6/ The Virtue of Remembering Allah Abundantly

In His Book, Allah has commanded His believing servants to remember Him abundantly—standing, sitting, and lying on their sides; by night and by day; on land and at sea; while traveling and at home; in wealth and poverty; in health and sickness; in private and in public; and in every circumstance. For doing so, He has promised them a generous reward, an immense recompense, and a blessed return.

Allah Most High says: “O you who believe, remember Allah with abundant remembrance, and glorify Him morning and evening. He is the One Who sends blessings upon you, as do His angels, so that He may bring you out of darkness into light. And He is ever merciful to the believers. Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be, ‘Peace,’ and He has prepared for them an honorable reward.” 1.

This verse urges people to remember Allah Most High abundantly and explains the immense reward and all-encompassing good that result from doing so. His words, “He is the One Who sends blessings upon you, as do His angels,” offer the greatest encouragement to remember Allah abundantly and the finest incentive to do so. That is, He—glorified is He—remembers you, so remember Him. This is analogous to His words Most High: “Just as We sent among you a messenger from your own, reciting Our verses to you, purifying you, teaching you the Book and wisdom, and teaching you what you did not know. So remember Me, and I will remember you; be grateful to Me and do not be ungrateful to Me.” 2 Thus, recompense is of the same nature as the deed: whoever remembers Allah within himself, Allah remembers him within Himself; whoever remembers Allah in an assembly, Allah remembers him in an assembly better than theirs; and whoever forgets Allah, Allah forgets him.