Anyone who behaves badly is, by definition, irrational; the people of insight (ulu al-albab) are those endowed with sound reason. They reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, contemplate the signs therein, take admonition from them, and infer from those signs the One to Whom they point. Such are the truly intelligent, the possessors of inner cores. Therefore, my brother, strive to reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, to ponder the signs they contain, as well as the succession of days and nights—how circumstances shift and turn from one state to another. All of this lies in Allah’s hand, and every bit of it is one of His signs.

The Almighty then said, describing the people of insight: “Who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides” (Āl ʿImrān 3:191)—that is, they remember Him in every condition: standing, seated, and reclining.

Remembrance (dhikr) of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is of two kinds. The first is unrestricted, permissible at all times, and it is prescribed for a person continually. A man once said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “The duties of Islam have become many for me, and I have grown old, so give me something to cling to.” He replied, “Let your tongue never cease to be moist with the remembrance of Allah.”

ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would remember Allah during every one of his moments,” meaning at all times. Here, then, dhikr is unrestricted, not tied to a specific number; rather, it is left