- The Varied Evidence Demonstrating the Virtue of Remembrance
We have already discussed the virtue of remembering Allah and its immense reward, as well as the splendid recompense, honorable return, good end, and pleasant life that Allah has prepared for those devoted to it. We have also considered a small sampling of its fragrant benefits, its noble, ripened fruits, and its praiseworthy consequences in this world and the Hereafter.
Since remembrance occupies such a lofty station and exalted rank, the scriptural texts demonstrate its virtue in various ways. It occurs in the Noble Quran in numerous forms, each of which—individually and collectively—attests to its immense importance and exalted standing.
In his book Madārij al-Sālikīn (Ranks of the Wayfarers)1, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on him—states that remembrance occurs in the Noble Quran in ten forms. He first lists them in summary and then explains them in detail. He—may Allah have mercy on him—said:
First: commanding it, both unconditionally and in qualified terms.
Second: prohibiting its opposite—heedlessness and forgetfulness.
Third: making success conditional upon its constancy and abundance.
Fourth: praising those devoted to it and stating that Allah has prepared Paradise and forgiveness for them.
Fifth: declaring the loss of anyone whom something else distracts from it.
Sixth: that He, Glorified is He, has made His remembrance of them a reward for their remembrance of Him.
Seventh: declaring that it is greater than everything else.