Islam
Principles of Islam
      Principle of Unity of God
      Principle of Prophecy
      Principle of Resurrection
      Principle of Balance and Equilibrium
      The Spiritual Guide
What is Muslim?
Salat (Daily Prayer)
      The Required Spiritual Elements of Prayer
         Zikr: Remembrance of God
         Presence of Heart
         Other Required Spiritual Elements of Salat
      Preliminaries of Salat
      The Daily Prayers
      The Components of the Prayer 1
      The Components of the Prayer 2
      The Praises and the Mystery of the Bodily Posture in Salat
The Reality of Hijab
      Hijab as a veil of ignorance that covers the truth
      Hijab as a spiritual shield or cover
      Hijab as women’s clothing
      Verses about Hijab in the Holy Qur’an
Fasting  

The Required Spiritual Elements of Prayer

Zikr: Remembrance of God

Sheikh Safieddin Ardebili has said: "Prayer is the greatest pillar of religion" and, citing the holy verse: "Zikr (remembrance of God) restrains from shameful and unjust deeds, and the remembrance of God is the greatest" (Holy Qur’an, 29:45), he has said: "Zikr is the most important element is Salat."

On the meaning of Zikr, Ali-ibn- Sahl Tostari has said: "Zikr is leaving the sphere of neglect to the realm of cognition in awe and intensity of love."

Seyyed Ali Hamedani has said: "Zikr is the tiller of the heart, the abundance of the harvest, and the sustainer of the intellect."

The Zikr of God brings inner purification and prevents the heart from transgression.

The following holy verses remind us that Zikr of heart is the nourishment of the life and soul of the believer:

"Those who believe, whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of God. For without doubt in the remembrance of God do hearts find satisfaction.
(Holy Qur’an 13:28)

"Remember me, and I shall remember you."
(Holy Qur’an 2:152)

Attentiveness to the Zikr of heart brings affection and love, and the continuation of Zikr results in humility. As God almighty has said:

"Has not the time arrived for the believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of God?"
(Holy Qur’an, 57:16)

_____________________________
References:

- Sadegh ANGHA, Hazrat Shah Maghsoud, Al-Salat, the reality of Prayer in Islam, M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi Publication®, Riverside, CA, USA, 1998, pp 2-4.



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