The first Pillar of Islam is usually taken to be the affirmation of the Shahadah (Confession of Faith). In fact, however, this is only a part of a much wider requirement - Remembering Allah. This is because Islam is Surrender to Allah.

Remembering (Dhikr) is justified by the following verses in the Quran:-

The disobedience to God, to his own God-made nature, caused the Fall of man from Paradise, that is, his degenerate state:-

The consequences of this are the physical, social, psychological and environmental troubles he is in. The nature of this, we should remind ourselves, is diagnosed by the Quran in the verse:-

The practice of Remembrance, therefore, counteracts this condition. It is meant to re-awaken or regenerate him, to produce self-realization:-

From this we learn that (1) Islam is the natural religion inherent in man, not to be confused with a particular set of doctrines or practices, (2) turning towards Allah is prior to worship, (3) sectarianism is quite incompatible with this religion - it is form of Idolatry, an attachment to something other than Allah.

There are five forms of Remembering :-

1. Self-remembering. The Spirit within man is that of Allah Himself. Thus Remembering consists of remembering Allah, Reality, all that which is included in the Articles of Faith, the Universe, oneself - who one is, one's connection with Allah and the rest of the Universe, ones purposes, state of being and position as a Vicegerent. Remembering allows one to re-assess ones situation and renew ones resolutions.

The remembrance of one's death is a great destroyer of illusions and false ambitions since death destroys all worldly ambitions and achievements, and equalizes all men. Death is the only certainty in this life, and remembrance of it concentrates the mind on what is more permanent. Death is associated with the return to Allah and with Resurrection and Judgment.

It consists of an exercise that can be done by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, frequently, at any time and in any situation or whatever one may be doing. At one level one merely thinks of Allah and one's real self and its function and relationship with Allah. At another level one deliberately and consciously places ones attention on what one is doing in relation to Allah and oneself. At the highest level it is a form of meditation in which one withdraws into oneself from the distractions of the external world. The eyes may be closed to aid this process or not. Attempts are made to become aware rather than think.

2. The Declaration of Faith. This has been formalized in several versions. One of these, the most popular is:

( There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah)

The declaration of Faith summarizes the whole purpose of religion and the intentions of the person. All other techniques are an elaboration of the contents of this. The purpose is to create an awareness of the ever presence and all-comprehensiveness of Allah, and the Greater Reality of which we are but a small part and with respect to which alone we have an objective function and meaning. We are required to awaken, to throw off all that restricts and stifles our mind and consciousness. We are to transcend the blinkers created by our own narrow subjective ambitions, likes and dislikes, desires and antipathies, obsessions and addictions. It is a form of mental and spiritual liberation that still recognizes our dependence on the materials, forces and laws. This is aided by the awareness that Allah is Compassionate and Merciful - this draws the soul to seek refuge in Allah, the realm of peace, harmony and unity from the realm of conflict. The Prophets, represented by Muhammad (saw) are examples of this and of what is required.

A person enters Islam by uttering the Declaration of faith.

These words are an oath of loyalty, firstly, to Allah, and secondly, to the Prophet Muhammad, and thirdly, to the community of like-minded people, themuslims. It recognizes particularly the message of Muhammad and it is this which defines the area of loyalty. We have to recognize that Muhammad came to confirm the message of past Prophets and represents them all. Thus the acceptance of Muhammad also implies acceptance of other Prophets and their teachings.

Three degrees of faith exist here.

(a) We can utter the words.

(b) We can understand and believe them.

(c) We can live according to them.

These three degrees can coexist or not. It is possible to say the words but not understand them, and not live up to them. It is possible to understand and believe the meaning of the words without saying them or even refusing to formulate one's beliefs in those words. Many people, for instance, do believe in a deity but call Him by some other name.

Since it is rarely possible to know who is sincere when he utters the words, the verbal declaration itself is sufficient for social or political purposes. The benefit of the doubt has to be given to the person. The ultimate judge of sincerity remains Allah. The fact that some of the actions of the individual appear to contradict his words cannot be taken at face value. This is because we have to recognize the three degrees of action which correspond to the above. We can act automatically and outwardly succeed. We can try hard inwardly but fail. Failure does not exclude the individual from the Muslim community. We can act according to the spirit rather than the letter. Many a saint has been falsely condemned for actions which the general population or even self-appointed priests did not understand. On the other hand many people have been falsely praised for some work which either succeeded by chance or which in reality did much harm. They acted through habit or impulse or from ignorance or even through bad motives. Behaviour is to be judged not merely by effect, but by motive, and motive is to be judged by knowledge or wisdom. So called good motives without appropriate knowledge can do many harm, and it is the responsibility of the individual to ensure adequate knowledge.

