareeka lahu:

Allah has absolutely no partners in His Godhead. He Alone Creates everything, and He Alone controls all the aspects of Creation. Nobody can even create a fly on this earth, and He Alone Creates everything. All things are accountable to Him Alone, and He is accountable to no one. He has absolutely no associates and has not given any of His Powers to anybody.

Lahul Mulk:

He is Sovereign King and Master of the Universe. Everything is born, moves and works by His Command Alone. Everything is subdued in His Presence. He Alone is the owner of everything that exists. He is King of all the kings, He is Emperor of all the emperors, He is Master of all the masters!! To Him Alone belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth and whatever is in between it. We are His slaves and He Alone is our Owner and Master. That is our Lord.

Wala hul hamd:

All the praises belong to Allah Alone. He creates everything. He provides for everyone. Thus He Alone deserves all the thanks and praises for everything. When He decides to give, nobody can withhold, and when He decides to take, no combination of people can give it to us. Everything in creation praises his Greatness and Majesty, and nobody deserves any praise and thanks, except Allah Alone.

Wa howa alaa kulle shayin kadeer:

All the Power is vested in Allah Alone. He is undoubtedly the Most Powerful. Nobody dare talk or move in His Presence, without His Permission. He controls every aspect of the universe Alone. He Alone has the power to bestow good, He Alone has the power to decree a trial, and He Alone has the Power to create or destroy. Nobody, and no combination of people, have any power whatsoever in this world, compared to the Power of Allah Subhanah. That is Allah, our Lord and the Lord of all creation!

The other ‘dhikr’ that our beloved Prophet (saws) did regularly and exhorted the believers to do is:

Subhanah Allah: Allah o Akbar : Alhamdo lillah.

Subhan Allah:

It means Glory be to Allah Alone, Who created everything in existance. He is free from any and all deficiencies. He is the All Mighty, All Wise, All Knowing, All Superior. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is comparable to Him in any way. His names are the best and His attributes are the best. He is our Lord and the Lord of everything that exists.

Allah o Akbar:

Allah is the Greatest. No one has any power, and all the Power is vested in Him Alone. He Alone has the Power to give and take anything He wants. He is accountable to no one, and everything in creation is accountable to Him. He does whatever He wants, and nobody has any say or opinion in whatever He does. He is the All Mighty, All Powerful.

Al hamdo lillah:

All ‘shukr’ and praises and thanks belong to Him Alone. He Alone creates everything that exists, and He Alone provides for their existance. Thus He Alone deserves to be thanked and praised.

Another ‘dhikr’ the Messenger used to recite regularly is: As-taggfir Allah (meaning, I seek forgiveness with Allah.)

The thing to remember here is that there is no particular number of times any ‘dhikr’ or ‘tasbeeh’ has to be done. Islam is not a religion or deen of ‘jantar-mantar’, whereby one just repeats something a million times, without knowing what it means. When one understands and recognizes his Lord and Creator, the ‘dhikr’ and ‘tasbeeh’ or praise overflows from the heart and the continuation of that spirit is that one utters the Praises of Allah with his mouth.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 13 Surah Raad verse 28-29:The people who have accepted (the Message), their hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Note it well!, that is Allah’s remembrance Alone that brings contentment to the hearts! Blessed are those who have accepted the Message and done righteous deeds. They will have a good end.

It is proven from the authentic narrations of the Prophet (saws) that he (saws) remembered Allah in everything he did. When he woke up, he praised Allah. When he ate or drank something, he praised Allah. When he went out of the house, he praised Allah. When he sat on his horse, he praised Allah. When he met someone, he praised Allah. When he received something, he praised Allah. When he came back home, he praised Allah. When he went to sleep, he praised Allah. All his life, in whatever he did, he always remembered Allah and His favors. As believers, we must do the same and remember Allah in everything we do, if indeed we want contentment of the heart.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 190-194:In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of the night and day, there are many signs for the people who understand. Who standing, and sitting, and lying down remember Allah, and reflect upon the wonders of the structure of the earth and the heavens. Then they cry out spontaneously, “ Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain, for you are free from doing such a thing. So save us from the torment of Hell-Fire. For, O Lord, surely You will have abased him, whom You will cast into the fire of Hell. Then such workers of iniquity shall have no helper at all. O Lord, we hear a caller, who invited us to the Faith, saying, “Believe in your Lord”, and we accepted his invitation. So, our Lord, forgive us our sins and remit our evil deeds, and let our end be with the righteous people. Lord, fulfil the promises You have made to us through Your Messengers, and do not put us to shame on the Day of Resurrection, for You never go against Your Promises.”

There are just too many ‘dhikrs’ or words of Remembrance of Allah from the Holy Quran and from the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, and we have only related a couple of them which the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself used to recite regularly. If you need us to list more ‘dhikrs’ from the Quran and Sunnah, please do not hesitate to write to us.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan