Benefits of Remembering Allah

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commands us to mention Allah upon entering the house and before eating. When one mentions Allah saying: "Bismillāh" (in the Name of Allah) upon entering his house and before eating, the devil says to his companions: You shall not have a night shelter or supper in this house whose owner has sought protection against you by mentioning Allah Almighty. However, if one enters his house without mentioning Allah upon entering and before eating, the devil informs his companions that they will have a night shelter and supper in this house.

1. It is recommended to mention Allah upon entering the house and before eating as the devil spends the night in the houses and eats from its dwellers' food if they do not mention the name of Allah Almighty.
2. The devil is closely observing the son of Adam in his deeds, acts, and all his affairs. So, when one is heedless of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah), the devil achieves what he wants from him.
3. Dhikr repels the devil.
4. Every devil has followers and allies who rejoice at his words and follow his commands.

صحيح مسلم (3/ 1598) (2018). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 50). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل المبارك (ص467). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (4/ 190). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 700).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that Allah Almighty says: I am as My slave thinks of Me, so I treat My slave according to his thoughts about Me when hoping for and expecting pardon, and I do to him what He expects of Me either good or other than that; and I am with him through mercy, success, guidance, care, and support when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me inwardly while being alone and in seclusion through Tasbīh (exalting Allah), Tahlīl (proclaiming Allah's oneness), or others, I remember him within Myself. And if he remembers Me in an assembly, I remember him in a larger and better assembly. And whoever draws near to Allah by a handspan, Allah will add to this and draw near to him by a cubit, and if he draws near to Him by a cubit, Allah draws near to him by a fathom. And if he comes walking to Allah, Allah will come to him jogging. When the slave seeks to get closer to his Lord by obeying Him and focusing on Him, the Almighty Lord brings him even closer to Him as a recompense that suits his deed. The more perfect the believer's worship of his Lord is, the closer Allah Almighty brings him, as the bestowal and reward of Allah exceed the slave's deeds and toil. In fact, Allah's reward outweighs the slave's deeds in terms of quality and quantity. The believer, thus, entertains good expectations of Allah, acts, hastens, and increases his good deeds until he meets Allah.

1. This Hadīth is part of what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) narrates from his Lord and is called a Qudsi or Divine Hadīth. Its wording and meaning are from Allah, yet it does not have the unique characteristics of the Qur’an that include reciting it as a form of worship, getting purified for it, presenting it as a challenge, its miraculousness, etc.
2. Al-Ājurri said: People of the truth describe Allah Almighty with what He has described Himself and with what His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) described Him, and with what the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) described Him, and this is the methodology of the scholars who have complied and did not innovate. End quote. So, Ahl-us-Sunnah establish for Allah what He has established for Himself of the names and attributes without Tahrīf (distortion), Ta‘tīl (negation), Takyīf (asking how), or Tamthīl (likening). They negate from Allah what He has negated from Himself and keep silent regarding what has neither been negated nor established. Allah Almighty says: {There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.}
3. Having good expectations of Allah must be coupled with action. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: The believer thinks well of his Lord and, thus, performs good deeds, whereas the wrongdoer thinks ill of his Lord and, thus, performs evil deeds.
4. Al-Qurtubi said: It is said: The meaning of "what My slave thinks of Me" is expecting fulfillment when supplicating, acceptance when repenting, forgiveness when seeking forgiveness, and recompense when fulfilling worship according to its conditions out of firm belief in His true promise. Hence, one must be diligent in carrying out his duties while being certain that Allah accepts and forgives him because He has promised this and He never breaks His promise. However, if one thinks or has doubts that Allah does not accept it and that it will be of no benefit to him, then this is the despair of Allah's mercy, which is from the major sins, and whoever dies on such a belief will be entrusted to his thoughts, as in some narrations of the mentioned Hadīth: "Let My slave think of Me as he wishes." He said: As for expecting forgiveness along with insistence on sins, this is nothing but absolute ignorance and heedlessness.
5. Encouraging the act of remembering Allah frequently both within yourself and with your tongue. One should fear Allah within himself and in his heart and should remember His greatness and His right. He should also invoke Him, glorify Him, love Him, think well of Him, and sincerely devote his deeds to Him. He should utter with his tongue: "Subhānallāh" (Glorified is Allah), "Al-hamdulillāh" (praise be to Allah), "La ilāha illallāh" (there is no god but Allah), "Allāhu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest), and "La hawla wala quwwata illa billāh" (there is no power and no strength except with Allah).
6. Ibn Abi Jamrah said: Whoever remembers Him while feeling fear, He secures him; or, feeling desolate, He provides him with serenity.
7. "Shibr" (handspan): the distance between the tip of the little finger and the thumb when the hand is outstretched. "Dhirā‘" (cubit): the distance between the tip of the middle finger and the elbow bones. "Bā‘" (fathom): the length of man's both arms, upper arms, and the width of his chest, which is four cubits.

صحيح البخاري (9/ 121) (7405). صحيح مسلم (4/ 2067) (2675). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (17/ 151). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (5/ 516). منار القاري شرح مختصر صحيح البخاري، حمزة محمد (5/ 372). الجواب الكافي لمن سأل عن الدواء الشافي أو الداء والدواء (ص25). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 510). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 983).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs about the devil and his struggle with the person who wants to get up to offer the voluntary night prayer or the Fajr prayer. When the believer goes to sleep, the devil ties three knots at his Qāfiyah, i.e., the back of his head. One knot is undone when the believer wakes up and remembers Allah Almighty without responding to the devil's whisperings. Another knot is undone when he performs ablution. Then the third knot is undone when he rises and prays, and he gets up in the morning active and in a good mood, given his happiness that Allah has guided him to obedience and rejoicing in the reward and forgiveness that Allah has promised him, along with getting rid of the devil's knots and his discouragement. Otherwise, he wakes up in the morning low-spirited, gloomy, and too indolent to offer good and righteous deeds because he is chained with the devil's shackles and far from getting close to the Most Compassionate.

1. The devil makes constant endeavors in every way to prevent one from obeying Allah Almighty, and nothing can save man from the devil except seeking help from Allah Almighty and utilizing the means of precaution and protection.
2. Remembering Allah Almighty and worshiping Him provide the soul with energy and bring forth relief in the heart. They dispel laziness and indolence and alleviate distress and hatred because they ward off the devil, who whispers all these things.
3. The believer feels happy when Allah Almighty guides him to His obedience and feels depressed when he fails to reach the degrees of excellence and perfection.
4. Heedlessness and reluctance from observing acts of obedience are from the devil's work and an attempt to make man's deeds appealing to him.
5. These three things—remembering Allah, performing ablution, and praying—drive the devil away.
6. The devil ties knots particularly at the back of the head because it is the center of powers and their domain of control. Hence, if he ties the knots in that place, he becomes capable of controlling man's spirit and casting sleep on him.
7. Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalāni said: Mentioning the night in his statement: "Ahead of you is a long night," apparently indicates that this is peculiar to night sleep.
8. Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalāni said: There is no particular or irreplaceable form of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) that should be recited here; rather, anything that could be referred to as Dhikr of Allah would be sufficient, including reciting the Qur’an, reading the Prophet's Hadīths, and seeking religious knowledge. However, the best way to remember Allah is clear in the Prophet's statement: Whoever wakes up disturbed during the night and says: "La ilāha illallāh wahdahu la sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadīr. Al-hamdulillāh wa subhānallāh wa la ilāha illallāh wallāhu akbar wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billāh (None has the right to be worshiped except Allah alone, and He has no partners. To Him belongs sovereignty, and to Him belongs praise, and He is Omnipotent over everything. All praise is due to Allah, glory be to Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah)", then says: "Allāhumma ighfirli (O Allah, forgive me)" or supplicates, his supplication will be answered, and if he performs ablution, his prayer will be accepted. [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]

صحيح البخاري (2/ 52) (1142). صحيح مسلم (1/ 538) (776). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 328). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 834). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (15/ 305). فتح الباري شرح صحيح البخاري، لأحمد العسقلاني (10/ 564). طرح التثريب في شرح التقريب، العراقي (3/ 82).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked his Companions: Is it not possible for one of you to gain a thousand rewards each day?! One of those present said: How can a person earn a thousand good deeds in a single day so easily? He said: He says: "Subhānallāh" (glory be to Allah) a hundred times, and a thousand good deeds will be recorded for him because each good deed is multiplied tenfold, or a thousand sins will be erased from his record.

1. Encouragement toward virtues, for they are the ladder to acts of obedience.
2. The virtue of glorifying Allah and remembering Him, and that this simple act, which costs a person nothing, brings a great and immense reward.
3. The Companions' eagerness to hasten toward good deeds without delay.
4. Good deeds are multiplied tenfold, as Allah Almighty says: {Whoever comes with a good deed will be rewarded tenfold.} [Surat al-An‘ām: 160] This is the minimum level of multiplication; however, it has also been reported up to seven hundred times.
5. In some narrations, the word "or" in the phrase “or a thousand sins will be erased” is replaced with "and". Al-Qāri explained: The conjunction 'and' can sometimes carry the meaning of 'or', so there is no contradiction between the two versions. The meaning could be that whoever says it, a thousand good deeds are written for him, and if he has sins, then some are erased and some rewards are gained. It is also possible that 'or' here means 'and' or even 'rather,' in which case both outcomes are combined. And Allah's bounty is even greater than that. End quote. In conclusion, a thousand good deeds are written for him, and a thousand sins are erased.

