a bid to reproduce that earlier spirituality and devotion, the Sufis attached
great importance to the practice of
dhikr
, to the extent that it was given
even more importance than the canonical prayers. They turned
dhikr
into
an effective tool for honing the excellence of their worship, of making
their
ihsan
better, and enabling them to see God face to face. Thus
dhikr
found itself at the centre of Sufi practice. It is embarked upon and perfected
under the guidance of a spiritual master and is peformed both in gatherings
and in the privacy of a spiritual retreat (
khalwah
).
In most orders, formal
dhikr
sessions or
majalis
(sing.
majlis
) are held at
regular intervals. Under the guidance of the
shaykh
or his representative,
the disciple, or
murid,
engages in
dhikr
for an hour or two.This may be done
either silently or loudly, and might take the form of a chant; it might also be
accompanied by certain gestures or be totally motionless, andmight be further
accompanied by music and dance. At times, it might be supported by the
beat of a drum.
Khalwah
(solitary spiritual retreat) for the purpose of spiritual
invocation, is engaged in from time to time. It might go on for as short a
period as a couple of hours or it might even last for several days.
Besides the above-mentioned organized occasions,
dhikr
is to be done
silently at all times of the day, even when one is engaged in other activities.A
rosary, or
tasbih,
may be used to facilitate
dhikr
.
Another important practice akin to
dhikr
is the recitation of
wird
, a
litany consisting of Qur’anic verses and prayers, the ninety-nine divine
names and certain formulae put together by the leaders of the order. It
differs slightly from one Sufi order to another but has certain common
elements. Usually, the
salik
first asks for God’s forgiveness, and then asks
God to bless the Prophet. This is followed by the
shahadah
, the attestation
of the divine Unity, and so on.
