The central practice: Of all the practices in Islamic 'Irfan, Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) is the most fundamental. It is not just a practice you do — it is a state you become. The goal is to make Dhikr your heart's default mode, the place it returns to whenever it is free.
The only true rest: The Quran says: "Truly in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." This is the only true rest of the heart — everything else is temporary comfort, and Dhikr is the real home. And: "So remember Me — I will remember you." When Allah "remembers" you, He is attending to you, caring for you, and mentioning you before His angels. Your Dhikr is the key that opens this divine attention.
Three levels of Dhikr: The 'Irfani understanding of Dhikr has three depths. Dhikr al-Lisan (Dhikr of the tongue): the tongue remembers Allah through the sacred formulas — SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illAllah, Astaghfirullah, La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. Even if the heart is not yet fully present, keep the tongue busy with Allah's name — the tongue teaches the heart. Dhikr al-Qalb (Dhikr of the heart): the verbal Dhikr is internalised, and the heart itself begins to "repeat" the name without needing the tongue. The Prophet (SAW) said: "My eyes sleep — but my heart does not sleep." Dhikr al-Hal (Dhikr of the state): the entire being, in its very existence, is remembrance. The traveller does not do Dhikr — he is Dhikr.
The highest Dhikr: Imam Khomeini taught: "The highest Dhikr is when the one who remembers (the Dhakir) forgets his Dhikr in the awareness of the One remembered (the Madhkur). He is no longer thinking about his remembrance — he is absorbed in the One he remembers." This is the Dhikr of the Prophet (SAW) — permanent, effortless, and total absorption in divine awareness.
Example
The friend you keep calling: A man has a dear friend who lives far away. At first, he sets an alarm and calls him at a fixed time each day, because otherwise he forgets.
The name on the tongue: After a while, his friend's name is on his tongue all day — while he works, while he walks, while he eats. He no longer needs the alarm.
The friend in the heart: In time, he does not even need to call. His friend lives in his heart, and everything he does is coloured by that friendship. That is the journey of Dhikr — from the alarm, to the tongue, to the heart.
Key Terms
- Dhikr (ذکر) — remembrance of Allah; the central practice of 'Irfan
- Dhikr al-Lisan (ذکرِ لسانی) — Dhikr of the tongue; the sacred formulas
- Dhikr al-Qalb (ذکرِ قلبی) — Dhikr of the heart; the heart remembering without the tongue
- Dhikr al-Hal (ذکرِ حالی) — Dhikr of the state; the whole being as remembrance
Quran or Hadith
Quran 13:28 — "Truly in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." — to be checked.
This is the only true rest of the heart. Everything else is temporary comfort — Dhikr is the real home.
Fresh diagram to be drawn: Three concentric circles — the outer circle labelled "Tongue — the formulas", the middle circle "Heart — the quiet repetition", the inner circle "State — you are Dhikr" — with a heart glowing at the centre and the caption "From the tongue, to the heart, to the whole being."
- Dhikr is the most fundamental practice of 'Irfan — a state you become, not just an act you do.
- "Truly in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (Quran 13:28)
- Dhikr has three levels: of the tongue, of the heart, and of the state.
- The highest Dhikr is forgetting your own remembrance in the awareness of Allah.