Authentic Hadith pertaining to THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH ZIKR Extracted from Imam Nawawi’s Reference “The Gardens of Righteousness” translated and presented by Shaykh Ahmad Darwish, Anne (Khadeijah) Stephens Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com ©1984-2012 Darwish Family. All rights reserved BOOK 61 VIRTUES OF EXALTING AND REMEMBERING ALLAH Allah, the Exalted says: “.... The remembrance of Allah is greater, and Allah knows what you do.” 29:45 Koran “So remember Me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me and do not be ungrateful towards Me.” 2:152 Koran “Remember your Lord in your soul with humility and fear, and not with a loud voice, morning and evening, and do not be among the inattentive.” 7:205 Koran “..... and remember Allah often, so that you prosper.” 62:10 Koran “For men and women who have surrendered - believing men and women; obedient men and women; truthful men and women, patient men and women, humble men and women, men and women who give charity, men and women who fast, men and women who guard their privates, men and women who remember Allah in abundance, for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a mighty wage.” 33:35 Koran “Believers, remember Allah frequently, exalt Him at dawn and in the evening.” 33:41-42 Koran VALUABLE EXALTATIONS TWO IMPORTANT PHRASES |H 1437 “There are two phrases that are easy on the tongue, but are heavy in the balance and are loved by the Most Merciful, 'Exalted is Allah with His Praise, Exalted is Allah, the Great.'” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. PRAISING ALLAH |H 1438 "The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said that I (Abu Hurairah) should say, 'Glory be to Allah, and to Allah belongs all praise, and there is god except Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.' And this is dearer to me than all the things upon which the sun rises." Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. A VERY GREAT REWARD |H 1439 “Whosoever says, 'There is no god except Allah, Alone, who has no associate, His is the Kingdom and His the praise and He has power over all things' a hundred times a day will receive a reward equal to that of freeing ten slaves and a hundred good deeds will be credited to him and a hundred of his sins will be wiped out and he will be safeguarded against satan until nightfall. No one will come with better than that which he has come with except a man who says more than him." He also said: “The sins of a person even if they are like the foam on the sea will be wiped out if he recites a hundred times in the day: ‘Exalted is Allah and to Him belongs all praise’" Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. A SUPPLICATION WITH A LOT OF REWARD |H 1440 “Whosoever recites: 'There is no god except Allah, the One, who has no associate, His is the Kingdom and His is the Praise, and He has Power over all things' ten times is like the one who sets free four persons from among the descendants of Ishmael.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Ayoub Ansari who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. THE PHRASE ALLAH LIKES MOST |H 1441 “The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said to me (Abu Dharr) ‘Shall I tell you which phrase is most liked by Allah? The phrase which is most liked by Allah is: Exalted is Allah and worthy of all praise.'" Muslim with a chain up to Abu Dharr who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. VALUABLE PHRASES |H 1462 “The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, left her (Lady Juwairiah, wife of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with her, Mother of Believers) room one morning after the dawn prayer while she was praying. He returned after the sun had risen and found her still sitting in her place, whereupon he inquired’ ‘Have you remained like this since I left you?’ She replied that she had. Then the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, ‘After I left you, I recited four phrases three times. If they were weighed against that which you have said this morning they would be weightier. They are: Exalted is Allah with His praise as the number of His creation, as His pleasure as the weight of His Throne, as the ink of His Words." We are also informed: “Exalted is Allah as the number of His creation. Exalted is Allah as His pleasure. Exalted is Allah as the weight of His Throne. Exalted is Allah as the ink of His Words." Muslim with a chain up to Lady Juwairiah, daughter of Harith, wife of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with her, Mother of Believers who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. EXALTING ALLAH |H 1463 “Shall I teach you some phrases which you might recite? ‘Exalted is Allah as the number of His creation. Exalted is Allah as the number of His creation. Exalted is Allah as the number of His creation. Exalted is Allah according to His pleasure. Exalted is Allah according to His pleasure. Exalted is Allah according to His pleasure. Exalted is Allah as the weight of His Throne. Exalted is Allah as the weight of His Throne. Exalted is Allah as the weight of His Throne. Exalted is Allah as the ink of His Words. Exalted is Allah as the ink of His Words. Exalted is Allah as the ink of His Words.’" Tirmidhi narrated this. ONE OF THE TREASURES OF PARADISE |H 1474 “Shall I inform you of one of the treasures of Paradise?’ Abu Musa replied, ‘Certainly, O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him.’ He said, ‘It is: There is no strength nor power except through Allah.'" Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Musa who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. SUPERIORITY OF ZIKR THE EXAMPLE OF THOSE WHO MAKE ZIKR AND THOSE WHO DO NOT |H 1464 “The example of one who remembers his Lord and of one who does not remember his Lord is like that of the living and the dead.” Bukhari with a chain up to Abu Musa Ash'ari who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. HOUSE IN WHICH ALLAH IS REMEMBERED |H 1465 “The example of a house in which Allah is remembered, and of one in which Allah is not remembered is like that of the living and the dead.” Muslim narrated REMEMBERANCE OF ALLAH |H 1466 “Allah, the Exalted, said, 'I am to a worshiper of Mine as he imagines Me to be. I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his mind/thought I remember him in My mind; and if he remembers Me in company I remember him in better company.'" Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. THOSE WHO REMEMBER ALLAH WILL EXCEL |H 1467 "The 'Mufarradun’ will outstrip the rest. He was asked, ‘Who are the 'Mufarradun?’ He replied, ‘They are the men and women who remember Allah a lot.’" Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. BEST REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH |H 1468 “The best remembrance of Allah is: There is no god except Allah." Tirmidhi with a chain up to Jabir who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. KEEP MAKING ZIKR |H 1469 “A man asked the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, there are a lot of Islamic ordinances, so kindly tell me something to which I should hold fast.’ He replied saying, ‘Let your tongue be constantly occupied with the remembrance of Allah.’" Tirmidhi with a chain up to Abdullah the son of Busr who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. BLESSINGS OF EXALTING ALLAH |H 1473 “He (Sa'ad, the son of Abi Wakkas) was with the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, when they passed a woman who had a pile of date stones (or pebbles) in front of her which she used to count the number of exaltations of Allah she made, and he asked her, ‘Shall I inform you of a way which will be easier or better for you than this?’ Say, ‘Exalted is Allah in the number of those He has created in the heaven. Exalted is Allah in the number of those He has created in the earth. Exalted is Allah in the number of those between the two. Exalted is Allah in the number of those He will create.' Then say: 'Allah is Great' together with these phrases and 'All praise belongs to Allah' together with these phrases and 'There is no god except Allah' together with these phrases and 'There is no strength nor power except through Allah' together with these phrases." Tirmidhi with a chain up to Sa'ad the son of Abi Wakkas who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. THE PLANTS OF PARADISE DATE TREES IN PARADISE |H 1470 “For whosoever says, 'Exalted is Allah and to Him belongs all praise' a date tree is planted in Paradise.” Tirmidhi with a chain up to Jabir who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. DESCRIPTION OF PARADISE |H 1471 “The night of my Ascent I met Abraham and he said to me, 'Muhammad, convey my salaam to your nation and tell them that Paradise is a place which is vast and spacious with pure soil and sweet water and that its plants are: Exalted is Allah. All praise is due to Allah. There is no god except Allah, and Allah is Great.'” Tirmidhi with a chain up to ibn Mas'ud who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. THE WEIGHT OF MAKING ZIKR (THE REMBRANCE OF ALLAH) |H 1472 “Shall I tell you what your best deed is and the purest with your King, which raises your rank to the highest, and is better for you than spending gold and silver, and is even better for you than if you should engaged with the enemy and cut off their necks, and they cut off yours?" The Companions replied, ‘Indeed, tell us!’ He told them: ‘It is the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted.’" Tirmidhi with a chain up to Abu Darda' who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH IN EVERY TIME AND SITUATION Allah, the Exalted says: “Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those with minds. Those who remember Allah when standing, sitting, and on their sides, and contemplate upon the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying:) 'Lord, You have not created these in falsehood. Exaltations to You! Guard us against the punishment of the Fire.'” 3:190-191 Koran PRACTICE OF THE PROPHET, praise and peace be upon him |H 1475 “The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, remembered Allah on each occasion.” Muslim with a chain up to Lady Ayesha, wife of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with her, Mother of Believers who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. SUPPLICATION BEFORE SLEEPING WITH YOUR SPOUSE |H 1476 “When you sleep with your wife and supplicate, 'In the Name of Allah, keep us away from satan, O Allah, and keep satan away from that which You may give to us.' If a child is written for you it will not be harmed by him.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to ibn Abbas who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. VIRTUES OF BEING IN A GATHERING FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH AND THE PROHIBITION OF DISASSOCIATION FROM SUCH GATHERINGS Allah, the Exalted says: “And be patient with those who call to their Lord in the morning and evening, desiring His Face. And do not turn your eyes away from them.....” 18:28 Koran MAKING ZIKR IN A GROUP |H 1478 “There are groups of the angels of Allah who circulate in the streets in search of people remembering Allah. When they find people remembering Allah, the Most Exalted, they call to one another, 'Come to what you want' and they cover them with their wings up to the sky.’ Then they return to their Lord who asks them - and He is most Knowledgeable - 'What were My worshipers saying?' They report, 'They pronounce Your Exaltations, Exalting You, and praise You and glorify You.’ He - Allah, the Most High – inquires, 'Have they seen Me?' They answer. 'By Allah no, they have not seen You.' Allah, the Exalted inquires, 'What if they saw Me? They answer, 'If they saw You they would be more diligent in Your worship and Your exaltation and in proclaiming Your Holiness.' Then He, the Mighty, the Glorified inquires, 'What do they ask of Me.' They answer, ‘They ask of You Paradise.' Allah inquires, 'Have they seen it?' They answer, 'By Allah, no they have not seen it.' Then Allah inquires, ‘What if they saw it?' They answer, 'If they saw it they would desire it more and seek it more and yearn more for it.' Then Allah inquires: 'From what do they seek protection? They answer, ‘They seek protection from the Fire.' And He inquires. 'Have they seen it?' They answer. 'No, by Allah, they have not seen it.' Allah inquires, 'What if they saw it?' The angels answer. 'If they saw it they would run from it more and would fear it more.' Then Allah says, ‘I call upon you to witness that I forgive them.' One of the angels then says, 'Among them was so and so, he is not one of them. He came to You for some purpose of his own.' Allah says, 'They were sitting together therefore even their companion will not go unrewarded.'” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. WHAT THE ANGELS LOOK FOR |H 1479 “Allah has a company of angels who travel constantly looking for gatherings that meet together for the remembrance of Allah. When they find a gathering of remembrance they sit down with them and cover one another with their wings so that the space between them and the sky is filled. When the gathering disperses the angels arise and ascend to the heaven. Allah, the Mighty, the Glorified, asks them - and Allah is most Knowledgeable - ‘Where have you come from?’ They answer, ‘We have come from some of Your worshipers on earth who proclaim Your Holiness, Your Greatness and Your Oneness, praising You and supplicating to You.’ Allah inquires, ‘What do they ask of Me?’ The angels answer. ‘They ask of You Your Paradise.’ Allah inquires, ‘Have they seen My Paradise?’ They answer, ‘No, Lord.’ Then He inquires, ‘What if they were to see My Paradise?’ The angels then say, ‘They also seek Your protection.’ Allah inquires, ‘From what do they seek My protection?’ They answer, ‘From Your Fire, O Lord.’ Then He asks, ‘Have they seen my Fire?’ They reply, ‘No.’ And He inquires, ‘What if they were to see My Fire?’ Then the angels say, ‘And they ask for Your forgiveness.’ Then Allah, the Exalted says, ‘I have forgiven them, and given them what they ask for and have granted them My protection against that from which they seek protection.’ The angels then say, ‘O, Lord, there was among them a worshiper who has committed a lot of sins who happened to pass by and sat down among them.’ Allah, the Exalted says, ‘I have forgiven him also. They are a gathering of people, their attendant shall not be unfortunate.’" Muslim narrated this. ANGELS SURROUND THOSE MAKING ZIKR AND ALLAH MENTIONS THEM |H 1480 “When people gather for the remembrance of Allah its members are surrounded by angels and they are covered by mercy, and comfort descends upon them and Allah makes mention of them to those around Him.” Muslim with a chain up to Abu Sa'id Khudri and Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. ALLAH RESPONDS TO YOU |H 1481 “When the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was seated in the Mosque surrounded by people, three men came in. Two of them approached him and the third turned away. Of the two, one noticed a gap between those who were seated and seated himself there and the other sat down behind those who were seated. When the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, finished his talk, he said, ‘I shall tell you about these three. One of them sought refuge with Allah and Allah gave him shelter. The second felt shy and Allah treated him in the same manner. The third turned away and Allah turned away from him.’" Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Harith the son of Auf who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. ALLAH IS PROUD OF THOSE MAKING ZIKR |H 1482 “Mu'awiah came into the Mosque and saw a group sitting there. He asked them, ‘Why are you sitting here?’ They answered, ‘We are gathered for the remembrance of Allah.’ He inquired, ‘Do you call Allah to witness that this is your only purpose?’ They answered, ‘That is so.’ He told them, ‘I did not put you on oath out of suspicion. When it comes to reporting something via him no one with the same relationship to the Messenger, praise and peace be upon him, as I, had less narrations.’ On one occasion, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, came upon a company of his Companions and inquired, ‘What has brought you together?’ They answered, ‘We are seated together remembering Allah and praising Him for having guided us to Islam and for having conferred this favor upon us.’ He inquired, ‘Do you call Allah to witness that this is your only purpose?’ They answered, ‘Allah is our witness that is our only purpose.’ He said, ‘I did not put you on oath out of doubt, but Gabriel came to me and told me that Allah is proud of you amongst the angels.’" Muslim with a chain up to Abu Sa'id Khudri who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH IN THE MORNING AND EVENING Allah, the Exalted says: “Remember your Lord in your soul with humility and fear, and not with a loud voice, morning and evening, and do not be inattentive.” 7:205 Koran “..... and exalt with the praise of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset. And in the watches of the night and at the edges of the day, exalt Him, so that you will be pleasing.” 20:130 Koran “..... and exalt with the praise of your Lord in the evening and at dawn.” 40:55 Koran “In houses which Allah has allowed to be raised up, and His Name to be remembered therein. In the morning and evening are men who exalt Him there, whom neither trade nor sale can divert from the remembrance of Allah......” 24:36-37 Koran “We subjected the mountains to exalt (Me) with him in the evening and at sunrise.” 38:19 Koran HOW NOT TO BE SURPASSED IN GOOD DEEDS |H 1483 “Whosoever recites in the morning and evening: 'Exalted is Allah and all praise belongs to Him' a hundred times, will not be surpassed by any one in good deeds on the Day of Judgement unless it is by someone who has recited the same like him or more.” Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. INDEX THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH ZIKR BOOK 61 KORAN VALUABLE EXALTATIONS TWO IMPORTANT PHRASES PRAISING ALLAH A VERY GREAT REWARD A SUPPLICATION WITH A LOT OF REWARD THE PHRASE ALLAH LIKES MOST VALUABLE PHRASES EXALTING ALLAH ONE OF THE TREASURES OF PARADISE SUPERIORITY OF ZIKR THE EXAMPLE OF THOSE WHO MAKE ZIKR AND THOSE WHO DO NOT HOUSE IN WHICH ALLAH IS REMEMBERED REMEMBERANCE OF ALLAH THOSE WHO REMEMBER ALLAH WILL EXCEL BEST REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH KEEP MAKING ZIKR BLESSINGS OF EXALTING ALLAH PLANTS OF PARADISE DATE TREES IN PARADISE DESCRIPTION OF PARADISE THE WEIGHT OF MAKING ZIKR (THE REMBRANCE OF ALLAH) THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH IN EVERY TIME AND SITUATION KORAN PRACTICE OF THE PROPHET, praise and peace be upon him SUPPLICATION BEFORE SLEEPING WITH YOUR SPOUSE VIRTUES OF BEING IN A GATHERING FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH AND THE PROHIBITION OF DISASSOCIATION FROM SUCH GATHERINGS KORAN MAKING ZIKR IN A GROUP WHAT THE ANGELS LOOK FOR ANGELS SURROUND THOSE MAKING ZIKR AND ALLAH MENTIONS THEM ALLAH RESPONDS TO YOU ALLAH IS PROUD OF THOSE MAKING ZIKR REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH IN THE MORNING AND EVENING KORAN HOW NOT TO BE SURPASSED IN GOOD DEEDS