Remembrance of Allah
All praise is due to Allah (SWT). Peace and blessings upon our beloved prophet (SAWS) his family and his companions.
Today’s khutba is about the rememberance of Allah SWT
Dear brothers, as Muslims our aim in life is quite simple. It is to follow the steps laid out in the Quran and the Sunnah to worship Allah SWT through our deeds and our intentions.
However, everything we do for Allah SWT stems from a single source and that is the acknowledgement and rememberance of Him.
Allah SWT has mentioned dhikr (or rememberance of Allah) over a hundred times in the Glorious Quran. In Sura Al-Imran, Allah SWT says:
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.
Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or lying on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth by saying “Our Lord, you did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You above such a thing; then protect us from the punishment of the fire.”
Dear brothers, if we look at this ayat. amongst the many lessons is one of the need for us to remember Allah SWT wherever we may be.
But how can we remember Allah throughout the normal course of our day without withdrawing from the routine of our daily worldly life?
How can we ensure that our personal life, family life, professional life and other activities all continue in full swing, and yet, at the same time, ensure that our life as a whole, every moment of it, is permeated with remembrance of Allah?
Allah SWT mentions the distractions in Sura Al Kahf:
Wealth and children are but an adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for one’s hope.
Dear brothers, it might seem a mighty task at first, but one we can accomplish with some ease.
InshAllah after the following four points we can strive to emulate the Prophet SAWS as narrated in the following hadith:
The Prophet SAWS would remember Allah SWT all the time, in different states.
Dear brothers, what follows then are four states of consciousness that we must strive to develop by remembering certain things, absorbing them and reminding ourselves of them often.
1) Say to ourselves: “I am in Allah’s presence; He is watching me.”
If ever we are alone, He is the second and that if we are two, He is the third. He is with us wherever we are. He is nearer to us than our jugular vein. Allah is watching everything that we do and hearing everything that we say. He is ever present and His knowledge is all encompassing. Lets try to remind ourselves of this as often as we can, and throughout the day every time we begin a new task, and every time we speak.
2) Say to ourselves. “Everything I have has been given to me by Allah.”
All that there is surrounding us, on us and in us comes from Allah alone. There is none that creates or gives anything but Allah. Therefore, reflect upon all the blessings that He has blessed us with and be thankful to Him. Say Alhamdullilah. In all the sayings that our beloved Prophet (SAWS) has taught us to remember Allah with, gratefulness to Allah is a constant theme.
3) Say to ourselves: “Nothing in this world can happen without His permission.”
Everything lies in the hands of Allah. No harm can befall us and no benefit can reach us except as Allah ordains.
4) And finally, Say to ourselves: “I am going to return to Allah one day and that day could be today.”
Dear brothers, we do not know when we will leave this world. It may be that this hour is our last hour, or even, that this moment is our last moment. Such an uncertainty does not, of course, justify a complete withdrawal from this life.
However, we should aim that we are always conscious of this uncertainty, to the extent that it motivates us to spend every moment of our remaining life seriously, considering it as a gift from Allah and spending the resources He has blessed us with such as time, ability and energy as Allah has advised.
May Allah SWT enable us to remember Him in all states. May Allah SWT enable us to adhere to these four points mentioned above. And May Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in remembering Him.
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
