Remembering Allah ﷻ

بسم الله والحمد الله

والصلاة واسلام على رسول الله

- By Ruh

As we live our daily lives, we find that we get distracted from the remembrance of Allah ﷻ even though we deeply wish to be in constant remembrance of Him ﷻ. This was also something the companion's of the Prophet ﷺ struggled with this, may Allah be pleased with them.

Hanzalah Al-Usayyidi (ra) narrated:

I met Abu Bakr (ra), he said: "How are you O Hanzalah?" I said, "Hanzalah has become a hypocrite". He said, "Far removed is Allah from every imperfection, what are you saying?" I said, "When we are in the company of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he reminds us of Hellfire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our very eyes, and when we are away from Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we attend to our wives, our children, our business, most of these things (pertaining to life hereafter) slip out of our minds." Abu Bakr (ra) said, "By Allah, I also experience the same thing". So Abu Bakr (ra) and I went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Hanzalah has turned hypocrite." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "What has happened to you?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah, when we are in your company, and are reminded of Hell-fire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we go away from you and attend to our wives, children and business, much of these things go out of our minds." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my life if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah), the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your roads; but Hanzalah, time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time should be devoted (to prayer)". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said this thrice.

- [Sahih Muslim]

From this beautiful hadith we can see that even the greatest of people were not in a state of constant remembrance, for we all have worldly matters which we must tend to, so do not be so hard on yourself,  rather, take heed of the advice of the Prophet ﷺ, "time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time should be devoted (to prayer)".

Attending to our worldly affairs can also be seen as a form of worship, so long as our intentions are connected to Allah ﷻ. For example, being busy with business in order to seek a halal provision, in education with the hope to benefit the ummah and with our families, so that we can instill tranquility and love within the homes.

From this hadith we can also see what it means to remember Allah ﷻ: "O Messenger of Allah, when we are in your company, and are reminded of Hellfire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our own eyes".

The mentioning of Jannah and Jahannam implies what it is they (ra) were concerned with and the goal they (ra) had made firm. In order to be in remembrance, we must put in effort, especially in our free time and ensure that our free time is not used in disobedience to Allah ﷻ,  a conscious decision. Tending to our wordly affairs does not necessarily mean that we are in dissidence, rather, it only becomes disobedience when we cross the boundaries set by Allah ﷻ. Spend your free time in dhikr, in learning about the Prophet ﷺ, in reciting, learning and contemplating on the meanings of the Quran. Learn about what is halal and haram and focus on how you can implement this knowledge into your lives. Read books from our pious scholars (rh), search into your heart for the diseases locked deep within, and work to improve yourself. Remembrance of Allah ﷻ is something that must be worked for, with effort, just as we put effort into our worldy affaris; "time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time should be devoted (to prayer)".

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Verily, in the body is a piece of flesh which, if sound, the entire body is sound, and if corrupt, the entire body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart."

- [Sahih al-Bukhari]

Imaan takes residence in the heart, but so do other things if we let it and sometimes they can be in battle with each other for ownership of the heart. If we do not strive to clean the heart then we will struggle to be in remembrance of Him ﷻ. This is something everyone goes through. There are steps one can take to make their heart firm on Imaan, such as removing sins from ones life, practicing humility and patience, adorning the heart with faith, and making sincere dua to Allah ﷻ:

˹They say,˺ “Our Lord! Do not let our hearts deviate after you have guided us. Grant us Your mercy. You are indeed the Giver ˹of all bounties˺.

- [Ali-Imran – 3:8]

Anas (ra) reported:

The Prophet (ﷺ) would often say, “O Turner of the hearts, affirm my heart upon Your religion!” I said, “O Messenger of Allah, we believe in you and in that with which you were sent. Do you fear for us?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Yes, for the hearts are between the fingers of Allah. He turns them whichever way He wills.”

- [at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

Our hearts will always fluctuate in our levels of Imaan, this is why there are times we feel highly spiritual and other times we feel exhausted, even though our worship has been the same. Always ask Allah ﷻ to guide you, to keep you firm. Do not give up, use each trial as a means to get closer to Allah ﷻ and each mistake as a means to return to Him ﷻ.

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِك

O Turner of the hearts, affirm my heart upon Your religion!