Fadilat Dhikr Allah li Ibn Asakir
- Author died
- 571 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Ma'mun lil-Turath
Fadilat Dhikr Allah (The Virtue of the Remembrance of Allah) is a short hadith treatise compiled by the Damascene Shafi'i scholar and hadith master Abu al-Qasim Ibn Asakir (499–571 AH / 1105–1176 CE), dedicated to traditions highlighting the excellence and spiritual merits of remembering God .
Composition and Context
The work was delivered as a dictation session (imla') by Ibn Asakir from his own memory on Monday, at the beginning of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 538 AH (1144 CE) . It forms part of the author's topical hadith gatherings and short compilations (ajza') delivered during his teaching sessions .
Structure and Contents
The treatise contains fifteen numbered transmissions comprising Prophetic hadiths, sacred traditions (ahadith qudsiyyah), companion reports (athar), and an ending poetic recitation :
- Opening Hadith: Begins with the report of Abu Hurayrah describing the Prophet's passing by Mount Jumdan on the road to Mecca, wherein he stated: سيروا هذا جمدان، سبق المفردون ("Proceed, this is Jumdan; the singlers have surpassed [the rest]"), identifying them as the men and women who engage extensively in the remembrance of Allah .
- Virtues and Assemblies of Remembrance: Details narrations on the descent of tranquility and mercy upon gatherings of dhikr, the superiority of dying while one's tongue is moist with God's remembrance, the elevated status of the person remembering God among heedless people, and reports on the excellence of dhikr over numerous other righteous deeds .
- Closing Transmission: Concludes with an isnad through Abu al-Muzaffar Abd al-Mun'im ibn al-Qushayri from his father Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri, quoting verses recited by the early Sufi al-Shibli regarding spiritual presence and constant remembrance of the Divine .
Method and Sources
Ibn Asakir transmits each text with full continuous chains of transmission (asnad) through his teachers whom he met during his scholarly journeys across Baghdad, Nishapur, and Isfahan, including Isma'il ibn Ahmad al-Samarqandi, Zahir ibn Tahir al-Shahhami, al-Husayn ibn Abd al-Malik al-Khallal, Abd al-Wahhab ibn al-Mubarak al-Anmati, and Hibat Allah ibn Muhammad ibn al-Husayn . Following several transmissions, he adds critical commentary on hadith gradations (classifying select chains as gharib or hasan gharib), points out singular transmissions (tafarrud), identifies ambiguous narrator names, and notes cross-references to standard collections such as Sahih Muslim, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, and Sunan Ibn Majah .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of the treatise have survived in manuscript compendiums, including a copy at the al-Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (registered under majmu' 3761/24), microfilmed copies of which are held in the Manuscript Library in Kuwait and the Central Library of the Islamic University of Medina . The text was edited and hadith-verified by Ahmad al-Bazrah and published by Dar al-Ma'mun li al-Turath in 1414 AH / 1994 CE .
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