Allah Almighty says: {Be patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure. Do not turn your eyes away from them} [Surat al-Kahf: 28]
1) The merit of gathering for reciting Dhikr and making invocations, according to the followed guidance.
2) Sincerity is the mainstay of servitude to Allah, for the people in reference gathered for the sole purpose of seeking Allah’s pleasure.
3) A successful slave is the one who realizes the reality of the worldly life and the Hereafter, thus, he adheres to guidance and shuns personal whims and inclinations.
1447/1- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah, the Exalted, has teams of angels who roam on the roads seeking those who remember Allah. When they find some people remembering Allah, they call to one another and say: ‘Come to what you are looking for,’ and they surround them with their wings till the space between them and the lowest sky is fully covered. Allah, the Exalted, asks them (though He knows everything): ‘What are my slaves saying?’ They say: ‘They are glorifying You with Tasbīh, Tahmīd, Takbīr, and Tamjīd (i.e. they are declaring Your Perfectness, praising You, and remembering Your Greatness and Majesty).’ He asks: ‘Have they seen Me?’ They reply: ‘No, by Allah, they have not seen You.’ He asks: ‘What if they see Me?’ They reply: ‘If they see You, they would engage more earnestly in worshiping and glorifying You and would extol You more.’ He would then say: ‘What do they ask of Me?’ They say: ‘They ask You for Paradise.’ Allah says: ‘Have they seen it?’ They say: ‘No, by Allah, O Lord, they have not seen it.’ He says: ‘What if they see it?’ They reply: ‘If they see it, they would be keener on it and would ask for it more intensely.’ He then asks: ‘Against what do they seek My Protection?’ They (the angels) say: ‘Against the fire of Hell.’ He says: ‘Have they seen it?’ They say: ‘No, by Allah, they have not seen it.’ He says: ‘What if they see it?’ They say: ‘If they see it, they would flee from it more and fear it more.’ He says: ‘Then bear witness that I have forgiven them.’ One of the angels says: ‘There is amongst them so-and-so who is not one of them (not part of the assembly of Dhikr). He only came for some need.’ Allah says: ‘They are the assembly with whom the one who sits shall not suffer.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
In another version by Muslim: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty has extra squads of angels whose task is to follow the assemblies of Dhikr, so when they find an assembly in which there is Dhikr (of Allah) they sit in it and they surround each other with their wings till they fill the space between them and the sky of this world. When they disperse (after the assembly of Dhikr is adjourned), they go up to the heaven and Allah, the Exalted, asks them although He is best informed about them: ‘Where have you come from?’ They say: ‘We have come from where there are servants of Yours in the earth who had been glorifying You (saying Subhān Allah), celebrating Your Greatness (saying Allahu Akbar) and uttering Your Oneness (saying Lā ilāha illa Allah) and praising You (saying al-Hamdulillāh) and begging of You.’ He says: ‘What do they beg of Me?’ They say: ‘They beg You for Your Paradise.’ He says: ‘Have they seen My Paradise?’ They say: ‘No, our Lord.’ He says: ‘What if they see My Paradise?’ They say: ‘And they seek Your protection.’ He says: ‘From what do they seek My protection?’ They say: ‘Our Lord, from Your Fire.’ He says: ‘Have they seen My Fire?’ They say: ‘No.’ He says: ‘What if they see My Fire?’ They say: ‘And they seek Your forgiveness.’ He says: ‘I have forgiven them, bestowed upon them what they asked for and granted them protection against what they sought protection from.’ They say: ‘Our Lord, there is one amongst them, so-and-so, who is an avid sinner. He happened to pass by, so he sat with them.’ He says: ‘I have forgiven him too, for they are the people with whom the one who sits shall not suffer.’”
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Extra squads: in excess of the angles that are appointed to accompany humans. They are appointed specifically to attend Dhikr gatherings.
1) Sitting in gatherings with righteous people is meritorious, for a righteous companion benefits all those who sit with him.
2) It is recommended to join gatherings intended for making Dhikr like reciting the Qur’an, learning and teaching knowledge and the like. Gathering for performing the prayers in mosques is also included in this meaning.
3) Stimulating people to desire Paradise, given the honor and aspects of enduring bliss it has, and intimidating them from Hell, given the horrors and aspects of painful punishment it has.
1448/2- Abu Hurayrah and Abu Sa‘īd (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whenever a group of people sit and remember Allah Almighty, the angels surround them, mercy envelops them, tranquility descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) The angels surround the gatherings of Dhikr and tranquility descends upon them. They are profusely showered with mercy due to the abundant blessing they involve.
2) Among the greatest gatherings of Dhikr is to assemble to study the Qur’an and Hadīth, in terms of text and meaning.
3) One reaps what he sows, so whoever mentions Allah Almighty with Dhikr, Allah mentions him.
1449/3- Abu Wāqid, Al-Hārith ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting with the people in the mosque when three men came over. Two of them stepped toward the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and one left. The two stood nearby the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). One of them saw an empty place in the circle, so he sat in it. The other one sat behind them. As for the third one, he turned away and left. When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) finished, he said: ‘Shall I not inform you about these three persons? One of them sought refuge with Allah, so Allah gave him refuge. The second one felt shy, so Allah was shy towards him. The last one turned away, so Allah turned away from him.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) Gathering for Dhikr sessions is meritorious, as it was the verbal and practical guidance of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
2) Turning away from gatherings of Dhikr and knowledge without an excuse is a reason for Allah’s turning away from the doer.
3) Encouraging sitting in order and hastening to doing good. Filling gaps in lines and circles of knowledge is part of this.
1450/4- Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) came upon a group of people sitting in a circle in the mosque, so he asked them: ‘What made you sit together?’ They replied: ‘We are sitting together to remember Allah.’ He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, is this the only reason that made you sit together?’ They replied: ‘This is the only reason that made us sit together.’ Thereupon, he said: ‘I did not adjure you because I suspected you (of lying). No one of my rank in the eyes of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) narrated from him lesser than I did: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) came upon a group of his Companions sitting in a circle and said: “What made you sit together?” They replied: “We are sitting together to remember Allah and praise Him for guiding us to Islam and bestowing His favors on us.” He said: “I adjure you by Allah, is this the only reason that made you sit together?” They said: “We swear by Allah, this is the only reason that made us sit together.” He said: “I did not adjure you due to suspicion (of lying), but Jibrīl (Gabriel) came to me and told me that Allah is taking pride in you before the angels.”’” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) Joining gatherings of Dhikr is recommended because Allah Almighty likes them and takes pride in them before the favored angels.
2) Gathering for Dhikr should comply with the way of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and the way of the Companions and those who succeeded them from among the imams of guidance and knowledge. It should not be an assembly involving collective Dhikr, dancing, and swaying, which are not supported by any evidence from the Sunnah or prophetic guidance.