Hazrat Inayat Khan teaches about ZIKR (DHIKR):

VARIOUS QUOTATIONS

So it is with sounds. But the power of sound is greater than the power of color. Why is this? It is because sound arises from the depth of one's being, and because sound can also touch the depth of one's being. The mantra yoga of the Hindus is based on this principle. The Sufi term for this is dhikr (Zikar): that is the use of words for the unfolding of the soul. But it is not merely for bringing about any desired result that words can be used in dhikr. People often make the mistake of using the word without any spiritual idea behind it, simply for the attainment of some magical power. The Sufis of all ages have warned against this mistake, and have constantly taught that there is only one object worth striving for, the essential object of life, namely God. It is only when the science of words is being used for the attainment of truth, that is: for the attainment of God, that it is being used in the right manner. To use it for any other purpose whatever, is just like paying out pearls to buy pebbles.

It is for this reason that the wise considered the science of sound to be the most important science to use in every condition of life: in healing, in teaching, in evolving, in accomplishing all things in life. It is on this foundation that the science of dhikr (Zikar) was developed by the Sufis, and that the Yogis made mantrashastra. By dhikr is not meant one particular phrase: by dhikr is meant a science of words.

Apart from the meaning a word has, even syllables of sound can bring a good result or a disastrous result. Those who know about this can recall several instances in history where, through the mistake of a poet who did not use the proper words in the praise of a king, the kingdom was destroyed. And yet, how little one thinks about it if one says: 'Well, I have said it, but I did not mean it'. People think that by saying something they have done nothing, as long as they did not mean it. But even saying something without meaning to, has a great effect upon life.

 Question: Is it possible for a person who is born with a gross nature to become fine. Answer: Certainly. Other things apart, even those who have done the dhikr (Zikar) in the right way - in six weeks' time the vibrations of their body change; in six weeks' time those who do it properly become finer. Take the grossest person, make him do the dhikr, in six weeks' time his vibrations will change.

Question: In the spoken words are there vibrations of air, as science teaches, or are there still more inner, finer vibrations? Answer: They are finer vibrations. The vibrations of the air are nothing. Every word has a breath behind it, and breath has a spiritual vibration. So the action of the breath vibrates physically, yet at the same time breath itself is an electric current. Breath is not only the air, but an electric current also: therefore it is an inner vibration.

Question: Is not the voice developed by dhikr (Zikar)? Answer: Well, that is the best way one can do it.

The Voice

The voice is not only indicative of man’s character, but it is the expression of his spirit. The voice is not only audible, but also visible to those who can see it. The voice makes impressions on the ethereal sphere, impressions which can be called audible; at the same time they are visible. Those scientists who have made experiments with sound and who have taken impressions of the sound on certain plates -- which impressions appear like forms -- will find one day that the impression of the voice is more living, more deep, and has a greater effect. Sound can be louder than the voice, but sound cannot be more living than the voice.

Knowing this the Hindus of ancient times said that singing is the first art, playing the second art, and dancing the third art which make music. The Hindus who have found that by these three different aspects of music one attains to spirituality much sooner than by any other way, have discovered that the shortest way to attain spiritual heights is by singing. Therefore the greatest prophets of the Hindus were singers: Narada and Tumbara. Narada inspired Valmiki who wrote the Ramayana and the Mahabharta, the great Hindu scriptures.

There are three principle kinds of voices: the jelal voice, the jemal voice, and the kemal voice. The jelal voice indicates power; the jemal voice indicates beauty; the kemal voice indicates wisdom.

If you take careful notice in everyday life, you will find that sometimes before a person has finished his sentence you have become annoyed. It is not because of what he has said, but it is his voice. And you will also notice -- perhaps not every day in your life, but sometimes -- that you once heard someone say something that has always remained with you: it gives always a beautiful feeling, it is always soothing, it is healing, it is uplifting, it is inspiring.

A doctor coming to see a patient may, by his voice, frighten the patient and make him more ill if his voice is not harmonious. And another doctor may, by his voice, treat the patient so that before the medicine is brought he is already feeling better. The doctor gives the medicine, but it is the voice with which he comes to the patient that counts.

