Encyclopedia of Islam

dhikr

  

193  J

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century. Each Sufi order developed its own dis-

tinctive code of dhikr practices, which it ascribed 

to its founding Sufi masters. By regulating the 

practices, they not only fostered the embodiment 

of the spiritual teachings of the order, but also dis-

ciplined the behavior of its members and actual-

ized the 

aUthority

 of the order’s leadership. Dhikr

activities are conducive to ecstatic outbursts and 

unpredictable behavior, so the code helps provide 

a degree of decorum.

Dhikr rituals have been performed in solitude 

and in group gatherings, silently or audibly (by 

heart or by tongue). Most frequently, they occur 

at Sufi hospices (the khanqah, tekke, or rabita) 

and at saint shrines. Performance of the litanies 

is accompanied by breath control techniques 

and rhythmic movements of the body, which can 

induce a trancelike state of consciousness (

hal

) 

or ecstatic experience (wajd). Participants have 

been said to visualize colored lights, or flashes, 

which they believe emanate from the realm of the 

unseen. The atmosphere of dhikr performances 

may be enhanced by 

mUsic

, drums, and dancing, 

as exemplified by the sema of the m

evlevi

  s

UFi

o

rder

. On the other hand, Naqshbandi Sufis are 

known to refrain from such outward performances 

and promote silent dhikr instead. In the past, con-

servative Muslim authorities may have criticized 

such activities, but today religious conservatives, 

Islamists, and secular Muslims who hold rational-

scientific worldviews vehemently oppose them. 

Nonetheless, in the world of the Sufis and their 

many supporters, the dhikr is seen as a way to gain 

spiritual enlightenment and achieve union (itti-

sal) or annihilation (fana) in God. In this regard, 

remembering God entails forgetting oneself and 

the world, even if only for the moment.

See also  a

dam

 

and

  e

ve

; 

aya

; 

baqa

 

and

 

fana

;

names

 

oF

  g

od

;  n

aqshbandi

  s

UFi

  o

rder

;  s

hiism

; 

tariqa

.