Remembering God: dua, dhikr and the prayer of the heart

In a minute

Allah is the Arabic word for God, used by Muslims and by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews. Jews, Christians and Muslims each speak of a God who is close to the one who calls. This page is about the rest of the day: the quiet word to God on a bus, a short phrase said over and over, a psalm read at a bedside. Muslims call asking God dua and remembering God dhikr. Jews say a blessing over a cup of tea. Orthodox Christians repeat one short prayer until it settles in the heart. For the overview, see Remembrance: keeping God in mind. Here we go deeper.

Dua and dhikr

Dua is asking, in any language, in any words, at any hour. The Qur'an gives the promise:

And when My servants question thee concerning Me, then surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he crieth unto Me.

Qur'an 2:186 · Pickthall

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) said that "supplication is itself the worship" (Sunan Abi Dawud 1479, graded sahih by al-Albani). The Qur'an asks for a gentle manner: "Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret" (7:55, Pickthall).

Dhikr is remembering. The Prophet ﷺ spoke of two phrases that are easy to say, heavy in the scale and dear to the Beneficent: "Glory be to Allah the Magnificent" and "Glory and praise to Him" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6406). Many Muslims say "Subhan Allah" (glory be to God), "Alhamdulillah" (praise be to God) and "Allahu akbar" (God is greater) after each prayer, 33 times each, with 34 for the last. The Prophet ﷺ taught Fatimah and Ali to say them at bedtime (Sahih al-Bukhari 3113). See our pages on Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu akbar.

Sunni and Shia Muslims both keep this "tasbih of Fatimah", in a slightly different order. Shia Muslims begin with 34 "Allahu akbar", then 33 "Alhamdulillah", then 33 "Subhan Allah". Shia Muslims also treasure a book of supplications, al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, which Shia Muslims hold was composed by Imam Zayn al-Abidin, the great-grandson of the Prophet ﷺ, and which is called the "Psalms of Muhammad's Household". Some Sufi orders hold dhikr together, aloud or silently. Not every Muslim takes part.

Counting on beads

Beads and knots are an aid to attention. The same string holds different words in different hands.

• Judaism. There is no bead tradition. Jews touch the knotted fringes (tzitzit) at set points in prayer. The Jewish way of counting is the daily hundred blessings, below.
• Christianity. The Catholic rosary is a loop of beads: five groups of ten Hail Marys, each introduced by an Our Father and linked to a scene in the life of Jesus (peace be upon him) and Mary (peace be upon her). Anglican prayer beads date from the 1980s, and many Anglicans do not use them. The Orthodox prayer rope (Greek komboskini, Russian chotki) is a knotted cord, commonly of 33, 50 or 100 knots. Tradition attributes it to Saint Pachomius in the fourth century, and it goes with the Jesus Prayer.
• Islam. The misbaha or tasbih usually has 99 beads in three groups of 33, or 33 beads used three times. The hadith record the Prophet ﷺ counting on his fingers (Sunan Abi Dawud 1502), and some Muslims prefer fingers for that reason. Most accept beads. Many Shia Muslims favour beads of clay from Karbala.

The Jesus Prayer

The best-known short prayer of Eastern Christianity is:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

It grows from two scenes in the Gospels. A blind man cries, "Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47, WEB). A tax collector, standing far off, says, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:13, WEB). The Orthodox answer to "Pray without ceasing" is to say it slowly, with the breath, until it moves from lips to heart. It is best learned with a spiritual guide.

The Catholic Catechism commends the same invocation, in the plural: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2667). Jews and Muslims do not address Jesus in prayer. Muslims honour him as a prophet and the Messiah. The plea for mercy and the habit of short, repeated prayer are shared. The One addressed is where the traditions part.

The Psalms as personal prayer

The Psalms are 150 songs, many of them one person speaking to God: thirst, fear, thanks, anger, praise.

Out of the depths have I called Thee, O LORD.

Psalm 130:1 · JPS 1917

Jews say Psalm 145 three times a day, and many read the whole book weekly or monthly. Orthodox churches read the Psalter through in a week, and Catholic and Anglican daily prayer is built on it. Muslims honour the Psalms (Zabur) as scripture given to David (peace be upon him): "unto David We gave the Psalms" (Qur'an 17:55, Pickthall). What Muslims make of the present Book of Psalms is a separate question, taken up on the revealed books page.

Jewish blessings through the day

Jewish life is threaded with brachot, blessings said before enjoying something. Rabbi Meir taught that a person should say a hundred blessings a day (Talmud, Menachot 43b), reached through the daily prayers, food and moments of wonder. Most open with "Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe." On waking, a Jew says Modeh ani: "I thank You, living and eternal King, for mercifully returning my soul to me. Your faithfulness is great." The full set is on Blessings through the day.

The 99 Names in dhikr

The Qur'an says: "Allah's are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them" (7:180, Pickthall). Another verse says: "Cry unto Allah, or cry unto the Beneficent, unto whichsoever ye cry (it is the same). His are the most beautiful names" (17:110, Pickthall). The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah has ninety-nine names, and that whoever has memorised them will enter Paradise (Sahih al-Bukhari 2736). The Arabic word behind this is often explained as to count, learn, understand and live by them.

So many Muslims make the Names part of dhikr. Some recite them on 99 beads, one each. Others take one Name for the day, like Ya Latif (the Subtle, the Kind) or Ya Ghaffar (the Ever-Forgiving). The lists in common use come from later collections, and scholars differ over a few names. Meet them one at a time on our 99 Names pages, such as Ar-Rahman, Al-Latif and Al-Wadud.

Jews do not say the four-letter Name of God aloud, and use titles such as Adonai. Christians pray "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy" (Matthew 6:9, WEB).

Common ground

• Short words repeated until they settle.
• Something to hold or count, or the breath itself.
• Prayer in one's own words, as well as set words.

Next: Blessings through the day.