59 ZIKAR THE REDEEMER
THE PRACTICE OF THE ZIKAR
The work of the Sufi is to take away the fear of death;
the Sufi dies in the Zikar that his breath may say only the Beloved Name,
his heart may beat only love and his mind may reflect only His thought.
The Sufi is no more but his cells and atoms vibrate His Eternal Life.
This Zikar calls for the Redeemer that the lover may die in the Beloved,
being healed and purified by the sacred words of the Surah al-Fatihah,
and getting lost in the Glory of His Name, although He is still Greater.
Be blessed by the Peace of surrendering to the All-Beloved !
The Zikar the Redeemer consists of five parts:
1. The Hadith Saying
Mutu qabla an tamutu,
for 4 lines repeated with a 5th line.This means: Die before Death, die before dying in order to live really.
Be absorbed with your whole being in God,
be united with God before your passing away.
Die before Death, or Ya Ba’ith, the 5th line.
This means: O You Resurrector, O Raiser from the dead.
The death of ignorance gives life to the knowledge of truth.
2. The Surah al-Fatihah:
for 4 lines + 4 lines with the 5th line.Bismi Llah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim,
il-hamdu li-Llahi rabb il-alamin,
ar-rahman ir-Rahim, Maliki yawm id-din,
iyyaka nabudu wa iyyaka nasta-in
ihdinas-sirat al-mustaqim,
sirat alladhina an-amta alayhim,
ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa lad-dalin.
(Bismi Llah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim,)
Amin.
This means in translation:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the Worlds;
The Beneficent, the Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgement !
Thee only do we worship, Thee alone we ask for help.
Guide us on the straight path;
Not the path of those who earn Thine anger, nor of those who go astray.
(In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,)
Amen, Be it so !
" In the Surah al-Fatihah there is a balm for all ailments ".
" These are the Oft-Repeated Seven Verses and represent the Grand Quran ".
They are as the seven steps to the heart of Islam and towards its Unity.
We declare the Oneness of Allah,
His Messengers and His Message !
3. The Dhikr, Zikr or Zikar;
La ilaha illa Allah Hu, 4 lines repeated.
This means: There is no God than God only, nothing exist save He Alone.
Hu, Allah Hu, or You Only One; this may be the 5th line in general.
Muhammad-un Rasul-u Allah, for three times for the 4th and 5th line.
Ya Mu’min,
This means: and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and:
You Inspirer of Faith, He is the Illuminator of Faith in the heart.
Wa Allahu Akbar, for one or more times for the 4th and 5th line.
Ya Hu, Ya Hayy Haqq,
This means: Allah is Great(er than any conception), and:
Oh You One, Oh You Ever-living Truth.
The zikarsinging and zikr may be performed sitting in a circle, the hands, the upper body and the head may move freely on the rhythm from left forward on beat 1 to the middle backward on 2, to right forward on 3 and to the middle backward on 4 and so on for the second, third and fourth line. The fifth line conform the zikar-part. This may be the general movements of the body for all parts, the feet may dance also when they are called to do so. To intensify the zikar-part you may move your head in a distinct way.
On the first beat: La i- the head moves from going down at the left
and circling downwards to the right and
on the second beat: laha coming up on right, on "ha" looking up in the middle;
on beat three: illa Al- thrown firmly to the heart on "il" and coming up
on beat four: laha Hu looking up in the middle on "laha Hu" and so on for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th line. For the 5th line Hu, Allah Hu:
on beat one: Hu the head is thrown downwards to the heart on Hu and
on beat two: Allah looking up straight forward on Allah and again
on beat three: Hu looking down to the heart on Hu for two beats.
By this movement during the zikar you engrave literally the name of Allah in your being and connect inside yourself the extreme ends of Allah and Man together in Hu.
There is no happier way for the Sufi than the remembrance of God !
4. Salaam
for 2 lines + 2 lines repeated and a 5th line.As salam-u alaykum Peace be upon you
wa rahmatu Llahi wa barakatuhu and the Mercy of God and His Blessings;
Ya Salaam. Oh You All-Peace.
May the Blessing of God rest upon you,
may His Peace abide with you,
may His Presence illuminate your heart
now and for evermore !
God bless you; or Amen.
He is the Saviour who gives Peace and Blessings !
5. Commemorating the Masters:
Some of the Master-souls may be commemorated in an alternate of repeating their names in the four lines of the zikarmelody followed by a full stanza of the zikar.
The names of those Masters may be also mentioned who have a special relation to the zakirs or for a special occasion of remembering.
In Sufi-Lovehood the following Souls are always remembered, but some may be more often mentioned, and others may be but sometimes mentioned, or only on special occasions, and there are many others who may be mentioned as well:
Ya Murshida Shahzadi Musharaff Khan.
Ya Murshid Musharaff Moulamia Khan.
Ya Murshid Muhammad Ali Khan.
Ya Sheikh Maheboob Khan.
Ya Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan.
Ya Hazrat Muhammad Abu Hashim Madani.
Ya Guru Shri Ramakrishna.
Ya Ba’al Shem Tov Israel ben Eleazer.
Ya Mira Bai ya Sant-e Mira Bai.
Ya Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Ya Hazrat Baha’uddin an-Naqshibandia.
Ya Hazrat Hadji Bektash Veli.
Ya Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalander.
Ya Hazrat Mawlana Djalaluddin Rumi.
Ya Hazrat Shamsuddin Tabrizi.
Ya Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Chisti.
Ya Hazrat Khwadja Muinuddin Chisti.
Ya Hazrat Shihabuddin Suhrawardi.
Ya Brother Saint Francis of Assisi.
Ya Hazrat Abdul-Qadir Djilani.
Ya Hazrat Ahmad ar-Rufai.
Ya Hazrat Rabia al-Adawiya.
Ya Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Ya Hazrat Muhammad.
Ya Hazrat Isa ya Messiah Jesus Christ.
Ya Hazrat Maryam Blessed Mother Mary.
Ya Buddha Gautama Siddharta.
Ya Hazrat Musa.
Ya Anbiya, Anbiya’Allah, Oh You Prophets of God All-Beloved,
Ya Mursalin, Mursalin’Allah, Oh You Messengers of God All-Beloved,
Ya Awliya, Awliya’Allah, Oh You Friends of God All-Beloved,
Adjma’in Ahbab Ahbab Allah. Oh all Beloved Ones of God All-Beloved.
for ending the zikar part 4, Salaam and /or The Blessing may be sung or repeated as a last singing item. The prayer Khatum may be said and the blessing is given.
May the blessing of God and his servants rest upon us !
Sufi Lovehood All-Beloved, C-1998 SUFI-LAB alim vosteen.