These formulae have the function of raising man's awareness to the ultimate sources of his cognition, motivation and behaviour, without which self-integration is impossible. But it is also clear that self-integration cannot be the sole aim and is itself not independent of a greater unification both with the rest of humanity and the Universe in general. Man must find his function with respect to the whole of reality. The mere mechanical uttering of the words can achieve little, but are not completely useless. This is because in order to do so some effort with a degree of reverence is still necessary and we are not aware or know all the effects of an action. Certain unconscious or sub-conscious consequences do take place. For instance the word are associated in the mind with a set of doctrines, feelings, motives, reactions, and activities and the uttering of the words is sufficient to arouse or reinforce these. There may, however, be wrong or unhealthy associations. Obviously, conscious controlled actions are better. For a human being to do and achieve anything, three things are absolutely essential:- Correct knowledge, correct motivation and correct action. These three are interdependent.

The oath requires to be renewed often to act as a constant reminder of what ones life is all about. The two parts of the formula go together and are inter-dependent. It is Muhammad who teaches us that there is no god but Allah. But we accept the word of Muhammad because he is the Apostle of Allah.

Another significance of the Shahadah can be gathered from the following considerations:-

The First Certainty is that Reality exists. If it did not, then nothing would, including ourselves.

The Second Certainty is that Consciousness exists. If it did not then we would not know reality. But if Reality did not exist neither would consciousness.

The Third Certainty is that the contents of Consciousness exist. It is here that we distinguish between things. The main distinctions correspond to the three Certainties themselves. That is, we distinguish between inertia (or resistance), behaviour (or motion and change) and order (or patterns). The ideas of externality, internality and interaction are connected with these and when we project these experiences we come to the notions of matter, mind (life or energy) and spirit. The word "mind" or "psyche" is often used instead of spirit, but, in fact, mind refers to behaviour and differs from consciousness.

These ideas which refer to the very essence of existence, are encapsulated in the Shahadah :-

The First Certainty exists in the concept of Allah. This word has three letters ALH that may refer to the beginning, the middle and the end. It means "that which alone is worthy of worship." The first Shahadah, in Arabic script, contains no letters that are not contained in the word "Allah". The formula is, therefore, an elaboration of that word. But it has three parts:- no-god, except, Allah. No-god could refer to the Universe and the word "except" both links and separates it from Allah. We are required first to give up all preconceptions and superstitions, to unlearn before we can really learn about the real. It is important to understand this, otherwise these preconceptions corrupt ones understanding of what is being taught through the faculty for perception.

The second Shahadah is also a triad:- Muhammad, Messenger, Allah. Reflecting the first. Here Muhammad stands for the created things, the creature (the Universe and all things in it including all other Prophets as Hadith and Quran confirm). "Messenger" is a link between Muhammad and Allah, and this is represented by the Spirit which creates a Messenger (as the Quran and New Testament also confirms). It is this triad which has been interpreted in Christianity as the Trinity. In fact, it refers only to religion, not to God - a comparison of the two Shahadah shows that Muhammad (or any other Prophet including Jesus) corresponds to "no-god".

As a result of "Surrender" (Islam) the creature returns through the second and then the first Shahadah back to Allah from whence it came. From another point of view there never was anything but Allah. It is only through our illusions that we descended and need to ascend again.

3. There are also what might be called The Life Principles. These consist of formulae uttered by Muslims at every occasion and cover all possibilities. They determine the attitude to life and existence. The following may be mentioned here:-

Allahu-akbar (Allah is most Great). The recognition of who our Lord is.

Insha-allah (If Allah wills). The Principle of Uncertainty since Allah can do as He will and we have limited knowledge.

Alhamdulillah (Allah be Praised). Gratitude

Subhan-allah (Glory be to Allah). Attribution

Masha-allah (It is the Will of Allah). Acceptance

Aoozo-billah (I seek protection in Allah). Protection

Allahuma-maghfarli-warhamni (O Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me). Or Astaghfirullah (I seek the forgiveness of Allah). Repentance.

4. Remembering is connected with what can be called Power Words. It is possible to condition people to react in certain ways to particular words. Slogans, for instance, are often used to arouse mass hysteria and destructive mindless reactions. But ordinarily we use words to convey information because words have meanings. There is a third level at which words can be used - to arouse experiences. The word "Allah" is associated in the minds of Muslims with many ideas and attitudes as given to it in the Quran. In periods of stress, adversity, fear, hesitancy, irresolution, despair and anxiety, it should create calm, inner peace, and confidence. Allah is the source of all power and nothing should be feared except Allah. It should allow the individual to take control of his life instead of merely making him a victim of circumstance. The importance of this cannot be over-emphasized. It has not only implications for psychological health, efficiency in action, but also for social, moral and physical health. Most diseases are the result of anxiety and stress.

