In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah says,
”And remember your Lord within yourself, in supplication and in fright, other than being (too) loud in words, in the early mornings and the (hours) before sunset, and do not be among the heedless”. (Al-A`raf 7:205) And He says,
“and remember Allah much, that possibly you would prosper”. (Al-Anfal 8:45)
Almighty Allah commands His believing servants to remember Him much. Indeed, remembering Allah is a blessed way that leads to success and closeness to Him and it is a sign that the heart is still spiritually alive. Remembrance of Allah is an act of worship done by the heart and the tongue; it may be practiced by either or both of them together, at all times and in all situations. Allah the Almighty says, “and the remembering of Allah is greater indeed. And Allah knows what you do”. (Al-`Ankabut 29:45)
Types of Dhikr
However, in order to perform remembrance properly, we need to first get acquainted with the different types of Allah's remembrance (dhikr); they are as follows:
- Remembering Allah by the tongue, which includes extolling Him, asking forgiveness from Him, invoking and supplicating Him, and seeking refuge with Him.
- Remembering Allah through performing good deeds; this can be done, for example, by giving in charity, being generous, comforting people and relieving their distress.
- Remembering Allah by the heart and thoughts; this can be done by expressing love and longing for Almighty Allah, feeling His greatness, and practicing the morals commended by Him.
- Remembering Allah by performing acts of worship, such as salah, zakah, fasting, Hajj, and abstaining from sins and evil deeds, which are insinuated into one's mind by Satan or by one's own self.
In contrast to the remembrance of Allah, which is one of the greatest and most fruitful acts of worship, forgetting Allah is indeed the ugliest of sins. Sahl At-Tasturi said, "I do not know of a sin uglier than forgetting the Lord."
In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah says, “Verily! Those who wander astray from the Path of Allah (shall) have a severe torment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning”. (Saad 38:26)
“And be not like those who forgot Allah and He caused them to forget their own selves. Those are the defiantly disobedient to Allah”. (Al-Hashr 59:19)
“So, as soon as they forgot what they were reminded of, We opened upon them the gates of everything, until when they exulted with what was brought to them, We took them (away) suddenly; then lo, they were dumbfounded. So, the last trace of the people who did injustice was cut (off). And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.] (Al-An`am 6:44-45)
Praising Him is a Form of Remembrance
One of the forms of the remembrance of Allah is praising Him. The term Al-Hamd (praising) has been mentioned in the glorious Qur'an 38 times, five of which were in the openings of five surahs (chapters), namely, Al-Fatihah (Chapter 1), Al-An`am (Chapter 6), Al-Kahf(Chapter 18), Saba' (Chapter 34) and Fatir (Chapter 35). This indicates the importance of praising Allah the All-Praiseworthy. It is true to say that praising Allah encompasses remembering Him, being thankful to Him, invoking Him, and seeking refuge with Him.
Imam Al-Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) reported: “Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) said, "O my Lord, You have created Adam with Your Hands, and did such and such (graces)… so how can I thank You?" Allah, Exalted be He, said, "He (Moses) has known that all this is ascribed to Me, so I consider this knowledge as (a kind of) thankfulness”. (Ihya' `Ulum Al-Din, Vol. 4, p. 88)
Praising Allah is a key to worship, the language of the dwellers of Paradise, and a way to be close to Almighty Allah. It also indicates being submissive to Allah in ease and hardship, and in both grace and affliction. The ever-glorious Qur'an begins with praise, which is the first of the seven repeatedly recited verses (i.e. chapter of Al-Fatihah). Thus, millions of tongues pronounce it, and millions of hearts believe in it. It is noticeable that the phrase al-hamdu lillah(praise be to Allah) is the most repeated by people, and it is the one that comes to one's mind the most. Al-Hamd is more specific than extolling Allah, and more comprehensive than thanking Him.
