1 / The Importance and Virtue of Remembering Allah

Every Muslim knows the importance of remembering Allah and its immense benefit. It is among the noblest aims and the most beneficial deeds by which one draws near to Allah Most High. Allah commands it in many places in the Noble Quran, encourages it, and commends those who engage in it, praising them in the finest and most gracious terms.

Allah Most High says: “O believers! Remember Allah often.” 1 He also says: “When you have completed your rites, remember Allah as you remember your forefathers—or even more fervently.” 2 He also says: “Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides.” 3 And He says: “For men and women who remember Allah often, Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” 4

Allah Most High thus commands in these verses that He be remembered often. This is because of the servant’s pressing need for remembrance, his utter dependence upon it, and his inability to dispense with it even for the blink of an eye. Any moment in which the servant is bereft of remembering Allah, Mighty and Majestic, counts against him, not for him. His loss in that moment outweighs whatever he may have gained while heedless of Allah, and he will bitterly regret it when he meets Allah on the Day of Resurrection.