DHIKR

also spelled Zikr (Arabic: reminding oneself, or mention), ritual prayer or litany practiced by Muslim mystics (Sufis) for the purpose of glorifying God and achieving spiritual perfection. Based on the Qur'anic injunctions Remind thyself of thy Lord when thou forgettest (18:24) and O ye who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance (33:41), the dhikr is essentially a remembering of God by the frequent repetition of his names. Originally a simple recitation of the Qur'an and various religious writings among ascetics and mystics, the dhikr gradually became a formula (e.g., la ilaha illa 'llah, there is no god but God; Allahu akbar, God is greatest; al-hamdu li'llah, praise be to God; astaghfiru 'llah, I ask God's forgiveness), repeated aloud or softly, accompanied by prescribed posture and breathing. As the Sufi brotherhoods (tariqahs) were established, each adopted a particular dhikr, to be recited in solitude (e.g., following each of the five obligatory daily prayers) or as a community. The dhikr, like fikr (meditation), is a method the Sufi may use in his striving to achieve oneness with God.