COLLECTIVE  ZIKR

By: Allama Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Baz

INJUNCTIONS ON COLLECTIVE ZIKR IN SOME SPECIAL MANNER

QUESTION: What are injunctions of Shariah about Collective Zikr in a special manner after observing every Faradh Salat as it is practiced by Certain people? Also is it a tradition of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) to carry out remembrance loudly or is it Masnoon (as per tradition of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) to do so slowly?

ANSWER: It is a tradition of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) to make remembrance loudly after turning face for Salam in the prayer of Jumah as well as in all prayers of five times, as it is reported in Saheehain (Bukhari and Muslim) on the authority of Abdullah Bin Abbas (may Allah be happy with him) that in the prophetic epoch people used to make rememberance  loudly after turning face for Salam in Faradh Salat. Ibne Abbas (may Allah be happy with him) says that he used to guess the culmination of Salat from the sound of remembrances of people.

Now, there remains the case of making remembrance collectively in such a manner that from its beginning to the end, every person goes on repeating blindly in consonance with others; so it has got no real basis in the Shariah. Rather, this Practice is an origination (Bidat). The requirement of Shariah in this respect is such that all people must adhere to remembrance of Allah without any intention of keeping their sound adjusted in consonence with others at the beginning and or at the end. However, Allah is the supporter of the adaptation.