One should know that everything, whether on earth or in the heavens, praises Allah the Exalted, and extols Him; be it a human being, an angel, a bird or a plant. Almighty Allah says, “The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not a thing but glorifies His Praise. But you understand not their glorification. Truly, He is Ever Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving”. (Al-Isra' 17:44)
And He also says, “And you will see the Angels encircling round about the Throne extolling with the praise of their Lord; and (justice) will be decreed between them with the Truth; and it will be said, "Praise be to Allah, the lord of the worlds”. (Az-Zumar 39:75)
Another Qur'anic verse states “And thunder glorifies and praises Him, and so do the angels because of His Awe. He sends the thunderbolts, and therewith He strikes whom He wills, yet they (disbelievers) dispute about Allah. And He is Mighty in strength and severe in punishment”. (Ar-Ra`d 13:13)
When to Praise and Remember
A Muslim is asked to praise Almighty Allah at all times, especially when he or she ponders on the miracles found in all creatures, including his or her own self. Upon this, a Muslim is to say by his heart and tongue “Praise be to Allah, the lord of the worlds.] or say [Praise be to Allah, Who (Alone) created the heavens and the earth, and originated the darkness and the light, yet those who disbelieve hold others as equal with their Lord”. (Al-An`am 6:1)
The noble Qur'an has connected remembering Allah, Exalted be He, and contemplating His creatures in a way that leads to acknowledging their Creator, believing in Him, and doing good deeds for His sake. Allah the Almighty says, “Those who remember Allah 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 be to You! Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.] (Aal `Imran 3:191)
By His grace, Almighty Allah has guided us to the right path. Reflecting upon this, we should continue praising and extolling Him, such as the following: “Praise be to Allah, Who guided us to this; and in no way could we have been guided, unless Allah has guided us”..(Al-A`raf 7:43) “All Extolment be to Him Who has subjected this to us, and in no way could we be ascribing comrades to Him. And surely to our Lord We are indeed returning”.(Az-Zukhruf 43:13-14)
Indeed, Almighty Allah has bestowed upon us countless favors. In return, we should be grateful to Him, saying “Praise be to Allah, Who has graced us over many of His believing servants”.(An-Naml 27:15)
And we should never do as Qarun did; he received Allah's graces with ingratitude, saying “This has been given to me only because of knowledge I possess”. (Al-Qasas28:78)
Also, when Almighty Allah saves us from any injustice we are subjected to, we should then say “Praise be to Allah, Who has saved us from the people who are oppressors”. (Al-Mu’minun 23:28)
Another occasion to praise Allah the All-Praiseworthy is when we feel happiness after sadness and relief after distress, at these times we should say “Praise be to Allah Who has put away (all) source of grief from us. Surely our Lord is indeed Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful”. (Fatir 35:34)
Furthermore, when we see that relief is coming after hardship, and that the people of the truth are approaching victory after having suffered defeat and despair, we should say what Almighty Allah asked Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to say; “And say, Praise be to Allah! He will soon show you His signs (and) then you will recognize them; and in no way is your Lord ever heedless of whatever you do”. (An-Naml 27:93)
How can Dhikr and Hamd be Practiced?
Dhikr can be practiced by the tongue, mind, heart and all the bodily organs. In other words, we can thank our Lord by uttering sentences of praise and extolment, and by doing good deeds and acts of worship. Every dhikr is an act of thankfulness. Moreover, using Allah's graces to obey Him, and protecting oneself from committing sins are also among the best acts of dhikrand thankfulness to Allah the Exalted.
Thus, a believing servant who remembers his Creator Allah while enjoying His blessings experiences happiness and bliss. On the other hand, when afflicted, a believer should remember Almighty Allah and thank Him so that He may bestow patience upon him, give him strength, make him more forbearing and help him to overcome the affliction.
An example showing that thanking Allah is not practiced by tongue only, but rather it should be accompanied by good deeds and acts of worship, is the following Qur'anic verse in which Almighty Allah says, “Do (righteousness), House of Dawudin thankfulness; and few of My bondmen are constantly thankful”. (Saba' 34:13)
Allah the Exalted combined working to earn one’s livelihood with doing acts of worship and being thankful to Him; He says, “So seek after (your) provision from the Providence of Allah, and worship Him, and be thankful to Him. To Him you will be returned”. (Al-`Ankabut 29:17)
Dhikr and Hamd make one feel the bliss of Paradise. It is as if when one remembers Allah, one enters His Paradise, feels close to Him, and looks at Him, the Exalted. At such a time a taste of sweetness passes into the body and soul – a sign that the door to Allah's mercy is widely open before him or her. They do heal the soul, take away sadness and through them the Muslim earns Allah's good pleasure.
Hence, the Muslims should continue remembering Almighty Allah and practicing dhikr until his heart, along with the door leading to Allah's mercy, are opened.
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