AR Rahman explains importance of ‘zikr’ and sacred names in Islam

Hyderabad: In a recent podcast with Faridoon Shahryar, music maestro AR Rahman opened up about the spiritual power of Zikr (remembrance), sacred names, and how certain words can carry an energy that goes beyond their literal meaning.

During the conversation, Faridoon asked Rahman what importance Zikr holds for him, adding that it seems to mean “much more than the mere meaning.” Rahman agreed and said, “Certain names have power… in any religion, certain names have potency.”

Explaining the thought further, Rahman said that some names and words become powerful because of years of faith, devotion and belief attached to them. “It’s because of years and years of something in it,” he said.

Speaking about Sufi belief, Rahman shared that offering salutations to the Prophet is believed to bring spiritual returns. “The moment you give salutations, you get multiple returns,” he said.

AR Rahman then went deeper into the mystical side of Zikr and said that, according to mystics, sacred words can change the energy of a space. “The moment you mention it, there are celestial beings which come and say, ‘Yes, this is a great place to be,’” he said.

He also connected the idea to music, explaining how a song carrying such spiritual invocation can create a powerful atmosphere around it. “When you do a song like that, the whole place gets an aura of that energy,” Rahman said, adding that good thoughts may even manifest in such moments.

The composer further spoke about why some places feel blessed or lucky to people. He said, “Certain places on earth are blessed. Why? Because of the people who blessed that place, or the celestial being maybe touched that place and went, and you don’t even know.”

Rahman said this is why people often feel that a house, city or space works well for them. “People say, ‘Oh, this house is lucky for me, that place is lucky for me,’ and we believe that because we feel certain energy,” he said.

Clarifying that he does not see this as mere superstition, AR Rahman added, “It’s not superstition. It’s things which you don’t know.”

He concluded by saying that invoking certain sacred words through music can create something far deeper than sound itself. “If you invoke certain words… it has got the potential to go beyond the physical realm,” Rahman said.