Remembrance of Allah (with Sign Language) - Qari Zakaullah Saleem

Khutbah al-Ula — Opening Sermon

أَمَّا بَعْدُ — فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ.

The Believer and the Remembrance of Allah

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, one of the biggest and greatest differences between a believer and a non-believer is that the believer remembers Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. He remembers Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in every single moment of his life. He never ever forgets his Lord, his Creator, his Khaliq, his Raziq, his Provider. He never forgets Him. Rather he remembers Him Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram day and night in various ways.

He remembers Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram by performing his five daily prayers. He remembers Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by reciting His final book, Al-Quran ul-Hakeem. He remembers Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram by making du'a and raising his hands and supplicating to Him subhanahu wa ta'ala. He remembers Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram every single moment and he never forgets Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram.

As for the non-believer, he does not remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. If he remembers, then he remembers very little — to a level that is not sufficient in the sight of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. In fact, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has criticized those who remember Allah but not to the level that they should be remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has said in the Quran — He makes mention of the munafiqeen, the hypocrites, those who used to attend the masjid of our beloved Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam. In fact, they used to pray behind the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam. They used to join the congregational prayer with the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam in Madina al-Munawwara, in the masjid of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Yet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has disgraced them saying: whenever they stand up for the salah, they stand up but in the state of laziness — they stand in the salah but lazy — and they do not remember Allah except very little.

So even the one who remembers Allah very little — that is not sufficient in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So we, as believers, are required and obliged to remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala every single day.

Quranic Encouragement to Remember Allah

That is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has encouraged us in the Quran to remember Him all the time. Allah says in Surah al-Ahzab:

O you who believed, remember Allah with abundant remembrance and glorify Him every single morning and evening.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has praised those who remember Him in a very praiseworthy way in Surah al-Ahzab again — when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed the ayah on the request of some of the female companions of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. They approached the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam showing their concerns regarding the ayat of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala directly addresses the believers and particularly believing men. Whenever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran "O you who believed," according to the Arabic language and grammar, the word الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا is used for men, not for women. So the female companions of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam approached him and said: "How come Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala never mentions us in the Quran? Whenever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala addresses the believers, He uses the word الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا for men." Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed the ayah in Surah al-Ahzab:

Indeed, those Muslim men and Muslim women, believing men and believing women, those men who repent to Allah and those women who return to Allah in repentance, those men who are patient and those women who are patient, those men who fear Allah and those women who fear Allah, those men who give in charity and those women who give in charity, those men who fast and those women who fast, those men who safeguard their chastity and safeguard their private parts and do not commit sin and adultery, and those women as well — and those men who remember Allah abundantly and those women who remember Allah as well — Allah has prepared for all of them great reward and forgiveness.

Allah has praised those men and women who remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. If we ponder and reflect on this particular verse of the Quran, we come to know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has made mention of various characteristics, qualities, and good deeds that believers perform — and there is only one good deed when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned it and added the word كَثِيرًا — and that is the dhikr, the remembrance of Allah. Those who remember Allah kathiran — a lot, all the time — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has praised them.

Those of True Intellect Remember Allah

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has also praised those who remember Him in Surah Ali Imran, saying:

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the exchange of the night and day there are many signs for those who have intellect. In the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the true intellectual — those who have right intellect — are the ones who remember Allah while they are standing, while they are sitting down, and even while they are lying down. And they always ponder on the creation of Allah and they say and glorify Him saying: "O our Lord, You have created nothing useless."

This gives us a lesson: if someone does not remember Allah, he cannot be a person of right intellect. No matter how much he has achieved in his life — the one who is very accomplished in the field of science but does not remember Allah, or does not even believe in Allah — according to the Quran and the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, such a person is not a person of right intellect.

Hearts That Tremble at the Remembrance of Allah

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has praised those believing men and women who remember Allah to the level that, out of the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, their hearts start trembling. Allah says in Surah al-Anfal:

Indeed, the true believers are the ones when Allah is remembered — when Allah is mentioned, when the name of Allah is mentioned, when the glory of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is mentioned to them — their hearts start shivering and trembling. This is the importance of the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Ahadith on the Importance of Dhikr

If we look at the ahadith of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has encouraged us in many of his ahadith to remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. There are many, many ahadith and the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has also shown us the importance of remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala through his daily life and his actions.

