Beyond the Beads: Reflections on Zikr

Zikr, or the remembrance of God, is an extremely easy task but very hard to perform. Continuously repeating certain prescribed phrases requires an immense amount of focus and attention, which is very rare. Due to its apparent ease, we underestimate its gravity and often ignore it. Yet this seemingly simple act, which is far less physically demanding than offering prayers, is extremely powerful and unfathomably rewarding.

Zikr is not a spell or a wish-making formula. It takes time to manifest its effects. The more it is recited and pondered upon, the more overpowering it becomes, in the sense that it elevates a person to different spiritual stations and ignites a sense of freedom. It brings freedom from countless inner burdens and distractions. It requires internalisation. It is one of the best and easiest ways to attain consciousness of God.

It is not monotonous; it is rhythmic. It creates shifts and ripples in the heart. Deep reflection overwhelms the heart, which might burst forth if it were not properly contained. It is more like mental conditioning. Neuroscientists would call it attention training. Imam Ghazali described the heart as a mirror. Every distraction, desire, or anxiety leaves a stain on it. Zikr works like polishing that mirror.The amount of evil and malignance around us can only be pacified through the remembrance of God. As He says: “wa la-dhikrullāhi akbar” (...and the remembrance of Allāh is greater.) The Prophet was constantly engaged in zikr, even in moments of rest, as he himself indicated: “My eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep.” Prophet’s heart remained conscious and aware of revelation and remembrance even during sleep.

Contemporary rhetoric often emphasizes meaningful actions rather than relying solely on zikr. But the real landscape is far more troubling. Both zikr and meaningful action are in crisis; in many ways they have nearly ceased to exist. The counting of beads often accumulates numbers instead of creating earthquakes in the heart. Yet that is how the awliya experienced zikr, not merely as a practice but as a transformative state.