Explanation of the Chapter on the Virtue of the Circles of Dhikr from Riyad al-Salihin.

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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The Chapter on the Virtue of the Circles of Dhikr:
Allah the Exalted said:

And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life

واصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا

[Al-Kahf 18:28]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Allah, the Exalted, has teams of angels who go about on the roads seeking those who remember Allah. When they find some people remembering Allah they call to one another and say, 'Come to what you are looking for;' and they surround them with their wings till the space between them and the lowest sky is fully covered. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, asks them (although He is best informed about every thing): 'What are my slave saying?' They say: 'They are glorifying Your Tasbih, Tahmid, Takbir, Tamjid, (i.e., they were declaring Your Perfectness, praising, remembering the Greatness and Majesty of Allah).' He asks: 'Have they seen Me?' They reply, 'No, indeed, they have not seen You.' He asks: 'How would they act if they were to see Me?' Thereupon they reply: 'If they were to see You, they would engage more earnestly in worshipping and glorifying You and would extol You more.' He would say: 'What do they beg of Me?' They say, 'They beg You for Your Jannah.' Allah says, 'Have they seen My Jannah?' They say, 'No, our Rubb.' He says: 'How would they act if they were to see My Jannah?' They reply, 'Were they to see it, they would more intensely eager for it.' They (the angels) say, 'They seek Your Protection.' He asks, 'Against what do they seek My Protection?' They (the angels) say, 'Our Rubb, from the fire of Hell.' (He, the Rubb) says, 'Have they seen the fire of Hell?' They say, 'No. By Your Honour, they have not seen it.' He says: 'How would they act if they were to see My Fire?' They say: 'If they were to see it, they would more earnest in being away from it and fearing it. They beg of Your forgiveness.' He says: 'I call you to witness that I hereby grant pardon to them and confer upon them what they ask for; and grant them protection against what they seek protection from.' One of the angels says: 'Our Rubb, there is amongst them such and such slave who does not belong to the assembly of those who are participating in Your remembrance. He passed by them and sat down with them.' He says: 'I also grant him pardon because they are the people by virtue of whom their associates will not be unfortunate'."

‏إن لله تعالى ملائكة يطوفون في الطرق يلتمسون أهل الذكر، فإذا وجدوا قومًا يذكرون الله عز وجل، تنادوا‏ :‏ هلموا إلى حاجتكم، فيحفونهم بأجنحتهم إلى السماء الدنيا، فيسألهم ربهم وهو أعلم‏ :‏ ما يقول عبادي‏؟‏ قال‏ :‏ يقولون ‏:‏ يسبحونك، ويكبرونك، ويحمدونك، ويمجدونك، فيقول ‏:‏ هل رأوني‏؟‏ فيقولون ‏:‏ لا لا والله ما رأوك، فيقول‏ :‏ كيف لو رأوني‏؟‏‏!‏ قال ‏:‏ يقولون ‏:‏ لو رأوك كانوا أشد لك عبادة، وأشد لك تمجيدًا، وأكثر لك تسبيحًا فيقول ‏:‏ فماذا يسألون‏؟‏ قال‏ :‏ يقولون‏ :‏ يسألونك الجنة‏.‏ قال‏ :‏ يقول ‏:‏ وهل رأوها‏؟‏ قال ‏:‏ يقولون ‏:‏ لا والله يا رب ما رأوها‏.‏ قال‏ :‏ يقول ‏:‏ فكيف لو رأوها‏؟‏‏!‏ قال‏ :‏ يقولون‏ :‏ لو أنهم رأوها كانوا أشد عليها حرصًا، وأشد لها طلبًا، وأعظم فيها رغبة‏.‏ قال ‏:‏ فمم يتعوذون‏؟‏ قال يقولون‏ :‏ يتعوذون من النار، قال ‏:‏ فيقول‏ :‏ وهل رأوها‏؟‏ قال ‏:‏ يقولون ‏:‏ ولا والله ما رأوها‏.‏ فيقول‏:‏ كيف لو رأوها‏؟‏‏!‏ قال ‏:‏ يقولون ‏:‏ لو رأوها كانوا أشد فرارًا، وأشد لها مخافة‏.‏ قال ‏:‏ يقول ‏:‏ فأشهدكم أني قد غفرت لهم، قال‏ :‏ يقول ملك من الملائكة‏ :‏ فيهم فلان ليس منهم، إنما جاء لحاجة، قال ‏:‏ هم الجلساء لا يشقى بهم جليسهم

