Should I stop making dhikr if my heart is not engaged?
Sometimes we engage in dhikr but the heart is not connected to the tongue. Should we stop?
The first point is to continue doing dhikr, as otherwise the shaytan will come and hunt you and put you off doing dhikr because you are not focused. He will put you off doing dhikr altogether.
Second, try your best to think about what you are saying. As the mind keeps trying to wander off, bring your focus back to the dhikr of Allah Almighty. Rather than rattling it off by your tongue robotically, allow it to reach your heart.
Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book Al Hikam mentioned 2 or 3 wisdoms on that topic: never stop dhikr of Allah Almighty even if you do not feel it in your heart, because over time, insha’Allah the heart will respond to the tongue and the tongue and the heart will work together.
Do not stop. Keep doing it but improve it and take it to a higher level, insha’Allah.
Instead, as Ibn al-Qayyim said the best dhikr is when the heart and tongue are engaged. The second best is when only the heart is engaged. The third third is when only the tongue is engaged and though it does bring the same fruit, it is beneficial and you can build on this.
Imam Ghazali said dhikr begins with the tongue; then by the heart being pressed into remembering; then the heart remembering spontaneously.
May Allah Almighty keep our tongues moist with His remembrance and our hearts engaged in His worship. Ameen
Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Transcribed by Rose Roslan.
Excerpt from the course on How to Keep the Heart Healthy.
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Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.
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