It is recorded in the various rituals of theSufis that one of their main invocations takes place with an individual or collective daily and weeklydhikr andwird known aswazifa.[3] Thiswazifa thus refers only to the part of this ritual devoted to the invocation of the supreme qualities of Allah Almighty.[4]
As an example, song and rhyme also play a key role in thiswazifa and provide a bridge and connection to theSufi practice of reciting theninety-nine names of God while meditating on their meaning.
For eachtariqa inSufism, there are specific collective litany rules comprising a minimum number of people required to create a group which is generally fourmurids.
In these reciting congregations, the disciples meet daily or weekly to perform collectivedhikr, which is a type of meeting thus known aswazifa circle (halqa).[5]
There are several conditions for the collective recitation of thewazifa to bring its mystical fruits:[6]
The attendance and presence of all themurids accustomed to the ritual;[7]
The grouping of reciters by forming a circle (halqa);
Prayer aloud from the oral recitation of all parts of thewazifa;
Literal and melodic erudition and perfection of recitingdhikr.
In theTijaniyya order, if the reciters are men and there is no confirmedmuqaddam among them, thesemurids can elect from among them a man who can initiate thewazifa for them.[8]
The practice and performance ofwazifa is very developed and rigorous among the faithful and murids in thetariqas ofSufism.[12]
This litany is assigned as a daily or weekly duty to the disciple by hisSheikh and designed for him according to his predispositions and capacities for spiritualtranscendence.[13]
This duty of recitation generally includes theShahada and the supreme nameAllah or its substitute which is the pronounHuwa (Arabic:هُوَ).[14]
