He then mentioned that He had commanded them to uphold tawhīd (affirming Allah’s oneness), pray, fast, and give charity. He then mentioned the fifth, saying: “And I command you to remember Allah. The likeness of this is that of a man whose enemies set out swiftly in pursuit of him until he reached an impregnable fortress and secured himself against them. Likewise, a servant can protect himself from Satan only through the remembrance of Allah Most High…”—and so the rest of this momentous hadith continues.

The eminent scholar Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on him—described it as a hadith of tremendous importance which every Muslim ought to memorize and understand.1

This hadith therefore contains a tremendous virtue of remembrance: it drives Satan away and delivers one from him. Remembrance is like an impregnable fortress and a secure refuge, without which a servant cannot protect himself from this implacable enemy. This is undoubtedly a tremendous virtue of remembrance. Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on him—therefore says: “Even if remembrance possessed no virtue other than this one quality, it would be fitting for the servant never to let his tongue grow weary of remembering Allah Most High and to remain constantly engaged in His remembrance. Indeed, he can protect himself from his enemy only through remembrance, and the enemy can gain access to him only through the gate of heedlessness. He lies in wait for him: whenever the servant becomes heedless, he pounces upon and devours him; but whenever he remembers Allah Most High, Allah’s enemy retreats, dwindles, and is subdued until he becomes like a tiny bird or a fly. This is why he is called ‘the retreating whisperer’: he whispers into people’s hearts, but when Allah Most High is remembered, he retreats—that is, he desists and withdraws.