In the last article in this section, we wrap up the things we must do in our journey to gain tranquility of the heart with the remembrance of Allahﷻ. When we try to figure out why we are so often bothered, feel disturbed internally, or feel sad, we need to go back to our hearts.
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ ٢٨
{Who have believed and whose hearts have rest in the remembrance of Allah. Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest!] — M. Pickthall
(Ar-Ra’d 13: 28)
Rasulullahﷺ said:
“Do not talk too much without remembering and mentioning Allahﷻ, for too much talk without mentioning Allahﷻ hardens the heart, and the person farthest from Allahﷻ is the one with a hard heart.”
(At-Tirmidhi)
Subhan Allah (glory to Allahﷻ) – our heart hardens when we do not remember Allahﷻ. The heart’s nourishment is the remembrance of Allahﷻ, and when we fail to remember Him, it is no wonder that we feel down for no apparent reason.
The Muslim Scholar, Ibn al-Qayyim stated:
“In the heart, there is hardness which can only be softened by the remembrance of God. So the slave must treat the hardness of his heart with the remembrance of God.” For those of us who feel that Islam itself has become heavy upon us, look at the answer Muhammad Rasulullahﷺ gave to a man who said:
“O Messenger of Allah, the laws of Islam seem to be a lot for me (to remember), so tell me something that I should stick to:
” Rasulullahﷺ replied: “Let your tongue never cease to be moist with the remembrance of Allah.”
(At-Tirmidhi)
And what is the effect of this remembrance? It acts as a polish for the hearts from its rust and causes us to be remembered by Allahﷻ the Most High. Allahﷻ tells us in this amazing hadith qudsi:
“I am to my servant as he expects of Me, I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him to Myself, and if he remembers me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly better than his…”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
So What Exactly Is Remembrance?
Remembrance of Allahﷻ includes specified dhikr (such as saying subhan’Allah, la ilaha ila Allah, etc.), but it is anything you do related to Allahﷻ or mentioning God. Anything that you do with Allahﷻ in mind – whether it is thinking well of Him, giving charity with the specific intention of doing it for His sake, making du’a’ (supplication), and so on is within the realm of dhikr.
Ways of Dhikr
Let’s get more specific. What are the things we can do that are included in dhikr?
Intention
As we said in the article on earning Allah’s love, we need to immerse ourselves in good works. That said, when we do good, we must always try to be conscious of the fact that we are doing it for Allahﷻ. Talk to Allahﷻ as you are doing the good deed, and ask Him to accept it from you, and to enable you to do more good. Add intentions – such as doing it for Allahﷻ, following the Sunnah (tradition of the Prophet), helping fellow Muslims and people – the more you remember God, the more He will remember you. And inevitably you will feel that in your life.
Remember, when we do good, we need to do good with the heart. We probably do certain things anyway – such as giving charity here and there, making du`a’, and so on. But we do them without heart, without any feeling or emotion that this is for Allahﷻ. We need to do these things knowing that in them is a cure for what is in our hearts and that when we feel down, we go to these things – whether it is helping out others or pleading with Allahﷻ in our sujud (prostration).
Turning to Him
“Whoever comes to me walking, I go to him at speed.”
(Al Bukhari)
You can't return to God and He rejects you. Look at all these hadiths on those who return to Him:
”Allah is happier when a servant of His repents to Him than a man who was on his camel in a waterless desert and the camel escaped from him with his food and water. When he lost hope of finding it, he retired to a tree and lay down under its shade. As he was there, the camel suddenly appeared in front of him. He took hold of its halter and said in his state of excessive joy: ‘O my Lord You are my servant and I am Your Lord.’ He uttered this erroneous statement as a result of his being overjoyed.”
(Muslim)
God says in a beautiful hadith qudsi (sacred hadith):
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness as great.”
(At Tirmidhi)
“Remember Allahﷻ during times of ease and He will remember you during times of difficulty”
(At Tirmidhi)
Thanking Him
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌۭ ٧
{And when your Lord proclaimed: If ye give thanks, I will give you more; but if ye are thankless, lo! My punishment is dire.] — M. Pickthall
(Ibrahim 14: 7)
Daily Word;
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱجْعَل لِّىٓ ءَايَةًۭ ۖ قَالَ ءَايَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ ٱلنَّاسَ ثَلَـٰثَةَ أَيَّامٍ إِلَّا رَمْزًۭا ۗ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ كَثِيرًۭا وَسَبِّحْ بِٱلْعَشِىِّ وَٱلْإِبْكَـٰرِ ٤١
{He said: My Lord! Appoint a token for me. (The angel) said: The token unto thee (shall be) that thou shalt not speak unto mankind three days except by signs. Remember thy Lord much, and praise (Him) in the early hours of night and morning.] — M. Pickthall}
(Al-Imran 3: 41)
We should take the time to understand these words so that they truly enter our hearts;
(Surah Al-Imran : Ayat 191)
By Jinan Bastaki
Read More on islamonline: https://islamonline.net/en/tranquility-of-the-heart/