5. Remembering (Dhikr) is also a specialist exercise. This is a form of concentration, meditation and contemplation similar to the Mantra in Hinduism. Certain phrases containing the name "Allah" are continuously uttered until everything, sensation, feeling and thought, leave the mind and consciousness is transported to a higher level of pure being where nothing exists but Allah. This may be done loudly, in whispers or only in thought. There is no necessity that the eye should be closed or open or that the meditator should sit still, or in a particular posture. In some groups chanting is accompanied by movements, dancing or music, but these may become obstructions at higher levels. A previous period of Fasting is sometimes recommended.

The purpose of the Dhikr is to heal or rectify malfunctions, remove obstructions, but also to enhance and actualize potentialities and expand consciousness. A state of Ecstasy, Peace and closeness to Allah is produced. Its effect is not just on the conscious mind but to make a connection with, and affect, the sub-conscious and even the unconscious mind where the real causes lie. It works not only directly through the vibrations of the sound but also through the meaning and significance of the word or phrase which have been acquired from a repeated in-depth study of the Quran. The effectiveness of the practice depends to an extent by the fact that it is imbedded in a certain way of life and culture that promote certain attitudes, thoughts, motives, feelings, ideals, actions and striving all of which have their effect on the psyche and reinforce each other.

According to some scientists these states, including other religious experiences such as visions, can be produced in the laboratory by suitable conditions, electrical stimulation and chemical drugs. This, they suppose, shows that they are subjective illusions. But one might as well say that seeing an object such as a tree or chair is an illusion because these have been caused by electrical and chemical changes in the brain by external objects. The fact is that there are certainly many states of consciousness and the perception, values and abilities of the individual depends on the level of his consciousness. Each level of consciousness, as any other faculty, may well require certain electrical and chemical conditions within the individual, but there is a big difference between being dependent on external factors and having personal inner control over these states.

In general, simple people whose essence has not been covered up by too much culture, education, ideas, opinions, habits of thought, attitudes, prejudices and other sources of conditioning acquired from the environment are better placed in contacting the spirit within. They are "the poor" who have less baggage and fewer obstructions, the "rust on the mirror of their heart"(83:14) to dismantle and penetrate. On the other hand, we have been placed on earth to learn. These lessons must be processed and assimilated into the essence or being. Those who can do this have a greater reward.

Certain times, places and conditions are more suitable than others for this practice because they influences physical and psychological states such as moods directly or through association of ideas. Cosmic cycles, the company and surroundings in which a person is, and his attitude and state of preparation have their effects. Different individuals, depending on their inherent or acquired personality types will benefit to different degrees from different forms of the exercise and an expert master is often required to prescribe the most suitable one. This is specially so because the practice of repeating a phrase, instead to leading to deeper and expanded consciousness, may lead to the opposite, to sleep or hypnosis instead. Preparation for Dhikr is, therefore, important. It consists of:- (a) Finding a quite place with minimum distractions, a comfortable postures, dress, temperature and humidity. (b) In surroundings that are congenial and conducive to meditation because of the associations - but the association should not be so rigid so as to make it completely dependent on those conditions. (c) Appropriate mental states, intentions and moods, which have not been affected by the urgency of tasks that need doing, alcohol, stimulating, sedating or psychotropic drugs, traumatic experiences or extreme emotional states. (d) Dhikr should not be done after a meal or when the stomach is full. A period of previous fasting is often useful if thought of food do not interfere. (e) Meditation should be entered into, and abandoned, by a gradual process without jarring interruptions. (f) Whereas each session has effects that last for a certain time, more permanent effects can be obtained when meditation is done regularly and frequently. (g) The Dhikr should not become an obsession. It may be necessary to take a break from the regularity, especially when it becomes a bore or an addiction and, therefore, ineffective, or interferes with other important duties. The break helps in revitalizing it.

The length of time for which Dhikr is done can vary from a few minutes to two or more hours and the frequency also various. Four kinds can be described a follows:- (1) A short version of about 5 to15 minutes can be done after each of the five daily prayers. (2) A more intensive form lasting from half to one hour, once or twice a day, could take place in the early morning, afternoon, late evening or night. (3) A very short version lasting a minute or two can be done at any time any where in any situation many times a day, even hourly or whenever stresses and temptations demand an increase in inner resources. (4) Some forms of Dhikr are done in company once a weak, or on special occasions and for special purposes, for longer periods during the course of a weak or more.

