Prescriptions and Rewards of Adhkar

[tilmeedh]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/tahasyed/salam.gif

No doubt, dhikr has a great place in Islam, be it something specifically prescribed by the Prophet (s) or not. No Muslim denies that.

Now here is my concern:
When the Prophet (s) prescribed certain adhkar, he did so with the Will of Allah, and the reward promised by him is the reward promised by Allah.
But something I noticed among the shias and sufis is that there are certain non-Prophetic ritualistic adhkar that are prescribed, at times attached with a 'gaurantee'. e.g. do abc so many times, and xyz so many times and such-and-such will happen.

Now I want to know what place this has in shari'ah. Surely, the act in itself is a praiseworthy act of dhikr. But when it is ritualized with a certain reward visualized in one's mind, is this not a form of bid'a in worship?

Shias call them a'maal (prescribed by an imam), and I think the sufi couterpart is a wird (prescribed by a shaykh)?

Any clarification will be greatly appreciated.



ws

[Omar HH]

Shaykh Abu Qanit addressed this:

Basically different awrad (litanies) and dhikr do different things and have different effects. There are actually scholars who have reached a level that they understand these letters and their effects and thus make their own wirds or adhkar which have certain effects - such as Imam Abul Hasan al-Shadhili who wrote Hizb al-Bahr (The Litany of the Sea) amoungst others which was a prayer he made before riding a ship (wa Allahu `Alam) into the sea and has much of the Qur'an and Sunnah adhkar in it.

Sidi Ahmad Zarruq says you are a fool if you leave the Qur'an and Sunnah awrad for the non-Qur'an non-Sunnah awrad.

For example the letters:

Kaf Ha Ya `Ayn Sad, Ha Mim, Ya Seen - all have spiritual effects on one's Ruh (as well as the rest of the Qur'an).

Although beware mixing ayat and awrad up because you could cause black magic or damage your ruh.

I might be able to get you references later I cannot seem to find it. Insha Allah I can - but if I am too lazy then know it is in the GuidingHelper lesson archives.

[tilmeedh]

:salam:

Jazakumullahu khair.
I guess now my question is: What should be the intention of one who performs a prescribed non-Prophetic dhikr?
Should one have the expectation of a certain reward/result that has not been legislated by Allah and His Prophet?

[Omar HH]

Well first of all don't mix awrad of different tariqas because you will mess up your Ruh and you could die because you don't know what your feeding your ruh.

[tilmeedh]

:salam:

Ok, I *think* I understand the actual meaning of these wirds, and why people follow it.
However, I still wonder about the niyyah done by the person when reciting it. If he is doing it because it worked for his sheikh, than isn't it so that at times people's masa'ib are lifted without any dua at all? Does this mean that we 'emulate' those people by not doing any dua? Of course not.
Therefore, when we emulate the sheikh by reciting his dua, do we do it with the niyyah, and the belief, that since the formula worked for him, it will work for us too? That, I still have a problem with.


Well first of all don't mix awrad of different tariqas because you will mess up your Ruh and you could die because you don't know what your feeding your ruh.HMMMM...
Let's say that different Prophetic duas also have certain effects on the Ruh. Does this mean that we should not mix the duas of the Prophet, and should do one per sitting? If not, then how is the analogy wrong?



Thank you. :)
ws