Fatwa ID: 03758

Answered by: Maulana Mustafa Umar

Question

Is it allowed to make dhikr in a group together in one chorus?

 بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

The Prophet said, “Whoever innovates into this affair [i.e. religion] of ours what is not from it, it is rejected.” [Muslim #1718]

To make dhikr of Allah is something which is encouraged in Islam, as is attested to by the Qur’an and Sunnah. Since there is no specific manner in which one must perform dhikr, it has been left open. Allah mentions the people who make dhikr: “those who remember God standing, sitting, and lying down, who reflect on the creation of the heavens and earth…” [Qur’an 3:191]

Since there is no specific prohibition against doing this collectively as a group, by default it is allowed, since there is already a basis for dhikr in Islam. This is based on the principle that “the default in actions is permissibility.” So, if something is not specified as being prohibited, and it is not changing anything that was prescribed in Islam, then it is permissible.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Mustafa Umar

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham