- Islamic Education
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- Knowledge of the Hearts
Any activity that gets you closer to Allah is a remembrance of Him:
The prophet (PBUH) says:
“Shall I not inform you about the best of your deeds and the purest in the sight of your Master, which provides you with the highest degrees; and which is better for you than spending gold and silver in charity, and is even better than confronting and fighting against your enemy, cutting one another’s necks?” The Companions answered, “What is it, then, Messenger of Allah?” He said, “It is remembering Allah!”
The word “remembrance” is a word that implies a wide and broad meaning. When you read Qur’an, then, you are remembering Allah (SWT). When you ask forgiveness, glorify Him, praise Him, magnify Him, or unify Him, then, you are remembering Him! Also, when you make supplications, read the tradition of His prophet or tell people about the tradition of the companions, then, you are remembering Him. Therefore, any activity that gets you closer to Him is a remembrance of Him!“Shall I not inform you about the best of your deeds and the purest in the sight of your Master, which provides you with the highest degrees; and which is better for you than spending gold and silver in charity, and is even better than confronting and fighting against your enemy, cutting one another’s necks?” The Companions answered, “What is it, then, Messenger of Allah?” He said, “It is remembering Allah!”
Salat is meant to make you remember Allah:
Allah (SWT) says in what can be translated as:
“As-Salat (prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) and remembering Allah is greater indeed than your remembering Allah in prayers.”
Some scholars said that remembering Allah (SWT) is the most important thing in salat because Allah (SWT) says in what can be translated as:“And establish prayer for My remembrance.”
Therefore, salat is meant to make you remember Allah (SWT).“Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.”
Some scholars said about this ayah (verse), that Allah’s remembrance of believers is much greater than when believers remember Him. In other words, when you remember Him you seek help from Him, but when He remembers you, He gives you everything.It was mentioned in the relic:
((I am the companion of he who remembers me, and wherever my servant looks for Me, he will find Me.))
Moreover, when the believer remembers Allah (SWT) a lot, he becomes free from hypocrisy; for hypocrites were described as those who remember Allah (SWT) too little.Establishing a good relationship with Allah is pure heroism:
Some other scholars explained the ayah:
((Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you))
as “Remember Me in this life, I will remember you in the grave”. That is in this life you are surrounded by affable people, such like your wife, your children, and your relatives. You have a social rank, and you are eloquent. Therefore, if you remember Allah (SWT) in this life, He will remember you once in the grave, the home of loneliness, worms and darkness; where you will be badly in need of Him.That is why we say the following supplication:
“O Allah, conceal our faults while we are on Earth, grant us your mercy while beneath the Earth, and on the Day of Judgment.”
It was said, “When the dead is buried and his family leave him alone in his grave, Allah (SWT) says, “O my servant, they have gone home and left you, and in the grave they have buried you. Even if they had stayed with you, they would have been of no help to you. You have no one but Me; I am the Ever Living that never dies.”
Sometimes when a manager is transferred, the employee becomes worried wondering about who will come instead. When he is informed that such a person will be appointed instead, he tries to make a good relationship with him as a guarantee for his future career. We are all due to the grave, and there will be none but Allah (SWT).
Therefore, heroism is to have now a good relationship with Allah (SWT), so that once we are in the Grave, He will grant us His Mercy. It was said, “Remember me in time of sin, and I will remember you on the Day of Judgment at the sight of hellfire.”
One should submit only to Allah because he/she is free!
Sins are available to every human being, but, if it is Allah’s fear that prevents you from committing them, Allah (SWT) will remember you on the Day of Judgment at the sight of hellfire.
For instance, if a man sees a woman and longs to her, but says, “I seek refuge in Allah! I fear Allah Lord of the universe”, Allah (SWT) will remember him on the Day of Judgment at the sight of hellfire!
When Man gets too old, his back becomes curved, his sight weakens, and his hair becomes white; then Allah (SWT) tells him, “O my servant, take me into consideration, and I will take you into my consideration!”
Therefore, if you remember Allah (SWT), He will remember you, if you fear Him, He will provide you with security, and if you beg Him, He will answer you! It was mentioned in some books, “O My servant, I am yours, so, to whom do you belong? I am with you, so, who are you with?”
Also in the Qudsi hadith:
((I am and the Mankind and the jinn in a great matter, I created them and sh3er are worshipped, and I granted them sustenance and sh3er are thanked!))
That is, “O My servant, I am yours, so, to whom do you belong? I am with you, so, who are you with?”A more precise meaning is that it is indecent of you to submitt to someone else than Allah (SWT), otherwise you are despising yourself. You are the first creature; you belong to Allah (SWT). Therefore, if you are able to submit to someone else, to follow him, adore him, and glorify him, then you are despising yourself. You may ignore something that you despise but when you ignore Allah (SWT) you, rather, despise yourself. Allah (SWT) says in what can be translated as:
((And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) except him who befools himself?))
