Types of Zikr
There are three types of zikr
· Practical
· Verbal
· Silent
Practical Zikr
It is also known as zikr-e-faily. This type of zikr is mentioned by Allah and ways to do it are also cited. It is performed by a person’s obedience to Allah commands and Sunnah of Holy Prophet (PBUH).
i) The commandments of Allah (SWT) i.e. Prayer, Fasting, Hajj, umrah, Zakaat, charity etc ii) The Sunnah of our Holy Prophet (saw) i.e. eating, drinking, sleeping, walking, talking, dressing etc.
Verbal Zikr
It is also known as zikr-e-lisani. This type of zikr is done through one’s tongue. It consists of
i) Loud zikr; i.e. Azan, Takbir, Collective zikr etc ii) Low tone zikr, i.e. Tasbihat, masnoon duas etc
Silent Zikr
It is also known as qabli zike, zikr-e-khafi, and daimi zikr. It is performed within oneself that is solely through heart and mind. For example Qalbi zikr is done purely from heart. Silent zikr is mostly thought by friends of Allah known as olia-e-karam or people who practice Sufism. There are many paths towards Allah (swt). These paths, known as Sufi Orders, vary primarily on the type of Zikr chosen to lead the mureed to Allah (swt). From the four famous sufi orders, Qadiri, Chisti & Soharwardi all start the mureed off with verbal zikr later moving onto Qalbi Zikr. The Naqshbandi order, however, begins by taking the mureed directly on Qalbi Zikr.