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In the name of Allah most gracious most merciful.

Importance and grace of remembering Allah

Part 1

Written by: Sk. Omar Khadrawi

Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa

30 Jumada Al-Awal 1431

14 May 2010

All thanks be to Allah, we ask His help and guidance. It is with Him we fortify ourselves against the evil within us and against the evil of our deeds. This who is guided by Allah; no one shall lead astray, and this who is misguided by Allah shall not find a guide. I testify that there is no other God but Allah the one and only, who Has no associates nor partners. We testify and affirm His Godliness, despite whoever does deny Him or disbelieve in Him. And I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and master of all creations and humans. May Allah’s peace and prayers be upon him and upon his folks, and companions, the trustees of his message and leaders of his troops. Include us and them into Your satisfaction, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bring us out of the darkness of ignorance and delusion to the lights of knowledge and science, and from the swamps of suspicion and cravings to the gardens of certainty and closeness to you.

Slaves of Allah, fear Allah, and remember Him a lot. The messenger ppbu said: {Shall I tell you what the best of your deeds are, and the best with your King, and the highest grade and better to you than spending in charity the gold and the money, and better than meeting your enemy and you kill them or they kill you. They said: yes, (tell us). He said: Remembering Allah}.

Remembering Allah is the energy for the hearts of those who remember, and the contented sight for the monotheists. It is the greatest equipment and the weapon that does not wear out, and it is the medicine for ailments. It is the one thing that if some people leave it out, they would get affected lethally, and end up loosing in retreat.

Allah says: {those who have faith and their hearts feel contented when remembering Allah. Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest} 13:28.

Allah also says: {You who have faith, remember Allah plenty of remembrance}33: 41. Allah also says: {therefore remember me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, and do not reject Me} 2:152.

Allah praised those who remember Him when He says: { Those Muslim men and Muslim women, and the believing men and the believing women, and men who obey and women who obey, and men who speak the truth and women who speak the truth, and men who persevere (in righteousness) and women who persevere, and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men who donate for charity and women who donate for charity, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their modesty and women who guard (their modesty), and men who remember Allah much and women who remember - Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward} 33:35.

Allah also says: {In the creation of the heavens and the earth and (in) the differences of night and day are signs (of His Sovereignty) for those who have brains. Such as those who remember Allah, while standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! You have not created this in vain. Glory be to You. Preserve us from the torment of Fire}3:189-190. And Allah Has promised to remember this who Remember Him; for He says in His book: {therefore remember me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, and do not reject Me}2:152.

Through His messenger Allah said: {I am at the best of my slave’s intentions towards me, and I am with him when he remembers me. For if he remembers me within himself then I remember him within My self. And if he remembers me in a crowd then I remember him in a better crowd}. Ebn Al-Qayem said: “if that is all that comes from remembering of Allah, then that on its own is enough grace and honour”.

The messenger ppbu once on his way to Mecca passed over a mountain. Some of the travellers had walked ahead while others stayed behind. The messenger ppbu said: Keep walking, this is the mountain of Jomdan. The winners or those who will get ahead are the single ones. They said: what do you mean the single ones? He said: {those men and women who remember Allah}.

A man once said: “O Messenger of Allah, the Islamic rules and regulations have become too much for me, tell me one thing I ought to really hold on to”. The messenger ppbu said: “Keep your tong soft through remembering Allah”. Allah says: {and when you finish your prayer, remember Allah while standing, sitting or in a recline position}4:103.

Aesha said: “The prophet ppbu used to remember Allah all his life”. The messenger ppbu made the deed of remembering Allah to be even better than setting a slave free. The messenger ppbu said: {It would be better for me to sit with people remembering Allah from dawn of Fajr prayer until sun rise than to set four of the children of Ishmael free. And to sit with people remembering Allah from Asr prayer until sun down is more loved to me than to set four people free}. Abubaker Seddique may God be pleased with him used to say: “Those who remember Allah have taken all the goodness”.

Brothers in faith,   make sure to remember Allah frequently, and you should know that the best way to remember Allah is when the heart joins the tong, and that which involved word the messenger ppbu used, and when this who utter the words visualises its meanings and intentions. And remember that this reward is not only limited to the oral remembering of Allah with words, in fact the promised reward will only be affirmed if the heart was just as involved with the spoken words.

And one might wonder why was remembering was given such an advantage over all other types of good deeds, despite that it is easy on the tong. The secret is that remembering of Allah generates the heart awakening and putting life into it and turning it to be good. The messenger ppbu said: {an example of this who remembers His God and this that does not is like the example of the living and the dead}. Despite that remembering Allah is so easy and light on the tong but yet many people are not granted the grace of doing it. That is because they were denied the help of God to do so. And in another version reported that the messenger ppbu said: {an example of the home in where Allah is remembered and the home where Allah is not; is like the example of the living and the dead}. Yes, the home of those who remember Allah is equivalent to the house of the living, and the house of the forgetful is equivalent to the home of the dead which is the grave; or the status of this who remembers Allah as being the living in the house of the living, and this who forgets to remember Allah as being dead in the house of the dead. No wonder that the bodies of those who do not remember Allah are considered the coffins or graves of their hearts. And their hearts within their bodies are like the dead in their graves. A dead heart is a heart that does not remember Allah and does not take lessons from His words.