If we look at the statements of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam regarding the importance of remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said in a hadith reported by Imam at-Tirmidhi and Imam Ibn Majah on the authority of Abu Darda radiyallahu anhu:

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3377; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3790 — on the authority of Abu Darda radiyallahu anhu)

"Shall I not inform you of the best of your deeds, the purest of them with your Lord — your Sustainer, your King, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — and the highest in ranks in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and the deed that is even better than spending gold and silver in the way of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and the good deed that is even better than encountering your enemies and fighting in the way of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?" The companions said, "Do inform us of such a good deed that is better than all of these actions." The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: "The remembrance of Allah — remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala all the time."

The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam also said:

The one who remembers Allah and the one who does not remember Allah — the difference between the two is like the difference between the living and the dead. The one who remembers Allah is a living creature of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and the one who does not remember Allah — although he is walking on the earth — in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he is dead. Remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala all the time, every single day.

This is one of the biggest obligations that we as Muslims, as believers, have upon us to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has also warned us against not remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He sallallahu alaihi wasallam said in a hadith reported on the authority of our mother Aisha radiyallahu anha:

(Musnad Ahmad, on the authority of Muadh ibn Jabal radiyallahu anhu; similar narrations are also reported from other companions)

There is not a single moment in this dunya that passes by a believer in which he does not remember Allah except he will regret for that moment on the Day of Judgment. Any single breath and moment that you take in this life and you do not remember Allah — these moments, these seconds and minutes and hours and days and nights and weeks and months and years — will become a means of regret for you on the Day of Judgment. Remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is our obligation.

The Prophet's Daily Routine of Dhikr

That is why, if we look at the Seerah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, we come to know that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam used to remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala all the time. Our mother Aisha radiyallahu anha says: the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam used to remember Allah every single moment.

Truly, if we look at the daily routine of our Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, we come to know that he sallallahu alaihi wasallam remembered Allah day and night, every single moment. When the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam would wake up in the morning, the very first thing he would do was remember Allah. And this is what he sallallahu alaihi wasallam has taught us and encouraged us to do. He has encouraged us to say:

All praises are due to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the One who has given us life after He caused us to die — for sleep is similar to dying and death. Then the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam would recite the last few verses of Surah Ali Imran, then he would stand up for his night prayer. He would remember Allah, performing long qiyam, ruku', and sujud, remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala continuously all the way up to Fajr time.

He sallallahu alaihi wasallam would perform and lead Salatul Fajr, and even after performing Salatul Fajr he would remain in his place and continue remembering Allah until the sunrise. Then he sallallahu alaihi wasallam would go back home. And when he would enter the home he would again remember Allah — upon entering his house he sallallahu alaihi wasallam would recite the du'a and the dhikr of entering the house. Then he sallallahu alaihi wasallam would perform Salatul Duha and then he would continue remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Whenever he would enter the house, whenever he would leave the house, whenever he would enter into the masjid, whenever he would leave the masjid, whenever he would enter into the marketplace, whenever he would ride his mount — he sallallahu alaihi wasallam would remember Allah all the time. When he sallallahu alaihi wasallam would start eating, he would remember Allah. When he would start drinking, he would remember Allah. When he would finish his eating and drinking, he would remember Allah. When he put his clothes on, he would remember Allah. When he would take his clothes off, he would remember Allah. Every single moment, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam would remember Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram.

Up to the end of the day, when the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam would go to his bed, he would again remember Allah. And he has encouraged us to remember Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram before we go to sleep, teaching us a number of adhkar that we should recite and read before going to sleep.

So this is the daily routine of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. The point is, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, that the remembrance of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram is one of the biggest obligations upon us to Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. We have to remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us amongst those who remember Allah day and night.

