Al Minah Al `Aliyyah (44)

verses to remember Him:

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“O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon [the early morning (Fajr) and ‘Asr prayers].” (31:41-42)

2-Allah promised to forgive those who

   remember him and give them a great reward.

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“And the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues (while sitting, standing, lying, etc. for more than 300 times extra over the remembrance of Allah during the five compulsory congregational prayers) or praying extra additional Nawafil prayers of night in the last part of night, etc.) Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).”                           (31:35).

3- Allah warned us of being like the hypocrite who rarely remembers Allah.

إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَى يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

“Those (hypocrites) who wait and watch about you; if you gain a victory from Allah, they say: ‘Were we not with you,’ but if the disbelievers gain a success, they say (to them): ‘Did we not gain mastery over you and did we not protect you from the believers?’ Allah will judge between you (all) on the Day of Resurrection. And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way (to triumph) over the believers.” (4:142)

4- Allah warned us of paying all our attention to money and offspring and forgetting Allah the Almighty:

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ

“O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers.”                              (63:9)

5- Imagine with me this great reward,

Allah said,

فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ

“Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favors on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.” (2:152)

Allah said in the Al-Hadith Al-Qudsi: “I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they.”^[1]

6- Allah praised the believers who

remember Allah in all their situations.

 He, Almighty, said,

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ (190) الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

“Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): ‘Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.’                              (3:190-191)

The Sunnah of the one who was the living embodiment of the Qur’an (the Prophet r) shows us the interpretation of this Ayah practically. He was in dhikr all of the time. ‘Aishah said: “He used to mention Allah in all his affairs.”^[2]

Just try to imagine my Muslim brothers and sisters - how the Prophet r used to remember Allah in every situation, then what about us? I do not mean that we could ever come close to the Prophet r, but we should try to be like him as best we can. Are we from those who simply remember Allah sometimes?!

May Allah bless us and guide us.

Even more amazing is what Imam Muslim narrates in his Sahih about the dhikr of the Prophet r during the times he was busy. Al-Aghar al-Mazny said that the Prophet r said, “Sometimes I perceive a veil over my heart, and I supplicate Allah for forgiveness a hundred times in a day.”^[3]

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “This means what makes the heart distracted.” Al-Qadi ‘Iyad said, “This refers to distractions that make the person leave his adhakr that he used to recite. Yet, if the worshipper neglected his heart and left it for such distractions, then he is sinful and should ask for Allah’s forgiveness.” Yet, it is said this hadith talks about the Prophet’s r concern about his nation and the news that he was foretold.  So, he would ask Allah to forgive them. It is also said that he was careful about his nation, its affairs, fighting its enemy, reconciling the hearts, and so on. Hence, he might be busy with these things and he might see this as a sin with regards to his supreme status. Al-Mahashi said, “Angels’ and Prophets’ fear is glorification of Allah although they are saved of Allah’s punishment.”^[4]

                                

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[1].. Al-Bukhari no. 7405, Muslim no. 2675

[2].. Muslim no. 373

[3].. Muslim no. 2702

[4].. Sharah Sahi Muslim no. 2702