Praise be to Allah ﷻ who connects unto Himself, through bonds of remembrance, those
who are detached. May prayers and salutations be upon our master Muhammad, the source
of light; his pure household; and elect companions.
Know O seeker - may Allah ﷻ support you - that when reciting the litany
it is important to observe certain etiquettes and manners which will lead you to
the ultimate goal.
Although remembering Allah ﷻ in every moment and at every opportunity is praiseworthy,
the special litany for journeying to Allah ﷻ is distinct from other supererogatory
invocations which are recited at particular times and occasions.
The litany is not recited solely for rewards and blessings, but also to
reap the fruit of the litany; to experience its purifying and purging impacts, and
its beautifying and spiritual effects on the self, heart, and soul: Whoever does
not have a litany will have no fruit - your fruit is dependent upon your litany.
I summarised these etiquettes into a brief epistle to benefit those seeking Allah
ﷻ. These are the recommended practices for all litanies which are prescribed by
all Sufi Orders, with the exception of specific practices that seekers learn from
their spiritual guides.
1. COMPLETE OUTER PURIFICATION OF BODY, CLOTHES, AND SETTING
Clothing must be cleaned of bodily odours, such as perspiration, as well as other
unpleasant smells.
The location should be free from dirt and dust. Angels are repelled by untidy places,
whereas devils are inclined to them.
In the past, Muslims would take special care when preparing for Fridays by purifying
themselves, applying perfume, and burning incense. Women were known to sweep the
Prophet’s ﷺ Mosque on Thursdays.
We observed our grandmothers and mothers wash clothes and clean rooms every Thursday
in preparation for receiving the Angels on Friday.
2. BATHING AND WUDU (ABLUTION)
You must not recite the litany except in a state of ritual purity. It is better
to renew your wudu beforehand, as doing so will strengthen determination, invigorate
the body, disincline Satan from approaching you, and illuminate your limbs: Wudu
is the weapon of the believer.
Allah ﷻ coupled outer and inner purity in the glorious Qur'an, saying: “Indeed,
Allah loves the repentant and loves those who purify themselves”3.
3. USING FRAGRANCE
The seeker should try to use fragrance at all times. Generally speaking, a seeker
should always distance himself from malodours - such as the smell of perspiration
and garlic or onion in food – more so prior to reciting the litany.
Angels are repulsed by all unpleasant odours; this is a major reason why the Prophet
ﷺ disliked eating onion and garlic.
Burning incense at the place of dhikr is recommended as it encourages Angels to
assemble there. Na’im ibn Abd Allah al-Mujmir and his father (Allah be pleased with
them both) would burn incense in the Prophet’s ﷺ Mosque. His father was a companion
of the Prophet ﷺ and it is said Na’imz was too.
The purpose of burning incense is to perfume the body, clothing, and place.
4. PREPARING FOR THE LITANY BY DONNING THE BEST ATTIRE
The invoker sits before the Lord of the Worlds, the King of Kings. Thus, just as
a person diligently smartens himself before visiting people of status, a person
must beautify himself with the best attire prior to performing dhikr.
Donning nice clothes helps the novice stay attentive, collected, reposed, self-conscious
outwardly and inwardly, and respectful of what he is engaging in.
5. FACING THE QIBLA
While facing the Qibla4 there should be enough
space to prostrate between the invoker and the wall. This is to minimise distractions
and reduce fidgeting. The aim is to not have anything present which could cause
a lapse in attention - such as images or other sensory disruptions. This way, if
the invoker happens to look in front, towards the wall, then he will not see anything
that diverts his attention.
6. WITHDRAWING FROM PEOPLE
We heard the Gnostics say: “Seclusion from people is a sign of affluence”. Hence,
you will not receive acceptance with Allah ﷻ until you cease relying on creation
and stop inclining towards them; whether in distress, for benefit, hope or wish,
or in fear.
Turning away from the addressee during a conversation is considered bad etiquette
amongst people and is deemed unbefitting. So how can it be tolerated when the invoker
sits before the Creator?
Withdrawal from the masses can only be achieved by being alone, somewhere secluded.
It is not appropriate to hold prayer beads and recite the litany while sitting among
people, conversing with them, or observing them.
Of course, performing dhikr at all times, in every situation, is permissible, but
we are discussing the special litany by which the invoker hopes to rid himself of
bad traits, assume good traits, receive manifestations, and ascend to degrees of
perfection.
7. CEASING ALL OTHER ACTIVITIES
Free yourself from other preoccupations, such as answering the phone or attending
to one’s spouse, parents, or children.
Interrupting dhikr to answer a phone call is inappropriate and a breach of etiquette
because it entails an individual interrupting his conversation with someone of a
higher rank in order to answer the call of someone lower.
When a child is conversing with someone and his father calls him, he will end his
conversation to answer his father. Similarly, an employee will end his discussion
with a friend, while at work, to heed the call of his employer. So what about a
person who is with the Lord of the Universe; is it befitting for him to interrupt
dhikr while he is with Allah ﷻ to answer the call of one of His creation? Or while
he is with the King of Kings, the Judge of Judges, to turn to one of His slaves
instead?
During dhikr, a person leaves this world and is admitted before Allah ﷻ. The one
engrossed in dhikr does not hear any call, nor observes anyone else, because the
pleasure of dhikr and absorption in it overpowers all of his senses.
It is not correct to recite the litany while watching television, performing transactions
(buying and selling), or reading a book. If he is preoccupied with such matters
during the litany, then he will be receive the general reward of dhikr, but he will
not benefit from its special spiritual effects because his etiquette was lacking.
