Tahlil

The Tahlīl (Arabic: تَهْلِيل‎, tahlil, Arabic pronunciation: [tahli:l] ), is a form of dhikr by uttering sentence lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh^u (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللّٰهُ), meaning there is no deity but God.[1]

This article is about an Arabic term. For the Qur'anic software, see Zekr.

Etymology

The term Tahlīl is a verbal noun (or maṣdar, Arabic: المصدر‎) from basic word هَلَّلَ (Hallala)[2] which literally means to praise or to acclaim.[1]

History

Traditionally, the utterance of the sentence is part of Shahada performed by somebody converting to Islam. Later on, it becomes tradition especially in sufism as one of its rituals, such as an event remembering a dead muslim.[3] Tahlil as a ritual to remember the dead is considered a bid'ah by Salafi muslims.[4]

In Indonesia and Malaysia, ritualized repetitive chanting of the Tahlil is done in a tradition called Kenduri, especially during death rituals. This practice is more common among muslims that are followers of the tradionalist Nahdlatul Ulama.[5]

Hadith

Narrated by Abu Huraira: The Messenger of Allah said, "He who utters a hundred times in a day these words: `La ilaha illallahu, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa `ala kulli sha'in Qadir (there is no true god except Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent),' he will have a reward equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his credit, hundred of his sins will be blotted out from his scroll, and he will be safeguarded against the devil on that day till the evening; and no one will exceed him in doing more excellent good deeds except someone who has recited these words more often than him) (as described in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim).[6]

Al-Tirmidhi related on the authority of `Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas that the Messenger of Allah said: (The best thing I and the prophets before me have said: (there is no true god except Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent).[6]

See also

• Alhamdulillah
• Dhikr
• Glossary of Islam
• Quran
• Ṣabr
• Tawhid

References

1. "معنى تهليل في معجم المعاني الجامع - معجم عربي عربي" (in Arabic). Retrieved November 19, 2015.
2. "The Arabic verb forms". Retrieved November 22, 2015.
3. Aziz, Muhammad Ali (2011). Religion and Mysticism in Early Islam: Theology and Sufism in Yemen. 26. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-0-857719607. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
4. "Tahlilan (Selamatan Kematian) Adalah Bid'ah Munkar Dengan Ijma Para Shahabat Dan Seluruh Ulama Islam" (in Indonesian). Retrieved November 19, 2015.
5. Ismail, Faisal (2003). Islamic traditionalism in Indonesia: a study of the Nahdlatul Ulama's early history and religious ideology (1926-1950). Proyek Peningkatan Pengkajian Kerukunan Hidup Umat Beragama, Puslitbang Kehidupan Beragama, Badan Litbang Agama dan Diklat Keagamaan, Departemen Agama R.I. ISBN 978-9-793370699. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
6. "Sunnah of Tahlil". Retrieved November 19, 2015.