In the history of the world have not men marched hundreds of miles with strength and vigor, not knowing what they were going to face, on hearing the voice of their commander: 'Quick march!'? It seemed that all fear, all anxiety were taken away, and all vigor and courage were given to them, as they were going to march. And again have you not heard of commanders who said: 'Fire!', and the soldiers turned back and fired at them? That is the voice too.

The voice, therefore, is a wine. It may be the best wine, and it may be the worst liquor. It may make a person ill, or it may uplift him.

There are five different qualities of the voice, which are connected with the peculiar character of the person. The earth quality of the voice is hope giving, encouraging, tempting. The water quality is intoxicating, soothing, healing, uplifting. The fire quality is impressive, arousing, exciting, horrifying; at the same time it is awakening, because very often warning is given in the voice of the fire quality. The use of the words 'tongues of flame' in the Old Testament is narrative of that voice and word which were warning of coming dangers. It was alarming for the people to awaken from their sleep, to awaken to a greater consciousness, to a higher consciousness.

Then there is the air quality of the voice. It is uplifting, raising a person, taking him far, far away from the plane of the earth. And the ether quality of the voice is inspiring, healing, peace giving, harmonizing, convincing, appealing; at the same time it is most intoxicating.

Every jelal voice, jemal voice, or kemal voice has one or another of these five qualities predominant in it, and according to that it creates an effect.

The most wonderful part in the study of voice is that from the voice you can find out a man's particular evolution, his stage of evolution. You do not need to see the person, just his voice will tell you where he is, how far he has evolved. There is no doubt that the character of the person is apparent, is evident in his voice. There is another most wonderful thing to be found in the science of the voice: that the fortunate person has a different voice from the one who is not so fortunate. If you gather five persons who have really proved to be most fortunate, and you hear their voices, you will find what great difference there is between their voice and the ordinary voice. When you compare the voice of great people - no matter what their line may be - with the voice of others, you will find that there is a difference.

But what is meant here is the speaking voice. When we come to singing it is quite different, because today the art of singing has become as artificial as can be. The whole idea is to train the voice and make it different from what it is naturally. The training of the voice does not develop what is natural in it, it mostly brings into it something which is not natural to it. Therefore when a person sings according to the method of the day he has a different voice. It is not his voice, it is not his character. He may have a great success, he may be audible to thousands of people, but at the same time he is not singing in his natural voice. You cannot see his stage of evolution in his voice. Therefore the real character of the person is to be seen in his speaking voice.

Then there is another thing to be understood: that is the softness and the loudness of the voice; that there are times when the voice is softer, and there are other times when the voice is louder. Naturally that shows the condition of the spirit at that particular time, because sometimes the spirit is tender, and with the tenderness of the spirit the voice becomes softened. Sometimes the spirit is harder, and with the hardness of the spirit the voice becomes hardened. In order to scold a person you do not need to put on a hard voice; the voice becomes hard naturally. In order to sympathize with a person, in order to express your gratitude, your love, your devotion, your affection to someone, you do not need to soften your voice; your voice is soft before you can feel it, before you can think about it. This shows that the voice is an expression of the spirit. If the spirit is soft, the voice is soft; if the spirit is hard, the voice is hard; if the spirit is powerful, then the voice has power; if the spirit has lost its vigor, then the voice loses its power.

Furthermore I should like to tell you an amusing thing on this subject. Sometimes a person comes to you and begins to speak about something; and then he says: 'Hm, hm'; next he says another word and then continues to say: 'Hm, hm'. It may be that he has a cold, but it may be that he has not. Yet at that time he is doing this. Why? Because there is something that he is bringing forth from his mind, and it does not come quickly. The same condition that is going on in the spirit is manifesting in the voice. He wants to say something, but he cannot say it: the voice does not operate, because the mind is not operating. If in the mind there is some obstacle, some hindrance, then in the voice there is also something hindering.

