those who are tall and those who are short; for Allah has fashioned His servants with differences in every respect.

Allah, Exalted is He, also says: “O you who believe! Let neither your wealth nor your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah; and whoever does that—it is they who are the losers.” (63:9)

Thus Allah forbids that our possessions or offspring divert us from remembering Him, and He makes plain that anyone whom these things distract is a loser no matter what he has gained. Even if he amasses enormous wealth, has many sons, and enjoys an extensive household, yet allows them to turn him away from the remembrance of Allah, he is a loser.

Who, then, is the winner? The winner is the one who occupies himself with the remembrance (dhikr) of Allah. Remembrance is not limited to saying, “There is no god but Allah”; every utterance that brings a person nearer to Allah is remembrance, and every deed that draws him closer to Allah is likewise remembrance. Allah the Most High says: “Establish prayer, for prayer restrains from indecency and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater still. Allah knows what you do.” (29:45)

Whenever a person says a word seeking closeness to Allah or performs an act seeking His good pleasure, he is—in the very moment of intention—remembering Allah. Hence remembrance encompasses every word or deed that brings one near to Him.

He, Exalted is He, also says: “When death comes to any one of them, he says, ‘My Lord, send me back, so that I may do righteousness in that which I have left behind.’” (23:99–100) The phrase “When death comes to any one of them” refers to any of those who denied the messengers. When death overtakes such a person, he pleads, “My Lord, send me back”—meaning: return me to the life of this world—“so that I may do righteousness in that which I have left behind.” He does not say, “so that I may enjoy its palaces, its pleasures, its women, and the like”; rather