In the quest for divine closeness, humanity has always sought tools to navigate the spiritual terrain that lies between the soul and its Creator. Among these tools, dhikr (remembrance), munājāt (intimate conversation), and murāqaba (vigilance) emerge as powerful practices that transcend ritualistic devotion to offer a transformative encounter with the Divine. These practices are not merely acts of worship; they are states of being that reshape the human heart and consciousness, aligning them with the eternal Truth that underpin existence.

This meditation delves into the dynamics of these spiritual tools as elaborated by Abū al-Ḥasan al-Shādhilī in his book al-Qasd ilā Allāh (The Quest for God) and illuminated by the teachings of Sidi Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari, illustrating their capacity to unveil the mysteries of the soul and the subtleties of divine presence. Rooted in the wisdom of our masters, it explores how remembrance elevates the seeker from self-consciousness to God-consciousness, how intimate conversation becomes a mirror reflecting divine attributes within creation, and how vigilance nurtures a perpetual awareness of God’s nearness. Through these practices, the temporal and the eternal, the finite and the infinite converge within the heart of the seeker, offering a path to personal actualization and ultimate annihilation in the One.

This is a call to reflect on the sacred interplay between the inner and outer worlds, a reminder that the human journey is, at its essence, a return to the divine source. Let this humble meditation serve as both a map and an invitation—to transcend the simplistic, ritualistic understanding of remembrance, intimate conversation with the Divine, and spiritual vigilance, and instead, to step into their luminous depths. For within these practices lies the essence of what it means to be truly human: to remember what has been forgotten, to seek it, and ultimately, to know it.

The Essence of Remembrance and the Journey to Divine Closeness

Remembrance (dhikr) is referred to as the "manifesto of sainthood" (manshūr al-wilāya) by the People of God (ahl Allāh). It is a foundational pillar on the path (ṭarīq) to Allah. There are four types of remembrance, as described by Abū al-Ḥasan al-Shādhilī:

"Remembrances are four: remembrance that you perform (tadhkuru-hu), remembrance by which you remember (tadhkuru bihi), remembrance that reminds you (yudhakkiruka), and remembrance through which you are remembered (tudhkaru bihi). The first is the portion of the common people (‘awām), where you drive away heedlessness or what you fear from it. The second is remembrance by which you recall any object of remembrance, such as punishment, reward, proximity, distance, or otherwise—be it God Himself or something else. The third is remembrance that reminds you of four things: good deeds originate from God, bad deeds are caused by the self (nafs) or the enemy (ʿaduww)—though God is their Creator. The fourth is remembrance through which you are remembered by God. In this kind of remembrance, the servant has no active part, even if it appears to flow from their tongue. This is the station of annihilation (fanāʾ) in the remembrance or the Exalted, Most High One (al-ʿAliyy al-Aʿlā). When you enter this state, the one remembering (dhākir) becomes the remembered (madhkūr), and the remembered becomes the remembering. This is the ultimate station reached on the spiritual path. God is the Best and Everlasting."

The first type of remembrance drives away heedlessness and belongs to the common people. Remembrances (adhkār) and litanies (awrād) yield spiritual inspirations (waridāt), such as fear, hope, repentance (ināba), humility (ikhbāt), reverence (khushūʿ), devotion (qunūt), and other spiritual stations (maqāmāt). Through these stations, the servant reflects on Paradise and Hell, holds themselves accountable, and measures their proximity to or distance from God based on this scale. As for invoking the Name of the divine, Allāh, it is different a matter since this name is the Supreme Divine Name (ism al-aʿẓam) encompassing all divine names and attributes. The one engaged in such remembrance realizes gradually that good deeds come from God, while evil deeds arise from the self or Satan, even though—as per Sunni theology—God is the Creator of all acts. Human flaws are indeed traces of God's creative act and veiling lights. Thus, reliance on God (tawakkul), contentment (riḍā), and an awareness of God's love and mercy must accompany the servant's in their path of remembrance.

The highest type of remembrance is where the one remembering becomes the remembered. God says, “Remember Me, and I will remember you” (Q 2:152). In the ḥadīth qudsī reported al-Bukhārī, God says:

“I am as My servant expects of Me. I am with them when they remember Me. If they remember Me to themselves, I remember them to Myself. If they mention Me in a gathering, I mention them in a gathering better than theirs. If they draw near to Me by a handspan, I draw near to them by an arm’s length. If they draw near to Me by an arm’s length, I draw near to them by a fathom’s length. If they come to Me walking, I come to them running.”

