Assalamu 'alaykum Brother Mohammed,

Zikr is the remembrance of Allah on the tongue as well as in the heart. May Allah make us among the zakirin, Amin.

Tasawwuf is sufi tradition. It is spiritual culture based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It is to cultivate noble character traits and to purify the heart of worldly desires.

Muraqaba is the spiritual station of vigilance. It is attained with the awareness that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala sees one in worship. It is vigilant awareness to make sure that everything one does is right and proper.

Love for Allah is to love everything that Allah loves. It is implanted by Allah in one's heart. It is to follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah which is the content. Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam is Habib Allah, the beloved of Allah. So we have to love him more than anyone else.

The Qur'an says that to obey him is to obey Allah. That is why when he prepared for jihad, his sahaba (companions) were prepared to join him at once, to lay down their lives so that Allah's Word shall prevail and tyranny shall be eradicated. This shows that the sahaba had realised for themselves the spiritual station (maqam) of mahabba (love) of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and of Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

The way to attain this is to surrender one's life for the sake of Allah to gain his Pleasure (Rida) and nearness (qurb) without any riya (show off); all the while cultivating ihsan (spiritual excellence) and supplicating to Allah to bestow on us humility before Him and dignity before people.

The greatest progress on this path is attained if Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala provides you with the company of a shaykh, a man of Allah. One affectionate smile of a shaykh can put you on the path to realisation of your full potential as a Mu'min (Muslim believer).

The Shaykh will teach you 'amal saleh (good deeds) and guide you along the right path so that Islam will become a living reality in your life.

With salaams and du'a,
Siddiq

Assalamu 'alaykum Brother Said Mahmoud,

It depends on what your shaykh recommends for you. If your shaykh gives you the Ratib al-Haddad with his own blessed hands, then you have to recite it everyday after 'Isha. It contains verses of the Qur'an. For every letter of the Qur'an that you recite, you get ten thawabs. It contains du'a (supplication to Allah) and you hope Allah will fulfil your supplication. It contains zikr which is a joy for Muslims as it cools our hearts. It can be recited individually or in congregation. It takes about 15 minutes to recite.

Once you are set on the recitation of Ratib al-Haddad, and if you wish to increase your voluntary supplications, you can recite Wird ul Latif of Mawlana al-Haddad after Fajr salah, after the recitation of surah Yaseen shareef. Wird al-Latif can also be recited at other times during the day

We should remember the Hadith of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam that we should be consistent in doing a good deed, even if a little.

If your shaykh has given you the Ratib al-'Attas to recite at night, you should be consistent in that. Allah will fulfil your wishes if you recite it 41 times, even if spread over a period of time.

The fulfilment of faraid, such as the performance of the five daily prayers comes first. Then follow the additional voluntary supplications, based on the sunnah (practice) of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

For more detail, please refer to the article on Ratib al-Haddad and its translation.

Also refer to the article on Ratib al-'Attas and its translation and the article on the Azkaar of Mawlana al-Haddad which has an explanation about Wird al-Latif.

With salaams and du'a,
Siddiq

Hello Judy,

I suggest the following verses where the first number indicates the chapter and the second the number of the verse. These verses are from the khutba (sermon) that is recited at wedding ceremonies.

(4:1)
(3:102)
(33:70-71)
(25:74)

With best wishes for the bride and the groom and their families.

Siddiq