Tools of Remebrance (dhikr) in the Qurʼān

Abstract

The remembrance of God (dhikr) is one of the Qurʼān’s key themes. Words derived from the root ayn – lām – mīm meaning ‘to know’, ‘to realise,’ and ‘to learn’ are almost immediately followed by the word dhikr (dhāl – kāf – rā) in the sense of ‘to remember’, ‘to remind’, and ‘to learn a lesson’. Sūrah Ṣād (38:1) announces the divine oath: Wa l-Qurʼāni dhī-dhdhikr! (“By the Koran, containing Remembrance”). The Qurʼān refers to many concepts with words derived from the root dh-k-r, but the word dhikr is a reminder of the ultimate mysteries of God and the world, and
of life and death.