صحيح مسلم (4/ 2073) (2698). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 507). مرقاة المفاتيح، لعلي القاري (4/ 1594). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 980). مرعاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح، لعبيد الله المباركفوري (7/ 454).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the difference between the person who remembers Allah Almighty and the one who does not and how such a difference is like that between the living and the dead person in terms of benefit and good appearance. The one who remembers his Lord is like the living person who is outwardly adorned by the light of life and inwardly adorned by the light of knowledge and who offers benefit, whereas the one who does not remember Allah is like the dead person who is outwardly idle and inwardly invalid and bears no benefit. Likewise, the house whose dwellers remember Allah is described as being living; otherwise, it is a dead house given its dwellers' heedlessness of remembering Allah. Describing the house as being living or dead is meant to refer to its dwellers.

1. Encouraging the remembrance of Allah and warning against being heedless thereof.
2. Remembering Allah provides the soul with life just as the soul provides the body with life.
3. It was from the practice of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to give examples to make meanings clear and easy to understand.
4. An-Nawawi said: It indicates the recommendation of remembering Allah Almighty in the house and that it should not be devoid of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah).
5. An-Nawawi said: It denotes that having a long life in obeying Allah is a merit even if the dead person is moving to a good destination. This is because the living person will catch up with him and will have a chance to be better than him by the acts of obedience he performs.

صحيح البخاري (8/ 86) (6407). صحيح مسلم (1/ 539) (779). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، (2/ 982). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (5/ 516).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that whoever says: (Glory be to Allah) and I exalt Him (the Most Great) in His essence, attributes, and actions (and praise is due to Him) accompanied by attributing the qualities of perfection to Him, Exalted is He, a date palm tree is planted for him in the ground of Paradise every time he says it.

1. Encouraging the frequent remembrance of Allah Almighty and it includes exalting Allah along with praising Him.
2. Paradise is vast, and its plants are Tasbīh (glorification of Allah) and Tahmīd (praise of Allah), as a favor and blessing from Allah Almighty.
3. The date palm tree was specifically mentioned in the Hadīth apart from other trees due to its numerous benefits and the goodness of its fruit. For this reason, Allah Almighty used it as a parable for the believer and his faith in the Qur’an.

سنن الترمذي (5/ 456) (3464). مرعاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح، للمباركفوري (7/ 464). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 985). مشكاة المصابيح، للتبريزي (2/ 713).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed about certain Adhkār (regular supplications) whose sayer will never lose or regret; rather, he will attain a reward for saying such words that succeed each other and that are to be said after the obligatory prayer. These Adhkār are: "Subhānallāh" (glory be to Allah) thirty-three times, i.e., exalting Allah Almighty above any deficiency. "Al-hamdulillāh" (praise be to Allah) thirty-three times, i.e., describing Allah with complete perfection, along with loving and extolling Him. "Allāhu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest) thirty-three times, as Allah is greater, more magnificent, and mightier than everything.

1. The merit of Tasbīh (glorifying Allah), Tahmīd (praising Allah), and Takbīr (proclaiming Allah's greatness), as they are the lasting righteous deeds.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 418) (596). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 501). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 976). مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح، لعلي القاري (2/ 766). تيسير العلام، للبسام (ص227). فيض القدير شرح الجامع الصغير، لزين الدين المناوي (5/ 525).

Abu Hurayrah and Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that Allah affirms what His slave says. If one says, "there is no god but Allah, and Allah is Greatest," Allah says: "Indeed, there is no god but Me, and I am Greatest." When one says, "Allah is Greatest, and there is no might nor power save with Allah," Allah would affirm it. So, if a person said this Dhikr (There is no god but Allah, and there is no might nor power save with Allah) then died, the Fire would not consume him, i.e. that would be a reason not to be burnt in Hellfire. Therefore, every Muslim should memorize this Dhikr and say it when he is ill, so that Allah would grant him a good end for his life, Allah, the Almighty, Willing.

1- بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف سليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي. 2- الجامع الصحيح –وهو سنن الترمذي-؛ للإمام محمد بن عيسى الترمذي، تحقيق أحمد شاكر وآخرين، مكتبة الحلبي-مصر، الطبعة الثانية، 1388هـ. 3- رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين؛ للإمام أبي زكريا النووي، تحقيق د. ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير-دمشق، الطبعة الأولى، 1428هـ. 4- سلسلة الأحاديث الصحيحة؛ للشيخ محمد ناصر الدين الألباني، مكتبة المعارف-الرياض، 1415هـ. 5- سنن ابن ماجه؛ للحافظ محمد بن يزيد القزويني، حققه محمد فؤاد عبدالباقي، دار إحياء الكتب العربية. 6- شرح رياض الصالحين؛ للشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مدار الوطن-الرياض، 1426هـ. 7- نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف د. مصطفى الخِن وغيره، مؤسسة الرسالة-بيروت، الطبعة الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ.