By Aslam Bulbulia
In
the Name of Allāh, the Most Compassionate,
the Most Merciful. Peace and Blessings upon our beloved Prophet Muḥammad, his family and his
Companions.
A
short introduction to Dhikr in the form of Gadat:
On
Saturday the MSA will be hosting a Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah at the Auckland
Park Masjid from 14:30-15:30.
The
Prophet (SAW) said in a Ḥadīth: “Allāh the Exalted and
Transcendent stated: ‘‘I am near to the thoughts of my bondsman (servant) as he
thinks about Me. And if he remembers Me in his heart, I also Remember him in My
Heart; and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I Remember him in a better
Assembly; and if he draws near to Me by the span of a palm, I draw near to him
by a cubit; and if he draws near to Me by a cubit, I draw near to him by the
space of two hands; and if he walks towards Me, I will rush (run) towards him””
recorded in the books of Bukhārī, Muslim, Tirmidhī and Ibn Māja
The
dhikr on Saturday is commonly known as a Gadat. Growing up as a Muslim in
Johannesburg, the first time I attended a Gadat was at the 21st
birthday of one of my friends who had grown up in Cape Town. It was a beautiful
experience and although I was familiar with the words being recited, the style
of recitation was new to me and I have been curious about it ever since - trying
to attend them at every opportunity.
I
recently had the opportunity to experience dhikrs in Morocco and Toronto and
was amazed at the similarities between the Gadat and other dhikrs practiced. The
wording of the dhikr originates from the Ratib al-‘Haddad by Imam 'Abdullah ibn 'Alawi
al-Haddad from Tarim in the Valley of Hadramaut, Yemen.
What
is recited is a collection of verses from the Glorious Quran, the beautiful
names of Allah, praise for the Prophet Muhammed (SAW) and common prayers to
Allah.
He
was an eminent scholar that placed a lot of emphasis on Islamic spirituality
(sufism) but this can sometimes seem a very mystic thing. In simple terms, the
way I understand it, he focused on trying to cure some of the illnesses of the
heart which would include pride, greed and arrogance through the remembrance of
Allah. The more we remember the power of the Almighty, the significance of Him
in relation to our own lives, the purer we will be in our intentions and
actions leading to more whole individuals and a better world. This is in
addition to the direct reward that would be received for the recitation of the
dhikr.
In
many ways the Gadat has become a very
South African expression of Islamic identity. The Gadat style is more particular to South Africa because the
style of recitation is called the tokang and jawap system - the only style of dhikr in
the world that uses a 'statement' and 'answer' system. For those who have heard
it, it would be as follows: the leader, or Galiefa, would recite the opening verses
of a Surah and the congregation would 'Jawap' or respond with the following
verses.
To hear a more standard recitation of the Ratib:
To hear the South African Gadat:
More on Imam ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Alawi
al-Haddad:
Translation of the Ratib al-Haddad:
About the author
Aslam is an MSA Alumni, having served on MSA Wits and MSA Union committees in the past. Aslam is currently completing his Masters degree in Development Planning at Wits University in Johannesburg.
thank you
ReplyDeletethis practice was prevalent during the period where Muslims were in bondage, and found this as a way to practice their religion. Muslims are not in bondage in this day and and age. we have unrestricted rights to practice our religion as prescribed in the Quran and by our Nabi(SAW)and we should discard those practices that have no daleel in the Quaran or Sunnah.read sura 20 verse 14 and see if you can provide as clear cut instruction as this for this innovated practice.
ReplyDelete