Inspiration chooses its own voice, and when a speaker has to change his voice in accordance with the hall where he is going to speak, then inspiration is lost. Because the inspiration begins to feel: 'It is not my voice', it does not come. Then the speaker has to struggle twice: one struggle is that he must speak without inspiration, and the other struggle is that he must be audible to the number of people present. That cannot be done!

Nowadays people have adopted a new method of elocution. A person who has learned elocution can shout as loudly as ten people shouting at the same time, and everyone will think: 'How wonderful!' But what impression has it made? None!

Nowadays radio technicians have made a kind of horn which they use at stations in the United States. A person takes that horn and on speaking into it his voice becomes twenty times louder. It is all right for trade and business purposes, but when you come to life itself, and when you come to conversation, to speaking to your friends, it is different. It is a most psychological occasion when you speak to one person or to many persons, because something is taking place which has its echo in the cosmos. No word ever spoken is lost; it remains, and it vibrates according to the spirit put into it. If a person makes his voice artificial in order to convince people, in order to be more audible, and in order to impress people, it only means he is not true to his spirit. It cannot be. It is better for a person to be natural in his speech with individuals and with the multitude, rather than that he should become different.

Now coming to the subject of singing: there are certain things which must be retained in the voice. However much the voice may be developed, however great its volume, however far reaching it may be and should be made by practice, at the same time one must feel responsible for keeping one's natural voice through every stage of development- that the natural voice is not hurt by it. It does not mean that one should not have a far reaching voice, it does not mean that one should not have a voice of a larger volume, that one should not have a voice that is vigorous and flexible. Everything that enriches the voice is necessary and must be developed by practice, but all the time keeping in view: 'I must not sacrifice the natural quality of my voice'. For every person, every soul must know that there is no other voice like his. And if that particularity of its own voice which each soul has is lost, then nothing is left with it.

Besides this, every person is an instrument in this orchestra which is the whole universe, and his voice is the music that comes from each instrument. Each instrument is made distinct and particular and peculiar, so that no other voice can take the place of that particular voice. If then - with the instrument that God has made and the music that God has intended to be played in the world - one does not allow that music to be played and one develops a voice which is not one's own, naturally that is a great cruelty to oneself and to others.

For those on the spiritual path, thinkers, students and meditative souls, it is of the greatest importance to know the condition of their spirit from time to time by consulting their voice. That is their barometer. From morning till evening one can see the weather - the weather created by oneself: whether it is warm or cold, or whether it is spring or winter. One's voice is that barometer that shows to us what is coming, because what will come is the reaction, the result of what is created, and the voice is indicative of it.

Those who think still more deeply on this subject will be able to see how, step by step, they are progressing in the spiritual path, if only they consult their voice. Every step in the spiritual path brings about a little change. By a distinct study of the voice you will find that it is so. When you go back, you will find by the change: 'I had gone so much further, and I have gone back again'. The voice will tell you.

There is another point which is most wonderful about the voice: that once you have worked with the voice and have cultivated it, deepened it, widened it, and it has become invigorated, and then you have left it, you may leave it for months and years, and the voice may take a different shape and a different appearance, but at the same time what you have once developed remains with you somewhere. It is just like a kind of deposit kept in a bank. You do not know of it, you have forgotten it perhaps, yet it is there. The day when you will touch it again, it will come back in the same way and it will take very little to complete it.

If the voice has developed a spiritual quality and one finds later that it has lost that spiritual quality, one must not be discouraged or disappointed. One has not lost it. One must correct oneself and want to go forward again, and be sorry for having gone backward, but never be discouraged, never be hopeless, because it is there; it only wants a little touch. It is just like a little candle which has gone out, but once you strike a match it is lighted again; it is a candle just the same. The voice is light itself. If the light has become dim, it has not gone out, it is there. It is the same with the voice. If it does not shine, it only means that it has not been cultivated. You must cultivate it again, and it will begin to shine again.

Question: Is it advisable to train one's voice, if one has not much of it. Answer: One might ask: Is it advisable to do physical exercises when one is very thin? If one is thin, it is even more necessary to do physical exercises. So if there is no voice, it is more necessary that one should develop it.