Riyad as-Salihin 1447

It is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
In a narration by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said:

إن لله ملائكة سيارة فضلا يتتبعون مجالس الذكر، فإذا وجدوا مجلسًا فيه ذكر، قعدوا معهم، وحف بعضهم بعضًا بأجنحتهم حتى يملئوا ما بينهم وما بين السماء الدنيا، فإذا تفرقوا عرجوا وصعدوا إلى السماء، فيسألهم الله عز وجل وهو أعلم ‏:‏ من أين جئتم‏؟‏ فيقولون ‏:‏ جئنا من عند عباد لك في الأرض‏ :‏ يسبحونك، ويكبرونك، ويهللونك، ويحمدونك، ويسألونك‏.‏ قال‏ :‏ وماذا يسألوني‏؟‏ قالوا‏ :‏ يسألونك جنتك‏.‏ قال‏:‏ وهل رأوا جنتي‏؟‏ قالوا‏:‏ لا، أي رب‏.‏ قال‏:‏ فكيف لو رأوا جنتي‏؟‏‏!‏ قالوا ‏:‏ ويستجيرونك‏.‏ قال‏:‏ ومم يستجيروني‏؟‏ قالوا‏ :‏ من نارك يا رب‏.‏ قال‏ :‏ وهل رأوا ناري‏؟‏ قالوا‏:‏ لا، قال‏:‏ فكيف لو رأوا ناري‏؟‏ قالوا‏:‏ ويستغفرونك، فيقول ‏:‏ قد غفرت لهم، وأعطيتهم ما سألوا، وأجرتهم ما استجاروا‏.‏ قال‏ :‏ يقولون ‏:‏ رب فيهم فلان عبد خطاء إنما مر، فجلس معهم، فيقول ‏:‏ وله غفرت، هم القوم لا يشقى بهم جليسهم

Riyad as-Salihin 1447

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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: The Chapter on the Virtue of the Circles of Dhikr, meaning gathering together to remember Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Then he cited the noble verse

[Al-Kahf 18:28]

. Allah the Exalted commanded His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to restrain himself with these noble, honorable, and generous people. To restrain oneself means to hold oneself back. Hold yourself back with them, for these people are better than anyone you would sit with. They invoke their Lord in the morning at the start of the day and in the evening at the end of the day. Included in this, if Allah wills, is gathering for the Fajr prayer and the 'Asr prayer, because the first is in the morning and the second is in the evening, morning and evening. They seek His Face. This is evidence of their sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and that they do not seek from this gathering and supplication to be praised for it, or for it to be said, "How great they are! How great their worship! How much of it there is! How patient they are with it!" They do not seek any of this. They seek the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).

And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life

وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا

[Al-Kahf 18:28]

means do not let your eyes turn away from them, nor look down upon them... the world.
As for seeking a greater benefit than what they are upon, there is no harm in that. But for the sake of the world, no. These are the people, and they are the people of this world and the Hereafter.

and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.

وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا

[Al-Kahf 18:28]

means do not obey the heedless one whose heart has become heedless, and refuge is sought in Allah, from remembering Allah,

and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.

َوكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا

[Al-Kahf 18:28]

and who follows his desires, so his worldly life is lost and his Hereafter is lost. In this noble verse is the virtue of gathering for dhikr and supplication. It also contains the virtue of sincerity, and that sincerity is the foundation of everything. It also contains that a person should not leave the affairs of the Hereafter and acts of worship for the affairs of this world.
As for the hadiths, the author mentioned the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in *Sahih al-Bukhari* and *Sahih Muslim* that Allah the Exalted has appointed angels who roam the earth seeking the circles of dhikr.
And the angels: they are a noble unseen realm, created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from light. He made them solid, with no hollows, so they do not eat or drink; they do not need this. They have no bellies and no intestines, but they are solid. For this reason, they do not eat or drink. They are unseen and are not seen, but Allah the Exalted may show them to people at times, as Jibril (peace be upon him) came in the form of a man, with intensely white clothes and intensely black hair, with no trace of travel on him, and none of the Companions recognized him. He sat with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him questions. This happens at times, but the original state is that the realm of the angels is an unseen realm. All the angels are good, and for this reason, they do not enter places that contain what angers Allah (Mighty and Majestic). They do not enter a house that contains an image, nor do they accompany a group that has a bell, nor a group that has a dog, except a dog that is permissible to keep. These angels, whom Allah the Exalted has appointed, roam the earth. When they find a circle of dhikr, they sit with them, then they surround them with their wings up to the sky, meaning these angels go from the earth to the sky. Then Allah the Exalted asks them, to manifest the virtue of these people who sat remembering Allah, glorifying Him, praising Him, saying Allahu Akbar, and supplicating to Him. Otherwise, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows why they sat, but to manifest their virtue and nobility, He asks the angels: "Where did you come from?" They say: "We came from your servants on earth who are glorifying, saying Allahu Akbar, saying Allahu Akbar, praising, and supplicating." He says to them: "What do they want?" They say: "They want Paradise." (May Allah make us among those who desired it and were among its people.) They want Paradise. He says: "Have they seen it?" They say: "No." He says: "What if they had seen it?" They say: "They would have sought it more intensely and desired it more, because Allah says:

I have prepared for My righteous slaves (such excellent things) as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard nor a human heart can ever think of.

أعددت لعبادي الصالحين ما لا عين رأت ولا أذن سمعت ولا خطر على قلب بشر

Sahih al-Bukhari 7498

Then He asks them what they seek safety from? They say: "They ask You for safety from the Fire." This is the meaning of the hadith. He says: "Have they seen it?" They say: "No, they have not seen it." He says: "What if they had seen it?" They say: "They would have feared it more." He says to them (Mighty and Majestic): "I bear witness that I have forgiven them, all of them." And when Allah forgives a person, he deserves to enter Paradise and be saved from the Fire. Then an angel from the angels says: "Among them is so-and-so who did not come for dhikr, but came for a need, and he found these people and sat with them." He (peace and blessings be upon him) says:

I also grant him pardon, for they are a people the seat-fellows of whom are in no way unfortunate.

وله قد غفرت، هم القوم لا يشقى بهم جليسهم

Sahih Muslim 2689

In this hadith is evidence of the virtue of righteous companions, and that a righteous companion may cause Allah (Glorified and Exalted) to extend His mercy to his companion even if he is not like him, because Allah the Exalted said: "I have forgiven this one," even though he did not come for dhikr and supplication, but for a need. And He said:

for they are a people the seat-fellows of whom are in no way unfortunate.

هم القوم لا يشقى به جليسهم

Sahih Muslim 2689

. Accordingly, it is recommended to gather for reading the Qur'an, for dhikr, for tasbih, tahmid, and tahlil, and each person supplicates for himself, remembers for himself, and asks Allah for himself, but they gather together.
And among the gatherings, as I told you, is for Muslims to gather for the Fajr prayer and the 'Asr prayer, because they are dhikr, tasbih, takbir, tahlil, Qur'an, and supplication. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that the angels in charge of the children of Adam gather in the Fajr prayer and the 'Asr prayer.
May Allah guide us and you to what He loves and is pleased with. Indeed, He is capable of all things.

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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