The vacuum of time is a waste of time. It’s when precious time is occupied by nothing. It’s also a period of time when value is not added to human life. It’s the time you lavish on illicit fantasy, unproductive actions and frivolous talks; a nice time usually enjoyed by an offbeat; a skittish person; the scatterbrained and flibbertigibbet.
What do you do with the vacuum of time?
There’s no vacuum in the life of a Muslim; for if he’s not worshipping his Lord, he’s profitably engaged in the pursuit of halal. If he’s not throwing a pillow with his wife, he’s playing with his children inside his house; and if he’s not relaxing with books and creative ideas, he’s definitely executing a dawah agenda. But if he chose to do none of these; then his tongue should be busy with the chant of Dhikr!
Dhikr! Yes, Dhikr is what I mean!
Dhikr occupies the vacuum in the life of a Muslim. While retiring to bed, he chants the Dhikr until sleep overtakes his consciousness. As he rises from bed, he continues with the chant of Dhikr. Immediately after the fajr, he’s yet occupied with Dhikr. While walking on treadmill, he repeats the Dhikr.
In his walkout, he is saying the Dhikr. At the steering, he chants the Dhikr. Also at work, his lips are murmering the Dhikr. In a contemplative mood, he’s engrossed in the chant of Dhikr. While listening to others speak, his own tongue is busy with Dhikr. Except in a place of dirt, the vacuum is filled by the presence of Allah.
Dhikr is like breathing deeply in the solitude of High Mountain. Here, the morning air, filled with the purity of the eternal snows, dilates the breasts; it then becomes a space as piety penetrates the heart. Thus, the believer should be conscious of Allah while engaging in Dhikr; and this is only possible if he knew both the literal meaning and spiritual implications of the words and phrases uttered by him.
The early Muslims would be so engrossed in the remembrance of Allah that they might even lose count of their surroundings. It is only in that state of spiritual consciousness that the heart can be effectively purified. Consequently, Dhikr is valid only on condition of being sincere; and this sincerity which entails concentration or khushuu’- enables it to be simple, while at the same time having an immense effect.
The deepest effect is that of spiritual ecstasy derived by he who does the dhkir, so that, as he utters His remembrance, he simultaneously keeps His grace in mind; and consequently, he attains the spiritual delight in his own communion with Allah.
The Messenger of Allah had encouraged Muslims to engage in Dhikr so that their sins might be effaced; and in some other cases, a Dhikr uttered sincerely may attract as much as one thousand rewards. Thus, the believer enjoys the benefit of being uplifted spiritually with a regular chant of those dhikr or words of praises and glorification prescribed by the holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
To the doubt expressed by certain skeptics that a Dhikr uttered can neither efface a thousand sins, nor have the value of a thousand righteous deeds, some scholars of Sunnah have responded that from the human side, the whole merit lies, first, in the intention that makes the believer utter the dhikr; and secondly, in his sincere humility during the dhikr.
But this human merit is nothing compared to the divine grace. Let’s imagine the enviable grace of the tongue that recites the holy Quran and utters the dhikr regularly; and let’s also assume that the tongue is a fasting one, abstaining from cursing, backbiting and slandering others. Then, let’s imagine the ecstatic blessings of such a holy tongue:
لا تكثروا الكلام بغير ذكرالله فتقسو قلوبكم فإن القلب القاسي بعيد من الله
“Don’t ever indulge in too much of speech without remembering Allah, for such a speech shall blind your hearts; whereas a blind heart is certainly distance from Allah” (MAALIK)
Abu Mazeedatilkhayr Bn Sa’eed is an Author, Publisher, Reseacher & CEO of De-Minaret International, Abuja.
