The remembrance of God through repeated short formulas of glory, praise, and greatness.
Tagged: Meditation Prayer Remembrance
The Text
Subhan Allah — "Glory be to God." Alhamdulillah — "Praise be to God." Allahu Akbar — "God is greatest."
Historical Context
Dhikr, "remembrance," is the practice of keeping God in mind and on the tongue by repeating his names and short formulas of praise, as the Qur'an commands: "Remember your Lord much." After each ritual prayer, believers commonly count thirty-three repetitions each of Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, and Allahu Akbar, often on prayer beads (misbaha). In Sufi orders, dhikr developed into structured communal ceremonies, sometimes rhythmic and musical, aimed at purifying the heart of heedlessness.
Use and Practice
Dhikr is practiced after the five daily prayers, during morning and evening remembrances drawn from the Prophet's example, and at any moment of the day. It may be silent and solitary or voiced together in a gathered circle.
References
- Sunnah.com — Hadith Collections Free / open access
Related Prayers and Creeds
- Salah — The ritual prayer performed five times daily, with fixed postures, recitations, and the closing testimony (Tashahhud).
- Du'as — Personal supplications addressed to God in one's own need, in words from the Qur'an, the Prophet, or the heart.
Related Across the Site
- Act of Contrition Prayer or Creed — A prayer of sorrow for sin, prayed in the Sacrament of Penance and in personal examination of conscience.
- Gayatri Mantra Prayer or Creed — The most revered mantra of the Rig Veda, a meditation on the divine light that illumines the mind.
- Glory Be (Gloria Patri) Prayer or Creed — A short doxology praising the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, used across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant worship.
- Hail Mary Prayer or Creed — A prayer to the Virgin Mary built from the angel's greeting in Luke 1, asking for her intercession.
- Jesus Prayer Prayer or Creed — A short, repeated invocation of Jesus asking for mercy, central to the Orthodox hesychast tradition.
- Prayers of the Rosary Prayer or Creed — The set of prayers prayed on the beads of the Rosary, including the Fatima Prayer and the Hail Holy Queen.
- The Angelus Prayer or Creed — A thrice-daily prayer of versicles and Hail Marys commemorating the Annunciation and the Incarnation.
- The Lord's Prayer (Our Father) Prayer or Creed — The prayer Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, shared by Christians of every tradition.