Question: Does the voice change through the different ages? Answer: Yes. Every age, infancy, childhood, youth, and more advanced age changes the pitch of the voice. The advanced age is an expression of what a person has gained, and so the voice is also indicative of his attainment. No doubt, as with every step in the age of a person, so with every step forward in spiritual evolution, there is also a difference in the voice. Every experience in life is an initiation. Even in the worldly life it is a step forward, and that experience changes the voice.

Question: Do the words one has spoken in the past continue

to affect one's life? Answer: Certainly, certainly.

Question: Which is more powerful: to say something mentally or to say it aloud? Answer: If you say it mentally and do not speak, it is powerful. If you speak and do not say it mentally, it is powerless. If you say it mentally and speak it at the same time, it is most powerful.

Question: Would you say a few words about the modern art of declamation or recitation? Answer: There is little to be said about it. Very often people think that, when they have to recite, they must have a different voice, they must become a different being. A person does not want to remain what he is, he wants to be different. There is nothing more beautiful, nothing more convincing and appealing and impressive than reciting in one's own natural voice.

Question: Would you tell us how it was that Tansen kindled candles by singing? Answer: It is told that Tansen, the great singer, performed wonders by singing. Tansen was a Yogi. He was a singer, but the Yogi of singing. He had mastered sound, and therefore the sound of his voice became living, and by his making the voice live everything that he wanted happened.

Very few in this world know to what extent phenomena can be produced by the power of the voice. If there is any real trace of miracle, of phenomena, of wonder, it is the voice.

The Influence of Music upon the Character of Man

One of the reasons why music is called a celestial art is that it develops music in the personality of its lover.

Tone and rhythm, the principal elements which constitute music, are the only principles of this creation, and may be traced in its beginnings, in its continuity, and in its end. People of lofty and of low ideals, of amiable or unamiable disposition, show the difference of pitch in them. Balance in man, in his thought, speech and deed, in time show rhythm in him. The winning personalities of the world show music in their voice and words. And even before he utters a word, a person shows stupidity in the movements of his body, for they are not rhythmic.

Upon the rhythm of the breath health depends. This at once shows that both mind and body are sound when musical, and disorderly when unmusical.

All beauty in the realm of nature, art, or personality is silent music. Every soul has been born on earth to love what is beautiful, and beauty is its only sustenance.

'God is beautiful and He loves beauty'. (Hadith)

The Psychological Influence of Music

In the field of music there is much to be explored, and the psychological influence of music seems little known to modern science. According to modern science we are taught that the influence of music, or of sound and vibration, comes to us and touches the senses from without. But there is one question which remains: What is the source of the influence that comes from within? The real secret of the psychological influence of music is hidden in its source, the source where sound comes from.

It is more plain and easier to understand that the voice has a certain psychological value, that one voice differs from another, and that every voice expresses its psychological value and has its psychological power. Often one feels the personality of the one who is talking at a distance over the telephone. A sensitive person can feel the effect of the voice alone, without seeing the speaker. Many do not depend so much upon the words as upon the voice that is speaking the words. This shows that one's psychological development is expressed in speaking, and more especially in singing.

Every vowel, such as a or e or o, has its psychological significance, and the composition of every word has a chemical and psychological significance. The Yogis have certain words which they repeat in the morning or in the evening for so many times, and from saying those words they derive a certain illumination or come to a certain state of exaltation. It is this very science which was called by the Sufis of ancient times dhikr (Zikar). This means a science of bringing about desirable results by the repetition of the proper words or phrases.

It is necessary to keep our life pure, and the five purifications should be done very carefully: the purification by air, the purification by water, the purification by earth, the purification by fire, and the purification by ether. A person is often inclined to neglect that which does not bring an immediate result that he can see with his eyes. But these purifications should be done very exactly. Washing face and hands is not enough: every tube and vein of the body must be kept clean. The postures and positions that are taught, the posture of the dhikr, of the fikr, of shagal, have the effect of making the blood flow through certain veins. If this is done there is no disease.

