Dhikr wa Tadhkir

Dhikr wa Tadhkir (Remembrance and Reminder) is a handbook of Islamic supplications, daily litanies (adhkār), and moral counsel compiled by the Saudi scholar Salih ibn Ghanim al-Sadlan (1359–1439 AH / 1940–2017 CE) Dhikr wa Tadhkir+1.

Purpose and Method

Al-Sadlan designed the booklet as a practical daily guide for ordinary Muslims, framing the regular recitation of these prophetic invocations with faith and presence of mind as a protective shield against Satan, harmful spirits, and human malevolence Dhikr wa Tadhkir+1. Alongside devotional phrases, he incorporated advice on commendable character traits and warnings against reprehensible speech and conduct Dhikr wa Tadhkir.

To keep the work concise and readily accessible to a general audience, al-Sadlan explicitly departed from standard scholarly apparatus by adopting four methodological choices:

1. Omitting detailed documentation and isnad verification (takhrīj) Dhikr wa Tadhkir.
2. Restricting quoted traditions to the essential text (shāhid) rather than presenting full hadith narratives Dhikr wa Tadhkir.
3. Omitting the names of the Companion narrators Dhikr wa Tadhkir.
4. Including select mildly weak hadiths that possess corroborating evidence (shawāhid), restricted to the sphere of virtuous actions (faḍāʾil al-aʿmāl) Dhikr wa Tadhkir.

Structure and Content

The booklet is arranged topically into practical sections addressing various times and everyday situations:

• Virtues of Remembrance: Outlining the spiritual benefits of dhikr, such as repelling Satan, bringing tranquility to the heart, expiating sins, and earning divine pleasure Dhikr wa Tadhkir.
• Morning and Evening Litanies: Defining their prescribed times—between dawn and sunrise, and between the afternoon prayer (ʿAṣr) and sunset—and compiling the corresponding formulas, including Ayat al-Kursi, the short protective surahs, and the master invocation for seeking forgiveness (Sayyid al-Istighfār) Dhikr wa Tadhkir+1.
• Nighttime and Sleep Practices: Supplications for retiring to bed, waking during the night, insomnia, nightmares, and reciting specific Quranic passages such as the concluding verses of Surah al-Baqarah and Surah al-Mulk Dhikr wa Tadhkir+1.
• General Remembrance and Quranic Recitation: Unrestricted invocations of praise (tasbīḥ and istiġfār), sending blessings on the Prophet, and the merits of regular Quranic reading Dhikr wa Tadhkir+1.
• Daily Situational Supplications: Specific phrases prescribed for dressing, entering and leaving the home, hearing the call to prayer (adhān), entering and leaving the mosque, and post-prayer litanies following obligatory prayers Dhikr wa Tadhkir+3.

Publication

The work was published in Saudi Arabia, including a second edition issued by Dar Balansiyyah in Riyadh in 1415 AH (1994–1995 CE) Mawsuat al-Akhlaq - al-Kh….