Slaves of Allah, remember Allah a plenty. Utilising and flourishing time is through remembering and supplication and do not be with those who forget and overlook this point. The messenger ppbu said: {whoever says: “لاإله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، له الملك و له الحمد وهو على كل شيئ قدير” – [No God but Allah, alone with no associates with Him, All belongs to Him and all thanks be to Him] in a day one hundred times, it count for him or her to the equivalent of setting free ten slaves, and one hundred good deeds are written for him or her, and one hundred sins are wiped off for him or her, and it becomes protection to him or her from Satan for that day until night time, and no other can do any better deeds except for another person who does more remembering than him or her. And this who says [Praise be to Allah and thanks be to Him] one hundred times in one day then all his or her sins are wiped off even they were as plenty as the foam of the sea}. Slaves of Allah who want the next life then work for it, and keep up remembering Allah and keep up doing supplications. And have a bit of daily remembering, and glorifying of Allah and praying upon the messenger ppbu or other forms of recommended words of remembering. Get your tong used to remembering like praising of Allah, and asking forgiveness of Allah and glorifying of Allah (سبحان الله ، الحمد لله ، الله أكبر ) . And frequently get used to saying: “لا حول ولا قوّة إلا بالله” [No means and no power except with Allah] and get even more insistent to doing prayers and other forms of rituals and good deeds. And you who hope for Allah’s mercy remember that you will elevate your self and your soul as much as remembering you do until you get to the good honored and you will find the pleasure in your heart. On the other hand, not remembering Allah generates hardness and toughness of the heart. Let us renew our repentance to Allah and let us keep up remembering Allah during the night and at the edges of the day so may Allah rights us with those men and women who remember Allah frequently. And may we be with those who when they remember Allah their eyes fill with tears and becomes deserving that shade the messenger ppbu talked about when he said: {the seven whom Allah shall shade them with His shadow when there is no shadow except His} and out of the seven he mentioned: {and a man who remembered Allah so his eyes over filled with tears}. O Allah almighty, we ask you a humble heart, and a remembering tong, and a patient and persevering body over all tests.

Notes:

Adhan - The call to prayer.

Ansar (or Al-Ansar): The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.

Assalam Alaikum - The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.

Aya (or Ayah): is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God.

Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat): is a mountain outside the city of Mecca that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.

Badr - The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.

Caliph - A Muslim ruler. See: (Khalifa)

Dajjal - Antichrist or the False Massiah.

Dawah - The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.

Deen (Din) - Religion or way of life.

Duaa: a prayer in the form of talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.

Fatwa - Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.

Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.

Fiqh - Religious law.

Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.

Hajar - The Black Stone set into the corner of the Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.

Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.

Hasana or hasanas: is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.

Hadith - The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.

Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.

Hijra (or Hejrah): the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.

Ibadah - Worship. All the words and deeds with which Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.

Iblis - (Ibleese): On of Satan's names.

Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn Omar.

Imam (or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.

Iman: belief or faith

Injil (Enjeel) - The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the Christians.

Islam - Submission, the religion of all the prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.

Jannah - The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of the faithful in the afterlife.

Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the fight one's self against temptations. It also means "holy war."

Jinn - Supernatural, invisible beings race of beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on Judgment Day.

Ka'aba: A cube shaped building in Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers. Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage in a ritual known as Tawaf.

Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".

Khutbah - A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.

Kufr - Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.

Koran - Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)

Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to. Then it was called Yathrib.

Masjid - A center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.

Masiah - A sin, or a sinful act

Mecca or Makkah: is the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).

Mosque - A Muslim house of worship.

Muhajir - (Muhajireen) Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median and Ethiopia.

Muhammad - the final messenger and prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah

Muslim - One who holds faith to the religion of Islam.

Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.

Nasara - Christians. Nasrani: A Christian individual. Nasraniah: Christianity.

Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.

Paradise - Another word for heaven. A garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels. All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.

PPBU (P.B.U.H.) : Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.

Qadar - Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.

Qadr - (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.

Qibla - The direction which Muslims turn for daily prayers, towards Mecca.

Quraish - An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger Muhammad belonged.

Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.

Salat - Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is performed to worship Allah five times daily.

Shiaa: A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.

Shirk - Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of Monotheism or Tawheed.

Siam or Soam- Fasting

Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.

Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.

Surah - A chapter of the Koran.

Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.

Tauhid - Tawheed - Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)

Taqwah - Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person to understand God.

Taurat: The old Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.

Ummah - the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.

Umrah - (Amrah): A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic year, Umrah can be performed at any time.

Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.

Zaboor - The Psalms

Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.

Faheem Bukhatwa, my email address is : faheemfb@gmail.com