The muscles develop during the whole of life, while the bones do not continue to grow. They become solid, while the muscles develop. Whatever your age may be, you should have ten minutes or a quarter of an hour a day in which to do physical exercises. All physical practices, like standing on the hands or on the head, on both feet or on one foot, taught by the Sufis, are taught for this purpose.

The time of initiation is meant to be a time for clearing away all the sins of the past. The cleansing of sins is like a bathe in the Ganges. It is the bath of the spirit in the light of knowledge. From this day the page is turned. The mureed makes his vow to the murshid that he will treasure the teachings of the masters in the past and keep them secret, that he will make good use of the teachings and of the powers gained by them, and that he will try to crush his Nafs, his ego. He vows that he will respect all the masters of humanity as the one embodiment of the ideal man, and will consider himself the brother not only of all the Sufis in the Order to which he belongs, but also outside that order of all those who are Sufis in spirit although they may call themselves differently, and of all mankind, without distinction of caste, creed, race, nation, or religion. Sufis engage in Halka, a circle of Sufis sitting and practicing Zikar and Fikr so that the power of the one helps the other. Furthermore they practice Tawajoh, a method of receiving knowledge and power from the teacher in silence. This way is considered by Sufis to be the most essential and desirable.

Zikar is the process of repeating the sacred word with concentration, that it may impress on the entire self of the one who repeats it the meaning of the word. The Vedantists have called this process Mantra Yoga or Japa. The Sufis have in all times given great importance to this, for it is not only the mind, but the word with a motion in every part of the body which makes a perfect concentration. For a sincere worker, it does not take more than six weeks to see its effect upon oneself. It is wonderful in giving power and realization.

There are hints in many places in the Qur'an. "Repeat the Name of thy Lord" or "Cry in the Name of thy Lord," and "There are our worshippers, who move like the branches of the tree in the air, when they repeat Our Name." Shamsi Tabriz says in this respect, "Allah, Allah, say, and Allah thou wilt become; again I assure thee, that surely Allah thou wilt become." The most wonderful people in the spiritual cult that are known to the world have always given this the greatest importance, for Zikar is a sure method of spiritual progress.

The value of repetition has been known and realized by the ancient mystics of various cults in the East. Therefore, today, the Brahmins repeat their mantra, which they call Japa; the Parsis their Gathas; Jews repeat the names and verses from the Kabala. Sufis have always understood the importance of repetition of the sacred words (kalma, kalam), which they have named Zikar.

Many consider it very monotonous to see the same thing, to repeat the same word, to think the same thought, but they are utterly unaware of its benefit. Every time that a kalma is repeated, it has added power or illumination for whatever it may have been meant. The importance of repetition may be seen in the success of a singer and in the skill of an artist. As many times the former sings, so much the song is mastered; and as much time the artist gives to his work, so much better result he produces in this art.

Zikar has one great advantage over all other practices. That is, in the body and mind both, the re-echo of Zikar is produced, and both planes of the Zakir’s being are set to rhythm. Music constitutes rhythm and tone; and if they are both produced by the means of Zikar in one's body and mind, the very being of the Zakir becomes musical. It is therefore that the music makes a great effect on the Zakir in the assembly of Sama (the musical assembly of the Sufis.) It is therefore that the music of Sufis is fitted in emphasized rhythm and composed in ragas (modes) that produce the desired effect on the physical and mental being of the Zakir.

The Sufi is not only responsive to music but to all nature's music -- in other words, all that is beautiful -- for he is living. He who is not responsive to love and admires all the beauty that is around one is as dead. And the reason why he is not, is that he is unmusical; not in the sense of music that is played by musicians, but in the sense of the sublimity of nature, which is itself music. The Sufi, therefore, names music Ghiz -i-Ruh, meaning "the Food of the Soul."