Drawing near to God through remembrance requires turning to Him in need and poverty (faqr), standing at His door with insistence, and maintaining silence (ṣamt), for those who are ignorant have nothing worthy to say. Regarding Maryam, who was closer to God than any of us, God relayed her words: “I have vowed a fast (ṣawm) to the Merciful, and I will not speak to anyone today” (Q 19:26). If such silence was befitting for her, then how much more necessary is it for us, the heedless? Her silence—abstaining from speech, inner chatter, and everything besides God—reflects the state of one seeking true richness (ghanā). Al-Shādhilī reinforces this wisdom, continuing his guidance with these words:

"Knock on the door of remembrance with insistence (ilḥāḥ) and poverty before God. Maintain silence regarding everything else and guard your inner self from worldly distractions, if you wish for enrichment."

The seeker (murīd) who approaches God in poverty returns with abundant blessings. Remembrance yields tranquility of the heart. God says, “Indeed, through the remembrance of God, hearts find tranquility” (Q 13:28). It also open the doors of divine manifestations (tajalliyāt) for those select few journeying into the inward realms of the self. The Shādhilī path emphasizes witnessing (mushāhada), as does the Karkariyya, which similarly teaches through the witnessing of Divine Light (nūr). Both paths stress the importance of dedication to remembrance, gratitude (shukr), worship with both the heart and limbs, and uprightness (istiqāma) inwardly and outwardly.

Al-Shādhilī describes: "The core of remembrance is when the heart finds tranquility in its meaning (maʿna) and the Lord manifests through the luminous clouds of His lights." 

He further advises:

"Devote your tongue to remembrance, your heart to gratitude, and your hands to fulfilling divine commands, and you will be among the righteous."
"True remembrance is to move from remembrance to the Remembered (God) and from everything besides Him, as God says: ‘Mention the Name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him fully’ (Q 73:8). Devotion (tabattul) means complete severance (inqiṭāʿ) from everything else.”

Complete devotion to God unfolds in spiritual retreats (khulwa), where the seeker engages in remembrance and communion with their Lord. Al-Shādhilī vividly depicts this sacred encounter, likening it to sitting on the “rugs of intimate conversation” (buṣut al-munājāt), each rug reflecting the seeker’s unique spiritual state. In these states, one becomes annihilated (fanāʾ) in God’s attributes, adorned with divine virtues, and attached to His qualities, drawing deeply from their meanings. He elaborates:

"The rugs of intimate conversation are of four types: You might call upon Him from your own attributes while observing His attributes. Or you might call upon Him from His attributes while observing your own. You might be annihilated in His attributes and veiled from your own. Or you might remain subsisting (baqāʾ) by His attributes within your own. Or God might place you on a rug of intimate conversation where you witness, with the eye of your heart, the repair of deficiencies and needs. Or, you might be reminded of His favors, and the rug itself becomes remembrance. Or He might place you on a rug of blessings (niʿma). The attributes of servitude are poverty (faqr), need (fāqa), helplessness (ʿajz), weakness (ḍaʿf), dependency (ḥāja), humility (maskana), ignorance (jahl), and lowliness (dhull)."

These states of realization are profound and challenging for the heedless like us. Attaining them requires adhering to God’s commands, avoiding prohibitions, and steering clear of ambiguities in outward actions, as measured by the scales of the sacred law (sharīʿa). For those striving to ascend from the station of islām to īmān (faith) and ultimately to spiritual excellence (iḥsān), the journey demands a shift in focus toward inner purification (tazkiya) through striving against the ego (mujāhada). This involves shedding blameworthy traits and cultivating praiseworthy ones, cleansing the heart from spiritual ailments such as conceit (ʿujb), envy (ḥasad), and arrogance (kibr). Such purification leads to a sound heart (qalb salīm), an illuminated inward eye (baṣīra), and the inducement of divine manifestation (tajallī).

The Prophet said in hadith reported by Musilm and al-Bukhārī:

"The lawful is clear, and the unlawful is clear. Between them are doubtful matters unknown to many people. Whoever avoids the doubtful has absolved their religion and honor. Whoever falls into the doubtful falls into the unlawful, like a shepherd grazing near a sanctuary who is likely to enter it. Every king sets boundaries, and God’s boudaries are what He has prohibited. In the body is a morsel of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound. If it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. It is the heart (al-qalb)."

The blessed Prophet, peace be upon him, here combines the rectification of the outward and the inward. A sound heart leads to sound actions. Thus, the heart must be healed for anyone seeking to unveil the secrets of the divine dominion (malakūt). Al-Shādhilī advises:

"O seeker on the path to the Hereafter, begin by fulfilling what you have been commanded to do outwardly and inwardly. Once you have done this, sit upon the rug of vigilance (bisāṭ al-murāqaba) and purify your inner self until nothing remains within it that God has forbidden. Give diligence its due, and minimize your focus on your outward self if you wish to open your inner self to the secrets of the dominion (malakūt) of your Lord. When thoughts arise that distract you from your purpose, recognize (iʿlam) first the nearness of your Lord to you, a recognition that touches (yubāshiru) your heart as you repeatedly reflect on what brings you benefit and wards off harm."

