al-Khudri recorded by Muslim, and such Divine boasting is evidence of the honor that remembrance enjoys with Him, His love for it, and its precedence over all other deeds.

25 – All acts of worship were only prescribed so that Allah might be remembered; their very purpose is to realize His remembrance. The Almighty says, “And establish the prayer for My remembrance” (20:14). The clearest reading is that the preposition li here denotes causation—that is, “for the sake of remembering Me.”

26 – Perpetual dhikr can stand in place of supererogatory devotions, whether they are physical, financial, or a combination of both, such as a voluntary pilgrimage. This is stated explicitly in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in which he said, “The people of great wealth have carried off the highest ranks.” [Al-Bukhari 843; Muslim 595]. In that narration, remembrance is presented to them as a substitute for what they miss of Hajj, ‘umrah, jihad, and charity, enabling them to outstrip others through that remembrance.

27 – Remembrance makes the difficult easy, the hard smooth, and burdens light. Seldom is Allah remembered over something formidable without its becoming manageable, over something tough without its becoming facilitated, over a hardship without its easing, over an evil without its disappearing, or over a distress without its lifting. Dhikr is relief after adversity, ease after difficulty, and deliverance after worry or grief.

28 – Remembrance banishes the fears of the heart and has a wondrous effect in bringing security. For the one gripped by intense fear, nothing is more beneficial than dhikr; it is as though the very act becomes a sanctuary for him. By contrast, the heedless remain anxious even in safety, as though all their apparent security were but looming terrors. Anyone with the least sensitivity can sense this—it has been verified by experience.

29 – Remembrance endows the one who practices it with strength, so that by it he can accomplish what he could never manage without it. Ibn al-Qayyim said: “I witnessed something astonishing of the strength of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah sanctify his soul. In a single day he would compose what a copyist would need a week or more to transcribe, and the soldiers observed from his vigor in battle something truly remarkable, and he…"