The physical mechanism of the body is so arranged that its health depends upon the regularity of its work, and regularity depends upon the soul, which possesses the body as its vehicle. The clock is so arranged that it goes on for the time it is meant to, but then it requires someone to wind it; if it is not wound, it goes our of order. The mechanism of the body requires winding, too. Generally, irregularity of sleep, or food, or activity or repose sets the whole mechanism of the body in disorder. All illnesses come owing to lack of rhythm. Zikar is a rhythmic suggestion to the heart, which at once sets it to rhythm when the Zakir is repeating Zikar, and the circulation of the blood that runs throughout the body from this center runs in rhythm, the pulsation becomes rhythmic, and the development of every muscle becomes rhythmic. In other words, the physical body becomes rhythmic in every way, which is the first necessary step towards spirituality.

Zikar has two aspects of its being, one its spirit and the other its body. The spirit is the breath, which is naturally prolonged through every repetition of Zikar. The body of Zikar is its words. The word produces the fire element, and the breath is life. When fire is produced, the heart naturally becomes warmer, and coldness, which is the common disease of every heart, begins to vanish.

Then the word, voice, atmosphere, glance, and touch, all express warmth; and the presence of the Zakir radiates warm vibrations. The Zakir, in time, begins to respond to everything and every being. This warmth in time makes the fire blaze up, and from it a flame springs forth that lights the path of the Zakir. Zikar is of special importance in the course of a Sufi's spiritual advancement, and by this a Sufi attains everything on earth and in Heaven.

There is a question, if meditation is required to develop in silence, why is Zikar sometimes chanted and why are some practices said aloud? The answer is that there are certain purposes in each practice, and that the ordinary distinction between sound and silence does not hold true from the divine point of view.

For instance, in Zikar one may become able to arrange the atoms in order and rhythm and harmony. When mureeds chant in groups, they often magnify the power of the atoms. Often this brings the same effect as the presence of the teacher, but generally Zikar awakens the soul so as to produce alertness or even ecstasy.

In Zikar, the thought is kept on all the syllables and sounds, making it difficult to think of anything else. If the Zikar becomes automatic and is recited without proper thought and feeling, it still is of value because of the intrinsic power of the atoms responding to sound. Besides that, it harmonizes one with the atmosphere and attunes one with all Zikar atmosphere, so one cannot continue the practice without developing out of it the necessary thought and feeling which will then carry one along.

Zikar is best understood through its performance. In singing and chanting, one purifies one's being, even one's mind. Then one develops into a Zakir, who is the embodiment of Zikar and the vehicle of the message of God. The Zakir is the mureed perfected in Zikar.

The moral of Zikar is humility, and in its performance the Nafs is absorbed like the shadow when light is turned on it. Zikar is important for those needing power and inspiration, while meditation is for those who seek God in all forms, and each is only of value when practiced; then each fulfills its own purpose better than any explanation can give.

Zikar produces sensitiveness in the Zakir, and he feels more sensitive to all things around him. If the Zakir happens to be irritable by nature, the practice of Zikar can develop more irritability in him. That is why, before practicing Zikar, one must develop self control and rise above all earthly passions, developing kindness and goodness, which by the practice of Zikar emanate from the Zakir's personality as perfume coming from the burning of incense.

The heart is as a root of the body, which is its plant. It is the heart which is formed first in the womb of the mother, and all other organs of the body are formed afterwards. Therefore, the condition of the whole body depends upon the condition of the heart. Every man's natural pitch of voice begins from the heart, and when it is not so the person is mentally or physically abnormal. The exercise of Zikar sets the heart to rhythm, which regulates the working of the whole system, its psychic power in this way regulating the higher planes of existence. Certainly, the heart of flesh is not the heart which is the depth of man's being. But the heart of flesh, being directly in focus to the inner, or real heart, reflects in its turn that which happens to be in the inner heart. It is therefore that this piece of flesh is called "heart," it being the only factor which represents the heart within.

Q. If you feel that someone is sending you bad thought, how can you protect yourself from that person? If you feel that he is displeased with you, he is sending you bad thoughts, what can you do?

A. Well, the best thing for that is to do the Zikar. Zikar is the greatest protection.

Q. Any one of them?

A. Oh, yes.

Q. Would you explain about Zikar still more?

1. Well, that is all; but in the Zikar you make a sign with your glance over your body, and on your body, and keep away every influence.