Title: Regarding Continual Dhikr Question: Some people believe that it is necessary for a person to have his/her heart beat with the remembrance of God Almighty. What does it implies? According to their concept a person should perceive the name of Allah/ kalima tayyibah with every heart beat. What is the role of 'Murshid' in the religious development of a person? Dr. Muhammad Asif Pakistan Answer: We are required to remember the Almighty and remain constantly conscious of his unnumbered favors upon us. This remembrance should be through his attributes, as we only know him through his attributes. We are told to remember him in context with his favors and blessings. For example we are required to say 'Al hamdu lillah' (All praise be for Allah) when we sneeze, and reply to it by saying 'Yarhamu kum Allah' (May Allah bless you). Similar is the case with other occasions of thanks to Allah. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) would not call Allah's name in its isolated form as it is done by some people. Certainly we should remember our Lord at all times but there is no such prescribed limit of doing so with taking every breath in Islamic teachings. Those who say this consider saying "Allah-Allah' repeatedly. No reliable tradition tells us that the Prophet (pbuh) ever practice, prescribed, recommended or even approved such kind of Dhikr . The Prophet's Dhikr , as has been stated earlier, consisted of complete and meaningful sentences, rather than repeating names. I understand by Murshid you mean someone who trains in a particular field. It is very useful in development of ones character to go through the training of a pious person. God Almighty sent his prophets not only to communicate guidance in written or oral form rather his Prophets were also the epitome of the teachings they promoted. They provided practical guidance and thus worked as a source of inspiration for their followers. This is a commonly observed phenomenon. Once having completed your degree you go for apprenticeship working with the experts of that field whether you are a physician, a lawyer or are in any other profession. Same is the case with religious teaching where we need someone to mend ourselves and work as an inspiration for us. However it is not a basic requirement for ones guidance. We cannot say that a person can not develop religiosity in himself unless he spends sometime with a Murshid . However one thing needs to be corrected that Murshid is also a term of Islamic mysticism. That is totally a different concept specifically attached to that particular discipline and has no relevance with Islamic faith . I hope this helps . Tariq Mahmood Hashmi December 18, 2002