People whose homes are not free of distractions should firstly switch off the phone
or at least put it in another room, and inform their parents or spouses that they
will be busy for some time. Complete any tasks they have for you either before or
after the litany. Within a few days they will become accustomed and postpone any
tasks they have for you till after the litany.
In no way whatsoever does this mean that people should neglect the rights of others
- especially parents - during a necessity. Nor does it mean you should leave children
exposed to risks until the litany is completed: Necessity makes lawful the unlawful.
Allah ﷻ says: “He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any
difficulty”5.
Each time has its respective obligations which the seeker must fulfil; the Sufi
is a person of his time. Alluding to this, the Prophet ﷺ said: “When supper is brought
to you at the time for prayer, then eat the food prior to performing the evening
prayer”6. This dispensation was given in order
to prevent thoughts of food transpiring during the prayer because this would impede
concentration.
8. CONCENTRATION
Concentrate on Allah ﷻ during the dhikr; be entirely absorbed in His remembrance.
If this proves difficult then imagine, for example, the Arabic script of the Divine
Name - Allah - when invoking this Name.
Contemplate the meanings of the dhikr also: If seeking forgiveness, ponder remorsefully
over your sins, the vastness of Allah’s ﷻ Forgiveness, and repent from every sin.
When sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ, recall his innumerable virtues and limitless
characteristics and qualities; as many, or as few as you know. It suffices to focus
your thoughts on his blessed shrine; imagine standing before the greatest beloved
ﷺ while sending prayers upon him. Likewise, for every dhikr, contemplate on its
respective meaning.
9. DESIGNATING A PLACE
The dhikr should be performed in a specific place within the home, like a prayer
area. Designate this area for the litany and do not switch daily from one place
to another. This is known as the secret of the place because Angels gather there;
rendering it an area of munificent blessings, lights, tranquillity, serenity, and
protection for anyone seated in it - this is well known and famous. This is why
the areas where the Saints retreated contain many secrets and supplications are
answered therein.
In the home of my father - Shaykh Ibrahim al-Yaqoubi (Allah ﷻ sanctify his secrets)
- there was a specific room for his spiritual retreats. When he would leave the
house, nobody was able to reside in that room.
My grandfather - Shaykh Isma‘il al-Yaqoubi (Allah ﷻ sanctify his secrets) – had
his place of retreat in the upper area of al-Sananiyya Mosque; it remains a locus
of secrets and lights till today.
Be careful not to de-sanctify this area in your home by changing clothes or entertaining
family in it, because Angels, tranquillity, and lights descend upon it.
10. CONSISTENCY IN TIME
Punctually maintain the litany in its actual times; morning and evening, without
delay. This is the secret of time. It leads to attaining the goal and has prodigious
effects.
The seeker should arrange his schedule in a way to make the litany the central focus;
arranging other duties and obligations around it. So if you intend to recite the
morning litany after the prayer of Fajr, and the evening litany after the prayer
of Isha, then do not change this schedule.
Do not move the litany to another time, no matter what. Struggle to maintain consistency.
There will be some difficulties at first, but once it becomes habitual, you will
find it extraordinarily easy and sweet. You will find your schedule eased and preoccupations
lessened through the blessings of the litany. There will be pleasure and sweetness
in your time and you will sense blessings throughout the day.
The best times are immediately after the obligatory prayers. Furthermore, there
are two times in which the seeker should not be bereft of dhikr: Following Fajr
until just after sunrise, and from Maghrib till Isha.
11. CORRECT PRONUNCIATION
Correct and accurate pronunciation of the litany is very important so not to corrupt
words and letters through incorrect articulation.
When invoking the Divine Name Allah, you must articulate the hamza lightly and the
lam emphatically, while stressing the latter for the duration of one syllable.
When reciting the name al-Razzaq, the letter qaf must be articulated as a qaf [voiceless
uvular stop] and not as a hamza [glottal stop] as some people do, resulting in al-Razzā’a.
Such people refer to a person named Abd al-Razzaq, Abd al-Razza’a; Razzā’a in Arabic
means calamity - a meaning no invoker will ever intend.
Since mispronouncing Divine Names and Qur’anic verses is disrespectful towards Allah
ﷻ, no seeker should ever fall into it lest adverse effects transpire.
A common error is the mispronunciation of lā ilāha illaLlāh (there is no god except
Allah). Some omit a word, while others stretch the letter ha [voiceless glottal
fricative] in the word ilāha [God], rendering it from the singular form to dual,
thus giving the incorrect meaning: There are no two gods except Allah.
The invoker must not recite quickly just to complete the litany lest some letters
are mispronounced in which case one will not reap the fruit of the litany.
Correcting one’s pronunciation as much as possible is a prerequisite for dhikr,
particularly for Arabs. There is some leeway granted to non-Arabs, as in the case
of the noble companion Bilal (Allah is pleased with him) who would articulate the letter shīn in a way resembling
sīn during the call to prayer. The invoker is not sinful for mispronunciation, as
long as he tries his utmost to learn.
It is best to recite the litany in a moderate volume - between silent and loud -
so that it is audible to oneself. Merely moving the lips without any sound is not
sufficient, because the litany is built on verbal dhikr and repetition of words.
This is what needed to be clarified regarding the etiquettes of the litany - according
to the Sufi masters - for all seekers and students; especially brothers and sisters
of our path7.
I implore Allah ﷻ to bestow upon us, you, and all seekers, perfect etiquette towards
Him, fear of Him, and proximity with Him; that He open the doors of closeness and
nearness to Him for us and you. We ask Him to fill our hearts with love and the
secrets of gnosis. There is no capability except from Allah; upon Him I rely and
to Him I turn.
© Adnaan Raja 1437/2016
This document may be freely printed and distributed. Sections may be quoted with
permission and citation.
