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“Whoever recites the words, ‘Glory be to Allāh and His is the praise,’ will have a palm tree planted for him in the Garden.”

The Excellence of the Remberance of Allāh

Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728 AH) – raḥimahullāh – wrote, “Remembrance of Allāh is to the heart what water is to fish. What happens to a fish when it is taken out of water?”  Imām Shams al-Dīn Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d.751 AH) – raḥimahullāh – wrote about nearly eighty benefits that come with the remembrance (dhikr) of Allāh in his book al-Wābil al-Ṣayyib. We shall quote some of them here, although we recommend the reader to refer to this book itself because of its great value. Remembrance of Allāh is sustenance for both the heart and the spirit. If the servant is deprived of it he becomes like a body which has been deprived of food.

Remembrance of Allāh also drives away Shayṭān, suppressing him and breaking him; it is pleasing to the Merciful, Might and Exalted is He, dispels worry and melancholy from the heart, adorns it with delight and joy, fills the heart and face with light, and cloaks the one who remembers Allāh with dignity, gentleness and freshness. It instills love for Allāh, fear of Him, and relating all matters to Him. It also enhances Allāh’s remembrance of His servant, for as Allāh says, even if this were the only reward for the remembrance of Allāh, it would be mercy and honour enough, for such a heart is always aware and free from wrong actions. Although remembrance is one of the easiest forms of worship, the mercy and honour that it brings cannot be achieved by any other means.

Abū Hurayrah (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu) reported that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said, “Whoever recites the words: There is no one worthy of worship but Allāh, the One, having no partner with Him. Sovereignty belongs to Him and All praise is due to Him, and He is Powerful over everything”, one hundred times every day, there is a reward equal to freeing ten slaves for him, and a hundred good actions are recorded for him, and a hundred wrong actions are removed from his record. That is a safeguard for him against Shayṭān on that day until evening, and no one brings anything more excellent than this, except the one who has done more than this (that is, who recites these words more than one hundred times).”^[1]

Jābir (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu) reported that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said, “Whoever recites the words, ‘Glory be to Allāh and His is the praise.’, will have a palm tree planted for him in the Garden.”^[2]

Ibn Masʿūd (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu) said, “To Praise Allāh, may He be Exalted, is more dear to me than spending the same number of dīnārs (as the number of times I praise Him) in the way of Allāh.” Remembrance of Allāh is a remedy for hard hearts. A man once told al-Ḥasan, “O Abā Saʿīd, I complain to you about the hardness of my heart.” He said, “Soften it with the remembrance of Allāh.” Makhūl said, “Remembrance of Allāh is (a sign of) health, while remembrance of people is like a disease.” A man once asked Salmān, “Which deeds are the best?” He said, “Haven’t you read in the Qurʾān:  “And the remembrance of Allāh is greatest.” [Al-ʿAnkabūt, 29:45] 

The Prophet (ṣallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) said, “The difference between the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not is like the difference between the living and the dead.”^[3]

ʿAbdullāh ibn Busr (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu) related that a man once told the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), “The roads to good are many and I am unable to take all of them, so please tell me something to which I can hold fast, but do not overburden me lest I forget it.” He said, “Make sure that your tongue is moist and supple with the remembrance of Allāh, the Exalted.”^[4]

Continual remembrance of Allāh increases a servant’s good witnesses upon the Day of Resurrection. It is a means which prevents him from talking in the wrong way, such as backbiting and spreading tales and their like. Either the tongue is mentioning Allāh and remembering Him, or it is talking incorrectly.

Whoever has the gates of remembrance opened to him has an opening to his Lord, Mighty and Glorious is He, through which he will find what he seeks. If he finds Allāh, he has found everything. If he misses the opportunity, he has missed everything.

There are several types of remembrance. The remembrance of the Names of Allāh, Mighty and Glorious is He, the remembrance of His Attributes, and praising Him and thanking Him. All of these can take the form of saying, for example, ‘Glory be to Allāh’, ‘Praise be to Allāh’, ‘There is no one worthy of worship except Allāh.’ A servant can also remember Allāh by referring to His Names and Attributes, such as by saying, for example, “Allāh, Mighty and Glorious is He, Hears all that his servants say and do.”; or by mentioning what He has commanded and what He has forbidden, such as saying, “Allāh, the Mighty and Glorious, commands such and such, or forbids such and such.”

The Best Remembrance:

A servant can also remember Allāh by talking about His blessings, while the best type of remembrance is the recitation of the Qurʾān, because this contains remedies to cure the heart from all illnesses. Allāh, the Exalted, says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“O mankind, there has come to you a protection from your Lord and a healing for what is in your hearts, and for those who believe, a guidance and a mercy.”
[Yūnus, 10:57]

And also:

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“We send down in the Qurʾān that which is a healing and a mercy for those who believe.”
[Al-Isrāʾ, 17:82]

All the illnesses of the heart result from desires and doubt, and the Qurʾān is a cure for both. It has enough clear signs and proofs to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and thus it cures the diseases of doubt which ruin knowledge, understanding and perception, by enabling a person to see things as they really are.

Whoever studies the Qurʾān, and allows it to be absorbed by his heart, will recognize truth and falsehood and will be able to distinguish between them, just as he is able to distinguish between night and day.

As for curing the diseases that arise from desires, it is because it contains wisdom and good counsel. This recommends avoiding worldly gains and inspires a yearning for the Hereafter. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) once said, “Whoever wants to love Allāh and His Messenger should read the Qurʾān.”^[5]

The Qurʾān is also the best means for bringing the servant nearer to his Lord, Glorious and Exalted is He. Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt said to a man, “Draw closer to Allāh as much as you can, and remember that you can do so by no means more pleasing to Him than using His own words.”

Ibn Masʿūd (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu) said, “Whoever loves the Qurʾān loves Allāh and His Messenger,” and ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu) said, “If your hearts were really pure, they would never have enough of reciting Allāh’s words.”

All in all, the most beneficial thing for the servant is to remember Allāh, Mighty and Glorious is He, constantly:

أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

“Surely in the remembrance of Allāh do hearts find rest.”
[Al-Raʿd, 13:28]