The Difference between Thikr

and Dua
The Difference between Thikr and Dua

By Shaykul Islam ibn Taymeeyah (728H)

(May Allah have mercy on him)

The meaning for Thikr and Dua are both included in each
other. What is noticeable is the person who supplicates to
Allah remembers Him. Likewise, the one remembering Allah
supplicates to Him. The Meaning for this is found in the
hadeeth when the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa salim) said:
َ
” َ‫ ﻻَ إِﻟ َﻪ‬،َ ‫أ ﻓ ْﻀ َﻞ ُ اﻟﺪ ُّﻋ َﺎءِ دُﻋ َﺎءُ ﻳَﻮ ْمِ ﻋ َﺮ َﻓ َﺔ‬
ُ‫ وَﻟ َﻪ‬،ُ ‫ ﻟ َﻪُ اﻟ ْﻤ ُﻠ ْﻚ‬،ُ‫إِﻻَّ اﻟﻠﻪُ وَﺣ ْﺪ َه ُ ﻻَ ﺷ َﺮ ِﻳﻚ َ ﻟ َﻪ‬
ٌ ‫ ﻋ َﻠ َﻰ ﻛ ُﻞ ِ ّ ﺷ َﻲ ْءٍ ﻗ َﺪ ِﻳﺮ‬،ُ ‫اﻟ ْﺤ َﻤ ْﺪ‬

The best supplication is the dua for the Day of Arafah,:

There is absolutely no deity worthy of worship but Allah, He
is alone without any partners. To him belongs the dominion
of the heavens and earth, and to Him belongs all praises.
Allah has the ability to do everything.[ Al-Bayhaqi Kubara
5/117.Al-Bayhqai graded this hadeeth as being weak]

What’s more is the Dua for Grief:

‫ﻻ إﻟﻪ إﻻ أﻧﺖ ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻚ إﻧﻲ ﻛﻨﺖ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻈﺎﻟﻤﻴﻦ ﻻ ﻳﺪﻋﻮ ﺑﻬﺎ رﺟﻞ ﻣﺴﻠﻢ‬
‫ﻓﻲ ﺷﻲء ﻗﻂ إﻻ اﺳﺘﺠﺎب اﻟﻠﻪ ﻟﻪ‬

There is absolutely no deity worthy of worship, except you,

and verily I have been among those people who oppress. Any
Muslim asking Allah through this supplication will be
answered.[ Hakim 1/505 Al-Hakim graded this hadeeth as being
authentic]

The book Ad-Dua by At-Tabarani contains various

remembrances of Allah. The scholars of Fiqh consider the
various remembrances done prayer as supplication.

There are three instances and situations for remembering

Allah:

1: The intention to have a request granted only.

2: The intention to remember Allah only

3: To have a request honored and remember Allah together.

At any rate , whenever the person intends one of these

actions, the other action will be achieved. This is similar
to a person pleading a request. It’s a must that he attaches
great importance to the heart, know Allah and fear Him. On
one hand, the individual who intends to remember Allah,
worship Him and make everything other than Allah a means to
reach his goal. On the other hand, the person who only wants
to have his needed fulfilled, he places Allah as a means to
reach this objective. This is the servant of Allah. He knows
and is aware that it is Allah Who causes harm and benefit.
There is no Lord other than Allah.

Taken from Jam’I Masa’il 8 /18/ pg 12-15

Translated by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Lamont Battle

Sr.
Doha, Qatar