Zikr
What it means
Devotional remembrance of God through repeated prayer, recitation, or invocation in Islam.
Reach for it when naming the Islamic practice in its religious context
Evening zikr brought the gathered worshippers into quiet reflection.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
prayer
Fits when a general audience needs the broad category
Careful Prayer is much wider than zikr and can take many unrelated forms.
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warm
Fits when the spiritual purpose needs a plain gloss
Careful Ordinary remembrance lacks the practice's specifically Islamic devotion.
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professional
devotional recitation
Fits when repeated sacred words are the observable form
Careful Some zikr is silent or includes more than spoken recitation.
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formal
dhikr
Fits when the more common English transliteration is preferred
Careful Zikr may be the established spelling in a speaker's language or community.
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formal
litany
Fits when repeated phrases follow an ordered sequence
Careful Litany carries Christian associations and may misname the practice.
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literary
invocation
Fits when calling upon a divine name is central
Careful Invocation is a broad religious action and not every form of zikr.
Opposites 3
- forgetfulness
- heedlessness
- distraction
Common phrases 3
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evening zikr
The evening zikr began after the final guests found seats.
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practice zikr
Some worshippers practice zikr silently during the journey.
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gather for zikr
Families gather for zikr according to their community's custom.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Zikr is one transliteration of dhikr. Forms and theological understandings vary across Islamic communities.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Updated