Shade on the Day of Judgment

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is pleased with us to the level that He Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram grants us the shade on the Day of Judgment — when there will be no shade except for those who hold certain qualities. One of those qualities and characteristics is as the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 660; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1031)

The person who remembers Allah — he remembers Allah's mercy, he remembers Allah's bounties, he remembers Allah's blessings, he remembers Allah's punishment as well — and then, due to the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he cries and his eyes shed tears. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said such a person will be amongst those who will be granted shade on the Day of Judgment.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq and ability to remember Him Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram every single day.

Khutbah al-Thaniya — Second Sermon

The Ways of Remembering Allah

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, the remembrance of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram can be done and performed in various ways. One of them is to make du'a to Him subhanahu wa ta'ala. Whenever you are in need of anything, you raise your hands and you remember Allah. You supplicate to Him Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram. And even if you are not in need of anything, still remember Allah and make du'a to Him Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram.

If you truly want that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accepts your du'a in time of hardships and difficulties, then increase your du'as at the time of ease. When you have no problem, remember Allah and make du'a to Him Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram.

One of the other ways of remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is to recite the Quran — to recite His book every single day. We should allocate a certain period of time within our daily routine for the book of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram: half an hour, one hour, 20 minutes, 15 minutes — whatever you can. If you increase, it is better. But we must recite the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on a daily basis.

The Five Daily Prayers: The Best Form of Dhikr

But along with all these various types of the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the best and the most important way of remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the five daily prayers. They are the best means, the best way, the best method of remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

No matter how many times you say سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ, الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ, لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ, لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — no matter how many times you say these every single day — if you do not pray, then all of this dhikr will go in vain. You will not get any benefit. And this is the fact and this is the case with many of us.

Whenever we are afflicted by any calamity and hardship, any problem in our life, we approach someone knowledgeable and we ask them to suggest any particular and special dhikr or du'a for us to come out of this difficult time. And there are certain du'as — as the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has mentioned and taught us — there are certain du'as that you can read, certain adhkar that you can make when you are facing very difficult times and hardships. But all these adhkar and du'a will benefit you only if you are regular in your five daily prayers.

You have a problem of black magic — reciting Surah al-Baqarah and even playing Surah al-Baqarah on the CD, on the computer, on the mobile every single day — it is not going to benefit you, wallahi, if you do not pray. It is not going to benefit you if you do not pray. What is the purpose of this? Are you going to play games with Allah — that you call upon Allah, that you remember Allah only when you are trapped in difficulties, and whenever you think you are not in need of Allah, you forget Allah? This is not the sign of iman. This is not the sign of iman.

That is why at the beginning of the khutbah I said: one of the biggest differences between a believer and a non-believer is that the believer remembers Allah every single day, regardless of his circumstances. He remembers Allah. And the best way of remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is to perform the five daily prayers.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala encouraged His beloved Nabi, Kaleemullah Musa alayhis salam, in Surah Taha. Allah said:

O Musa, indeed I am your Lord. I am the One Who deserves your worship and there is none worthy of worship except Me alone. So worship Me alone. And establish the prayer for My remembrance. Establish the prayer for My remembrance.

Purification Through Prayer

The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam used to recite Surah al-A'la — one of the surahs in the 30th juz — in his witr prayer, in his Friday prayer, in his Salatul Eid, on many occasions. He sallallahu alaihi wasallam would recite Surah al-A'la, and within Surah al-A'la Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Indeed, successful is the one who has purified his soul and his heart — and then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has taught us the best way of purifying our soul and our heart — he remembered the name of his Lord, fa salla, and then he prayed.

Prayer: The Barrier Between Faith and Disbelief

The prayer, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam — as you know, we have started the campaign in this masjid encouraging our brothers, our sisters, our elders, our young — everyone — to pray. No matter what you are facing in your life, regardless of your circumstances, you cannot leave the prayer. That is why the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 82 — on the authority of Jabir ibn Abdullah radiyallahu anhu)

A barrier between a believing man or woman and between shirk and kufr is only the salah. The prayer is the only barrier and the difference between the believer and disbelief, kufr and shirk.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq and ability to be regular in our five daily prayers. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to remember Him Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram by performing our five daily prayers. That is the biggest obligation that we have within our religion after declaring the testimony of our faith.