What is the Virtue of Dhikr Performed with Serenity?
Bayazid Bistami (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
Dhikr Performed with Serenity
“Abundant dhikr is not about the quantity, but rather it is the dhikr performed while guarding against heedlessness and with serenity.”
To truly benefit from the grace (fayz) and spiritual essence (ruhaniyyat) of dhikr, we must participate in it both heart and mind. For just as prayer requires harmony between body and spirit, so too does dhikr. That is, while the tongue performs the remembrance, the heart should also deepen in contemplation of its meaning.
We must constantly be aware that we are in the presence of Allah (may He be exalted), understanding that He sees us at every moment and in every place, even closer than our own jugular vein. It is through this manner of turning to Him that a state of “huzur” (serenity) arises in the heart. What the enlightened ones refer to as “huzur” is not a physical comfort, but rather the establishment within the heart of a constant awareness of being with Allah – a state of perpetual dhikr.
The True People of Dhikr
The spiritual revitalization gained from constantly knowing that one is in the presence of Allah (may He be exalted) elevates dhikr to its highest level. Allah (may He be exalted) presents the true people of dhikr, who have attained perfection in dhikr, in a verse:
“The believers are only those who, when mention is made to them of Allah, their hearts tremble…” (Surah Al-Anfal, 8:2)
Thus, the purpose of dhikr is not merely repetition with the tongue. Rather, it is the trembling of the heart and the transformation of the hearts into remembering hearts through contemplation of the meanings associated with the name being uttered.
Hz. Mevlana (may Allah be pleased with him) addresses those who worship only in form, devoid of spiritual grace:
“O heedless one! If only when you prostrate, you could turn your face sincerely towards Allah and truly comprehend the meaning of saying: ‘My Lord, the Most High, is free from all imperfection.’ That is, not merely a formal prostration, but a prostration of the heart (that would take you on a mi’raj – a spiritual ascent)!”