The gatherings of Dhikr
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) as saying:
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى مَلاَئِكَةً سَيَّارَةً فُضْلاً
Indeed, Allaah has a (group of) extra Angels who travel (throughout the Earth)
يَتَبَّعُونَ مَجَالِسَ الذِّكْر
seeking the gatherings of Dhikr
فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا مَجْلِسًا فِيهِ ذِكْرٌ قَعَدُوا مَعَهُمْ
And when they find a gathering where there is Dhikr, they sit with them
وَحَفَّ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا بِأَجْنِحَتِهِمْ
And some of them surround others with their wings
حَتَّى يَمْلَئُوا مَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا
until what is between them and the sky of the dunyaa becomes filled
فَإِذَا تَفَرَّقُوا عَرَجُوا وَصَعِدُوا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ
And when they disperse, they ascend to the Heaven
- قَالَ - فَيَسْأَلُهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ
And Allaah asks them while He is more knowing than them
مِنْ أَيْنَ جِئْتُمْ
From where have you come
فَيَقُولُونَ جِئْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِ عِبَادٍ لَكَ فِي الأَرْضِ
They say: We have come to You from Your slaves on the Earth
يُسَبِّحُونَكَ وَيُكَبِّرُونَكَ وَيُهَلِّلُونَكَ وَيَحْمَدُونَكَ وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ
who were glorifying You (by saying Subhaan Allaah), declaring Your greatness (by saying Allaahu akbar), praising You (by saying Alhamdulillaah), and begging You
قَالَ وَمَاذَا يَسْأَلُونِي
He asks: What were they begging Me of?
قَالُوا يَسْأَلُونَكَ جَنَّتَكَ
They say: They were begging You to give them Jannah
قَالَ وَهَلْ رَأَوْا جَنَّتِي
He asks: And have they seen My Jannah?
قَالُوا لاَ أَىْ رَبِّ .
They say: No, our Lord
قَالَ فَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْا جَنَّتِي
He asks: How would it be if they had seen my Jannah?
قَالُوا وَيَسْتَجِيرُونَكَ
They say: And they seek Your protection
قَالَ وَمِمَّ يَسْتَجِيرُونَنِي
He says: And from what do they seek My protection?
قَالُوا مِنْ نَارِكَ يَا رَبِّ
They say: From your Fire O our Lord
قَالَ وَهَلْ رَأَوْا نَارِي
He asks: And have they seen My Fire?
قَالُوا لاَ
They say: No
قَالَ فَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْا نَارِي
He asks: And how would it be if they had seen My Fire?
قَالُوا وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَكَ
They say: And they seek Your Forgiveness
- قَالَ - فَيَقُولُ قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُمْ
Thereupon He says: I have forgiven them
فَأَعْطَيْتُهُمْ مَا سَأَلُوا
And given them what they ask for
وَأَجَرْتُهُمْ مِمَّا اسْتَجَارُوا
And I have given them protection from what they seek protection from
- قَالَ - فَيَقُولُونَ رَبِّ فِيهِمْ فُلاَنٌ عَبْدٌ خَطَّاءٌ
They say: O our Lord there was so and so among them who is a very sinful slave (of Yours)
إِنَّمَا مَرَّ فَجَلَسَ مَعَهُمْ
he was only passing (by) and sat with them
قَالَ فَيَقُولُ وَلَهُ غَفَرْتُ
He says: I have forgiven him
هُمُ الْقَوْمُ لاَ يَشْقَى بِهِمْ جَلِيسُهُمْ " .
They are a group of people with whom even those who sit will not be unfortunate.
Sahiih Muslim Hadiith No. 2689
Points taken from this Hadiith:
1 - في الحديث فضل مجالس الذكر
In the hadith is the virtue of the gatherings where Dhikr is done.
2 - وفضل الذاكرين
The Hadiith shows the merit of those who engage in Dhikr.
3 - وفضل الاجتماع على ذلك
The Hadiith shows the merit of gathering for the purpose of making Dhikr.
4 - وأن جليسهم يندرج معهم في جميع ما يتفضل الله تعالى به عليهم إكراما لهم ولو لم يشاركهم في أصل الذكر
The Hadiith shows that sitting with people gathered to make Dhikr allows one to share the reward of all that Allaah will reward them with out of ikraam even if one does not participate in the Dhikr itself.
5 - وفيه محبة الملائكة لبني آدم واعتناؤهم بهم
The Hadiith shows the love of the Angels for the children of Adam.
6 - وفيه أن السؤال قد يصدر من السائل وهو أعلم بالمسئول عنه من المسئول لإظهار العناية بالمسئول عنه والتنويه بقدره والإعلان بشرف منزلته
The Hadiith shows that the question at times comes from the one asking the question while is he is well aware of the state of the one he is asking about and more knowing than the one he asked but he does so to show his interest about the one he asked about, emphasize his rank, and to disclose the eminence of the status of the one he asked about.
Allaah asked the Angels about the chidlren of Adam though He had more knowledge about them than the Angels. But He still did it to show His interest in them, emphasize their rank, and disclose the eminence of their status.
7 - وقيل يؤخذ منه أن الذكر الحاصل من بني آدم أعلى وأشرف من الذكر الحاصل من الملائكة لحصوله مع كثرة الشواغل ووجود الصوارف وصدوره في عالم الغيب بخلاف الملائكة في ذلك كله
Some scholars have said that this Hadiith shows that the Dhikr of the children of Adam is better and of more virtue than that of the Angels because the children of Adam have lots of distractions they must contend with and they do the Dhikr while believing in Allaah having not seen Him as opposed to the Angels in regards to all of this.
Reference(s):
فتح المنعم شرح صحيح مسلم
Volume 10 Page 244