Vigilance (murāqaba) entails monitoring one’s thoughts while performing deeds, whether to attain benefit or to avoid harm. This practice fosters an awareness of God’s withness (maʿiyya), leading the servant to submit to the rulings of the sacred law (sharīʿa), accept divine decree, and be content with their Lord. This union of reality (ḥaqīqa) and sacred law is reflected in the words of al-Shādhilī:

"We seek refuge in God from neglecting efforts in spiritual struggle (mujāhadāt) and from the heart being empty of divine witnessing (mushāhadāt). Neglect negates the sacred law, and the absence of vigilance negates divine unity (tawḥīd). The ruler of the sacred law has brought them together, so rise above disputing with your Lord, and you will be a monotheist (muwaḥḥid). Act upon the pillars of the sacred law, and you will be a follower of the Sunnah (sunnī). Combine them with the unifying gaze (ʿayn al-taʾlīf), and you will be realized (muḥaqqiq)."

As for the rank of sainthood (wilāya), the servant will have no glimpse of it unless they withdraw from people, turn away from the world, and reach the station of complete annihilation (fanāʾ) in the divine. This state requires realizing one’s complete servitude, acknowledging that one is owned, powerless, and wholly dependent upon God, who is the Returner (al-Tawwāb), the Watchful (al-Raqīb), and the Witness over all things (al-Shahīd). Al-Shādhilī explains:

"Know that if you wish to have a share in what belongs to God’s friends (awliyāʾ), you must completely reject people, except for those who guide you to God through truthful indications and steadfast deeds that neither contradict the Book nor the Sunnah. Turn away from the world entirely, not as one who does so to gain something in return, but as a servant of God who has been commanded to reject what opposes Him. If you are sincere in these two traits—turning away from the world and renouncing people—then remain with God in vigilance (murāqaba). Adhere to repentance (tawba) with care, seek forgiveness (istighfār) with penitence (ināba), and submit to divine rulings with uprightness (istiqāma). The explanation of these four traits is that you should be a true servant (ʿabd) to God in all that you do and avoid. Watch over your heart such that you see nothing in the dominion (mamlaka) as belonging to other than Him. If you achieve this, the lights of divine grandeur (anwār al-ʿizz) will call out to you: ‘You have be blinded from the path of guidance. How can you remain vigilant with God while you hear: “And God is ever an observer over all things” (Q 33:52)?’ At that point, you will feel such shame that it will lead you to repent even for acts you once thought were good deeds. Adhere to repentance while caring for your heart, and do not witness it as coming from yourself, lest you revert to what you left behind. If you master this, the divine lights will again call out to you: ‘Repentance (tawba) begins with Him, and penitence follows from Him. Being preoccupied with your own attributes veils you from your true purpose.’ At that stage, you will recognize your own qualities, seek refuge in God, and turn to forgiveness and penitence. Seeking forgiveness (istighfār) is a plea for God to cover your shortcomings by returning you to His attributes. If you embody this state—seeking forgiveness and penitence—God will call to you from near: ‘Submit to My decrees. Relinquish disputing with Me. Align yourself with My will by renouncing your own. It is Lordship (rubūbiyya) that governs servitude (ʿubūdiyya). Be a servant (ʿabd) who is owned and has no power over anything. Whenever I see any power from you, I entrust you to it, but I am all-knowing of everything.’ If you master this path and persist upon it, you will rise to secrets that are rarely heard by anyone in creation."

The essence of remembrance, as articulated by the masters of this path, is not merely the repetition of lifeless litanies but a repentance and return to the divine that reveal God’s presence. Through dhikr, the seeker moves from heedlessness to mindfulness, from separation to nearness, and from multiplicity to unity. This journey transforms the seeker’s heart, making it a vessel of divine light and an abode for divine secrets. True dhikr, therefore, is not an end in itself but a means to annihilate the ego into the reality of the One who is always present. In the synthesis of dhikr, munājāt, and murāqaba lies the fulfillment of humanity’s purpose: the realization of servanthood and the unveiling of divine realities. These practices are paths to personal enlightenment and keys to harmonizing the inner and outer dimensions of existence. By aligning the heart with divine presence and the body with divine law, the seeker embodies the union of sacred law and spiritual reality—a state that is the pinnacle of human potential and the hallmark of true sainthood.