For instance, you may disregard a house that you do not like, refuse a job with a little income, refuse to marry a girl because she does not please you; you may do this out of despise towards them. However, when you ignore Allah (SWT), you befool and despise yourself; for you belong to Him. Thus, if you submit to any of Allah’s servants, then you will be a looser.
If you submit to Allah (SWT), then you will be free, precious, appeased and reassured about the future. If you submit, on the other hand, to a human being, then you will be lost once he ever comes to disappear. If you ever link your existence with a human being, then you become his slave; while, if you link your existence with Allah (SWT), you will eternally be with Him.
Remembrance of Allah is a sign of faith:
The believer goes beyond emergent events. Some people relate themselves to a specific event or group, therefore, their value is related to that group, that person, or that event. While, they should not belong to someone else than Allah (SWT), because, when they do so, they belittle themselves and do not know its value.
Most people practise implicit polytheism (Shirk) when they adore something else or someone else other than Allah (SWT). They create gods to whom they witness pure faithfulness, love and endeavour; they are theirs.
“O My servant, I am for you, so, to whom do you belong? I am with you, so, who are you with?”
It was said, “Remember me through forgetting about sh3er, I will remember you and unveil My Face so that you could see My Light!”Allah (SWT) is a blessing that exceeds description, therefore, if you accept a person’s blessing and forget about The One, The Dayyan (the judge/Allah) then you are among losers.
As I said earlier, if you remember Allah (SWT) too much, then you will be free from hypocrisy.
Moreover-Glory be to Allah-remembering Allah unifies people while remembering worldly life disunifies them!
For instance, in an assembly where people talk about such is a merchant or a manufacturer, or such has a factory; you will find that some people feel sad and excluded because they have nothing to do with all this. When Allah (SWT) is mentioned, everybody feels concerned and gathers around you and when worldly life is mentioned, people may be dispersed.
((No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, without tranquillity descending upon them, mercy enveloping them, the angels surrounding them, and Allah making mention of them amongst those who are with Him. And people who arise from an assembly in which they have not remembered Allah will be just as if they had got up from around a donkey’s corpse and it will be a cause of regret to them.))
Get yourself used to remember Allah (SWT) in any gathering, and you will see how elevated it will become! Happiness will reign and faces will glimmer. Get also used to memorize everything about your religion such as the interpretation of an Ayah, Hadith, or a parable so that you can mention them in assemblies.
There are thousands of meetings, but, all are worldly life oriented full of meaningless talking, gossip, calumny, arrogance and vanity! You feel there is animosity inside the assembly, there is no happiness. Some people leave broken because they endured sh3er’ boastfulness, vanity and show off. While after an assembly where Allah (SWT) is mentioned, people leave light hearted.
The more you know Allah, the more you remember Him!
Remembrance is one of the signs of faith; and the more you know Allah (SWT), the more you remember Him. Allah says in what can be translated as:
"O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon [the early morning (Fajr) and 'Asr prayers]. He it is Who sends Salat (His blessings) on you, and His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive you), that He may bring you out from darkness (of disbelief and polytheism) into light (of Belief and Islamic Monotheism). And He is Ever Most Merciful to the believers. Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be "Salam: Peace (i.e. the angels will say to them: Salamu 'Alaikum)!" And He has prepared for them a generous reward (i.e. Paradise.)"
The best of remembrance is that which is concealed.
The prophet (PBUH) says,“Transmit from me even if it was an ayah!”
That is, try to transmit anything from the prophet (SAWS), even if it was an Ayah, a Hadith, or a jurisprudence rule. If you do this, then, you have done da’wa (call to Islam) which is a personal obligation for every Muslim.Some said that the best of remembrance is that which is concealed. The following Ayah talks about Prophet Zachariah (AS):
“When he called out his Lord (Allah) a call in secret,”
When you are walking or taking the bus alone, you usually talk to yourself. If you drive a car or take the bus to Halab (A city in Syria), what will you do all way long? You will talk to yourself.
Therefore try to make of your wonders an opportunity to remember Allah (SWT). Whenever you see a sign of Allah, you should say, “Glory to Allah”, “Praise be to Allah”, “There is no god but Allah”, or “Allah is Great”.
You may take as a model the prophet’s tradition: for every motion there is a specific du’a (supplication); and du’a is remembrance.
Remembrance is the greatest and broadest of acts of worship!
Remembrance is the greatest thing in salat. It is also the greatest and the broadest of acts of worship, because it accompanies you wherever you go and whatever you do. For instance, there is a specific du’a (supplication) for sleeping, getting up, going out, entering home, wearing new clothes, eating, entering and getting out of the toilets, etc. Du’a is continuous communication with Allah (SWT); and this is the core of remembrance.
When a person is about to do something, he says, “O Allah, help me! O Allah, I have renounced my capacity and power, and take refuge in Your Capacity and Power, O You owner of power, the Most Strong.”
O brother, practise remembrance, for it is a healer.
