[ Masjid - ul - Muttaqeen ]

In a very beautiful ayat of Quraan, Allah (ST) says:
“Remember Me and I shall remember you. Be grateful unto Me and do not be ungrateful.” (Sura Baqarah – Vs 152)

Can there be a more gratifying state than this, where, when you remember Allah, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Lord of the Universe, He remembers you in return?

The Prophet (SAW) said in a hadith Qudsi:
“I treat my servants as he hopes that I would treat him. I am with him whenever He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him in My heart, if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering far better than that gathering (and by this Allah means a gathering of angels), if he draws near to Me a hand’s’ span, I draw near to him a an arm’s length, and if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length, and if he comes to Me walking, I go to Him running.” (Bukhari)

Subhaanallah. Such a beautiful Hadith. Allah informs the believers that if we remember Allah, He will remember us but in an increased and more rewarding fashion. Such is the mercy of Allah.

Allah speaks about:
“Those who remember Allah standing, sitting and reclining, and who reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth.” (Sura Ali Imran – Vs.191)

Such persons, they are the wise ones. They are those who fill their hearts with the remembrance of Allah at every moment, in every circumstance and in every posture and position of their lives.

The Prophet (SAW) has commented on the believer as being:
“Strange indeed…” since he remembers Allah in good times as well as he remembers Allah in not so good times.”

That is a quality of a true believer, such a person, he remembers Allah in good times and in bad times. It is common for a man experiencing difficulty to raise his hands and call upon his Lord. But the believer is one who also remembers Allah when he is in ease and comfort. In other words, he remembers Allah at all times.

There are many ways a person can remember Allah. He can remember Allah through Salaat, or reciting Quraan. Even the fast is form of remembering Allah. In fact, it holds a unique status amongst all the other forms of worship, since Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi:

“Every good deed of man is multiplied from 10 to 700 times. But Allah says except fasting because it is for me alone, and I will reward for it as much as I wish.”

When a person fast for the pleasure of Allah, he willingly sacrifices his physical needs of food, water and relations for Allah’s rewards. Whatever physical discomfort the believer undergoes, it is nothing when compared to Allah’s rewards, which has no limits with respect to fasting, since Allah has said that He will reward the fasting person as much as He desires.

One of the best ways of remembering Allah is through the Zikr of Allah. Zikr or remembrance of Allah is in any and every moment when you are thinking, saying or doing things which pleases Allah.

Therefore, if you speak about Allah, that is Zikr. And if your actions are in accordance with Allah’s will, that too is Zikr. So Zikr is not just the utterance of the tongue, for example, saying Subhaanallah or Alhamdulillah. As long as one is in the remembrance and obedience of Allah, then that is also Zikr. Zikr should not only be uttered by the tongue, but should be felt in the heart as well.

Allah says:
“…and men who remember Allah much and women who remember, Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward.” (Sura Ahzaab – Vs. 35)

The remembrance of Allah is so important and so virtuous that the Rasool (SAW) said:
“The servant cannot perform a better deed which will save him from Allah’s punishment than the remembrance of Allah.”

He (SAW) also said:
“Whosoever wishes to feast in the gardens of Paradise, let him remember Allah often.”

Allah Himself says in the Holy Quraan:
“… and the remembrance of Allah is the greatest deed, without doubt.”

It is this Zikr and remembrance of Allah that purifies the heart and makes it sound. And true success and salvation can only be attained by having a pure and sound heart. It is the heart that dictates your actions which will then be the key to ultimate success.

The Prophet (SAW) has said concerning the heart:
“ Listen (to me) carefully, there is a lump of flesh in the body, if it is set right and made good, the entire body becomes good and healthy, but if it becomes diseased, the entire body becomes diseased. Remember, it is the heart.”

Let us remember Allah much, let us ponder upon His signs, let us become obedient servants to His commands….. let us remember Allah and He too will also remember us.
Ameen.