Remembrance of Allah
By Haider Zaman
BELIEF in the Omnipresence of Allah is one of the basic ingredients of faith. It implies firm conviction that Allah sees whatever one does, hears whatever one says and knows whatever one has in mind anywhere all the time. The practical aspect of this conviction has been frequently termed as Zikr Allah in the Quran which literally means remembrance or active consciousness about the presence of Allah.
Remembrance of Allah has been rated above many other acts both by the Quran and Sunnah. The Quran says “salat surely restrains from doing evil and shameful acts but remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life)” (29:45). And when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked whether he would rate remembrance of Allah above fighting in the Way of Allah he replied in the affirmative.
According to Abdulhah-bin-Umar, his father said that once he was sitting with the Prophet along with others that a stranger came and asked the Prophet what “Ihsan” could be. The Prophet replied “it could be to worship Allah as if you see Him and if you cannot see Him, yet He sees you”. And when he left, the Prophet told them that he was Jibraiel who had come to teach them their religion. (Muslim).
It could be an excellent experience if one is aware of the presence of Allah while praying. But otherwise too, such consciousness is highly valued by Allah. The Quran terms those persons as the favourites of Allah who, when they do any wrong, remember Allah instantly and seek His forgiveness (3:135) which obviously means that remembrance of Allah can have great value even if it occurs at times other than during the course of prayers.
Remembrance of Allah could be even more meaningful and effective, when there is some positive reaction or response to it. Thus one should remember Allah by saying Allaho Akbar or similar other words the moment Allah comes to his mind, and if he has done something wrong, repent over it and seek His forgiveness, or if he is doing anything wrong, stop doing it and seek His forgiveness or if there is any needy person within his sight, help him in whatever way he can and be grateful to Him for the good he has been able to do.
The Quran highlights two levels of submission to the Will of Allah which can also be treated as the two levels of human development in some contexts. One is when it says “In fact, the one who repents and does righteous deeds returns to Allah as he rightly should” (25:71) also called as the people on the right hand (56:8). The other level has been explained with reference to Hazrat Ibrahim which is total submission to the Will of Allah and doing of righteous deeds (4:125) also called as the people being foremost in the race (56:10).
Remembrance of Allah could be of utmost importance to the attainment of the above levels of submission. A person will repent over whatever wrong he does and vow not to do any wrong again only when it occurs to him that Allah has seen what he has done. Likewise, a person will comply with the guidance of Allah in whatever he hears, sees, does or seeks only when he has the presence of Allah in mind. The same awareness that restrains a person from doing wrong and evil deeds also impels him to do good and righteous deeds.
The Quran emphasises the need for remembering Allah in several ways. As it says “He is with you wherever you may be and sees whatever you do” (57,-4). Through one of the earlier revelations the Prophet was specifically advised to keep on remembering Allah even while performing ordinary duties (73:7,8).
It means that even if one is doing his normal or routine work he should do it as if he is doing it in the presence of Allah. In other words one should retain the sense of Allah’s nearness at all times. The Quran sums up the importance of Allah’s remembrance thus “if you remember Allah, He will remember you”(2:152).
Remembrance of Allah not only fosters the fear of Allah in one’s mind but also promotes patience, will-power and steadfastness at the same time.
It can have the most soothing effect on mind and can be of great help in controlling tension, wrath, frustration, worries and griefs. As the Quran says, “Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest (satisfaction)” (13:28).
The person who remains conscious about the presence of Allah in whatever he does, says, seeks or thinks could be truly one of those about whom the Quran says that they will never have any fear nor will they be ever grieved (2:38,112). It does not, however, mean that no adversity or calamity will ever touch him. In fact, adversities and calamities will visit him as usual but inspired by his faith, he will remain so steadfast and endure any situation whatsoever with such fortitude that he will never have any fear nor will he be grieved.
The way the Prophet endured the loss arising out of the deaths of Hazrat Khadijah and Hazrat Abu Talib in the same year at a time when their presence he badly needed, could be the best example. That’s why the Quran says “in the Prophet of Allah you have the best example of conduct)” (33:21).
The Quran not only emphasises the importance of remembering Allah but also guides us in how to develop that tendency. If we have a look at our main prayer called salat, it will follow that it is primarily meant to reinforce and develop consciousness about the presence of Allah. It starts with Allaho Akbar and thereafter all the recitations, movements and postures thereof constantly call one’s attention to the presence of Allah. Even if a person commits slight mistake while offering salat all alone, he tries to rectify it although no one can see or sense what mistake he has committed. It is the conviction that Allah knows what has gone wrong.
Fasting is another ritual having more or less the same effect. The person in a state of fasting may be very hungry or thirsty, yet he avoids taking meals or drinking water even if he is all alone and there is no one to see or know what he is doing. It is only the belief that Allah sees what he does which impels him to avoid taking meals or drinking water. In fact, salat and fasting on a regular basis can be of great help in developing propensity towards the remembrance of Allah everywhere at all times.
Since remembering Allah creates direct rapport between the man and Allah, it could be more appropriate if the man directly invokes Allah (2:186) by calling Him by any of His specified names (7:180) as and when he repents over whatever wrong he does and seeks His forgiveness. Likewise,if he wants to call Allah for His favours or bounty, he should do it directly on the basis of His appropriate attributes like, His Generosity, His Mercy, His Graciousness or His Magnanimity.
There can be no better way of invoking Allah than by relying on His attributes which could also be reflective of one’s faith in the Quranic assertion that He is independent of all while all are dependent on Him (112:2).