During the process of meditation a number of unusual experiences occur which may be pleasant or unpleasant. These consist of changes in rhythm, speed and loudness of the word, fantasies, memories, thoughts, images of varying intensity and vividness, physical states of restlessness and jerking, emotional states of anger or joy and so on. These side effects appear to be of three types:- (a) Some release various types of tensions or knots which may be responsible for malfunctions. (b) Some contact and create awareness of deep normally subconscious or unconscious factors that we have not yet learnt to interpret and understand. (c) Some lead consciousness to spheres of existence beyond the barriers which normally confine us. Meditation should be done without the intervention of the self-will or subjective desires. That is, no effort should be made to invite or reproduce certain experiences nor to resist or avoid them or interpret them. Trying hard also creates tension that defeats the purpose of the meditation. As the experiences vary between people according to their needs, no one should expect that theirs be similar to those of others. Discussion of these experiences is discouraged in order to avoid the play of imagination, misunderstandings and expectations.

Scientific study has shown the following effects of correct meditation:- It relieves physical and psychological stresses, tensions, anxiety and aggression, removes metabolic malfunctions and restores its balance, strengthens the immune system against infections, energizes and increases physical and mental efficiency, creativity, skills, vigour, and alertness; improves consciousness, conscience and will; creates a positive attitude to life, promotes self-discovery, the feeling of well-being, optimism, self-confidence, inner strength and self-control and, therefore, also enhances faith, hope, tolerance, benevolence and compassion; it promotes the acceptance of truth and reality and improves the self-image - in short it creates inner peace and surrender. The therapeutic effects include the reduction and cure of heart and circulatory diseases such as high blood pressure, respiratory complaints including asthma, digestive ailments such as indigestion and ulcers, disabilities connected with hormone imbalance and malfunctions of immunity; nervous diseases such as headaches, insomnia, depression, irritability, addictions, greed, dependencies, phobia, compulsions, excitability, mania, distractibility, exhaustion, lack of concentration, proneness to illusions, confusion, delusions and hallucinations.

The presence of such mediators also benefits the community and the environment, directly and indirectly, in proportion to their numbers and quality.

The vocalization of the name may involve inspiration (AL) and expiration (LAH). This regulates the rhythm of breathing, which affects and corrects all other physiological and psychological processes, and reconnects man with the rhythms of the rest of the Universe. Connected with this, is the practice of visualizing the light of Allah as entering the person, causing transformation, radiating from him into the environment. This makes him into a transmitter of the divine power. It may also connect with the heart beat and various other interconnected physiological and psychological rhythms and regulate them. Man is a transmitting organ, having input and an output. The notion of 'Spirit' is connected with the breath that gives us life. There is little doubt that the state of consciousness is connected with how we breath, though this is also inter-connected with posture, emotional states, diets and environmental conditions etc. and these, too, have to be controlled. The Dhikr also symbolizes the arising from, and the return to Allah of the Universe and man himself.

As "Allah" is not associated with any image whatsoever the Dhikr tends to be more effective than the Mantra. It does not tie consciousness to the ordinary levels of experience, and does not lead to hallucinations, illusions or delusions. There is always the danger in all forms of meditation that the individual misinterprets his experiences according to presuppositions and wishful thinking, and that what he considers to be a sublime experience is nothing of the kind. Exploration of the inner psyche should be as objective as outer research, but is far more difficult. This is why guidance by experts is often essential. When properly done this exercise should have a developmental affect on the individual, the community of which he is a part, and even the material environment directly by his actions or indirectly by his influences.

6. Remembrance is associated with some other practices. Among these are the following:-

(a) Heedfulness, or Attentiveness, Awareness and Watchfulness. This is a state of being alert, not just to the lower impulses within oneself in order to remove them, but also to the higher manifestations.

(See 7:159, 10:68, 93, 14:52, 21:97, 28:46, 30:23, 39:9, 50:22, 54:17, 74:55)

 (b) Witnessing. We are required not only to be aware of events in our social and commercial life and to bear witness to these in a legal sense in courts and to the community in general, but we are to be witnesses to abstract truths because we have become aware of these and demonstrate this in our being and behaviour so that others can see the effects.

Thus have We made you a middle (or justly balanced) nation, to be witnesses against men, and that the Apostle may be a witness against you." 2:143

(See also 2:204, 3:18, 140, 4:135, 5:8, 83, 6:151, 7:37, 9:17, 11:18, 103, 16:36, 89, 22:28, 25:72, 33:45, 36:64, 41:20-23, 43:86, 50:71)

  (c) Gratitude. Nothing, for which we are not grateful, can have any value for us. It is, then ineffective. Gratitude creates joy, a feeling of well being, worthiness and a receptive attitude.

(See also 2:52,56,152,185,276, 3:144, 4:147, 5:89, 7:58, 11:9, 14:5, 16:13,72, 22:66, 30:34,46, 35:36, 76:24, 80:17 etc.)

(See also 3:89-90, 4:17-18, 6:54, 9:104, 10:55, 11:3,90, 19:60, 13:27, 40:3, 60:4, 66:8 etc.)

The purpose of all these practices is Awakening. But in order to be able to do these things, a certain amount of awakening is required. It is both the goal and the means.

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