By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
December 25, 2012
The world at large and the Muslim world in particular is passing through the most difficult times of all. The controversies are not ready to die down or even lie low. There seems to be nothing but blood bath in the form of suicide attacks, bomb blasts, killings and other heinous crimes. Our society is engulfed in failures, depression and social evils never witnessed before. What we see around us is not the humanity but the shadow of a once vibrant human race. No one is happy. No one is satisfied. No one is ready to acknowledge the good deeds but is engaged in finding faults. Hypocrites are being honoured. Nobility is disgraced. The reasons for this chaos and spiritual and material anarchy are numerous.
Not much long ago, say some fifty years ago, there was a time when the whole world was at peace, notwithstanding the world wars. Though there was no world war after that, but in this world full of conflicts, each day there is a new ‘War’ being fought in which the whole world is in engaged. The humanity is fighting ‘world wars’ at various levels and for various causes particularly in the name of bringing ‘peace’ on earth. I will not talk much of the others, although I am squarely concerned for everyone. I wish to talk to my brethren in Islam aboiut the spiritual peace that can be achieved through the remembrance of Allah. And when the individual is at peace spiritually and mentally, the world is in peace. So, the main reason for this anarchy and disorder is that man has forgotten Allah and has engaged in earthly matters dissociating himself from the spiritual Master. I would like to quote the following verses from the Quran that put emphasis on the remembrance of God:
· Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (Qur'an 13: 28)
· "Therefore remember Me. I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and never show Me ingratitude" - 2:152
In my view, world will have to revert back to its old culture and custom of remembering Allah on every occasion, auspicious or whatever. There are Ninety-nine holy names of Allah, all having different effects and cure to different ills. One holy name or all the holy names together are enough to get His attention to get His mercy; His closeness as it is, His mercy and closeness can ward off all the evils and worries, despair or depression. This is also corroborated by the following Hadith:
· And Prophet Muhammad (saw) says, "Allah the Most High says, 'I am with my slave when he thinks of Me and I am with him when he mentions Me. For if he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in a gathering, I mention him in a superior gathering (in the gathering of angels in the heavens). If he approaches Me by a hand's width, I approach him by an arm's length. If he approaches me by an arm’s length, I approach him by two arms length. And if he comes to me walking, I hasten to him swiftly.'" –( Al-Bukhari 8/171, Muslim 4/2061; this wording is from Al-Bukhari.)
Therefore, we should remember him in solitude and in gatherings and seek His blessings on every occasion, and He being the most Merciful and Benevolent and Kind will shower his blessings, benevolence and kindness on us. Do we need anything more for a peaceful and successful life.
Where does God reside? Where to go to find Him?
The above mentioned Hadith says, “If he comes to me walking” it means you have to go to Him, wherever He is found. He is found in a hut of a widow and with an orphan, with a patient, with a hapless person, with a crying kid. And what do you do, you search for Him, in a mosque, in a religious congregation, in the killings in the name of religion, in suicide attacks, in sectarianism and in burning peoples abode, in making children orphans and in turning women into widows. Be sure God, the Almighty does not live there. God is found in the hearts of the needy and the happy faces of the playing kids. Therefore, if we seek His benevolence and kindness, we will have to keep visiting the people and places where He is found.
Remembrance of Allah
· You who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. (Quran 63: 9)
It is a pleasure to present the above mentioned beauty of a verse to you. Allah, is All Knower, He knew a day will come which will be thoroughly ‘materialistic’ when every relationship, will be weighed in gold not in love and affection, and the love of wealth and property and children will divert His slaves to forgetfulness and ingratitude to Him. Hence, this verse. Today, we are surrounded by all kinds of evils because we have no time ‘to walk to Him’ or even to remember Him in privacy because of our mind being pre-occupied with ‘how to gain materialist pleasure’.
Remembrance of Allah does not require any particular space, physical condition as is described by the scholar of hadith An-Nawawi:
· An-Nawawi said: scholars agreed that remembrance, by (both) heart and tongue, is permissible for one who has broken his ablution, who is ritually unclean, or for the menstrual and postpartum women. This includes glorification (saying: Subhan Allah), praise (saying: al-Hamdulillah), saying Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greater), saying la Ilaha Ila Allah (there is no god but Allah), asking Allah to send his peace and blessings on the messenger of Allah (pbuh) and supplication. This is unlike the case of reciting the Qur’an.
Scholars of Islam agree with the point that we can remember Allah, to ourselves or in a gathering irrespective of our physical cleanliness or un-cleanliness. This provides us with opportunities of getting Allah’s blessings at every given point of time and place. So graceful is the Master of the universe that is always ready to bestow upon us the best we need.
Remembrance of our Creator is to glorify Him and to feel at peace of mind and heart. We can do this just by saying, Subhan Allah, al-Hamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, La Ilaha Ila Allah and so on and so forth.
Glory is to Allah. The Quran says,
· “You who believe! When you meet [an enemy] force, take a firm stand against them and remember the Name of Allah much [both with tongue and mind], so that you may be successful.” (Quran 8: 45)
In the following authentic Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) asks an octogenarian not to worry if he is unable to adhere to the demands of the commandments of Islam.
· "A man came to the Prophet and said, Messenger of Allah, the commandments of Islam have become too much for me, and I am old in age; so inform of something that I can adhere to.' He said, `That your tongue (continually) remains moist with the remembrance of Allah."
So it is clear “Zikr al Allah” is the Panacea to all problems human being can face in this earthly life.
Benefits of Zikr (remembrance)
Out of countless benefits of Zikr, I mention below some of them for your kind perusal.
1. It leads one to love more, which is the spirit of Islam.
2. It opens the door of knowledge and understanding.
3. It eliminates sins.
4. Zikr saves one from Allah's punishment.
5. Zikr is the easiest form of worship, yet its reward is enormous.
6. A person who remembers Allah in seclusion, and whose eyes are then flooded with tears will be shaded on the Day of Resurrection by Allah.
7. It removes anxiety and distress from the heart and brings happiness and joy.
8. It illuminates the face and heart.
9. It brings wealth and livelihood.
The Day of Judgement will come when there will not be a single soul to remember Allah. This is the
In an authentic Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) says:
· "The example of one who remembers his Lord in relation to one who does not remember his Lord is that of the living and the dead."
May we all be counted among the ‘living being’ on earth
Vibrant with the name of God in the heart,
And not be like a wandering soul, which has no purpose and no goal.
واللہ اعلم با لصواب (And God knows the best what is right)
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/remember-allah-be-peace/d/9798