DOING EXCESSIVE DHIKR (Remembrance) OF ALLAH
Utter regret for each second wasted without remembering Allah:
Mu`adh Ibn Jabal (RA) said that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:
“The People of Paradise will not regret anything except one thing alone: the hour that passed them by in which they made no remembrance of Allah.”
[Narrated Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-iman (1:392 #512-513)]
The highest rank in Jannah are for those who remembered Allah the most:
Abu Sa’id (RA) narrates the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was asked:
‘Which of the servants of Allah is best in rank before Allah on the Day of resurrection?’
He (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“The ones who remember him much.”
I said:
‘O Messenger of Allah, what about the fighter in the way of Allah?’
He answered:
“Even if he strikes the unbelievers and mushrikin with his sword until it broke, and becomes red with their blood, truly those who do Dhikr are better than him in rank.”
[Ahmad, Tirmidhi, & Bayhaqi]
Therefore we should remember Allah as much as we can & glorify him night & day, not just in Ramadan but until our very last breath. What better time to start remembering Allah more than in this most blessed month.
So we should set ourselves daily targets of doing as much Dhikr as we can. We can remember & glorify Allah whatever we are doing throughout the day. At work, whilst cooking, shopping & even whilst relaxing. We should remember Allah in our hearts & not just by our tongues. We should also contemplate over his magnificence & his creations & imagine him in front of us as we glorify & remember him.
The following are 10 Dhikr, supported by Hadith that we can recite throughout the day & night in Ramadan until our last breath:
Note: We should try & aim to recite each of these 10 Dhikr a 100 times each which makes a total of 1000 a day minimum.
1. “Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘annee” –
Recite this abundantly during the last ten nights of Ramadan.
2. “Subhaanallah”
3. “Alhamdulillah”
4. “Allahu Akbar”
5. “Laa ilaaha illallah”
6. “LA HAWLA WA LA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH-HIL ALIYYIL ADHEEM”
7. “Asthaghfirullah-halladhee Laa ilaaha illa-huwal Hayyul Qayyuumu Wa athoobu Ilay”
Or short version: “Asthaghfirullah”
8. “SUB-HAAN’ALLAAHi WA BI-HAM’DIHI SUB-HAAN’ALLAH-IL ADHEEM”
Or short version:
“SUB-HAAN’ALLAAHi WA BI-HAM’DIHI”
9. “Subhāna-llāhi, wa-l-hamdu li-llāhi, wa lā ilāha illā-llāhu, wa-llāhu akbar. Wa lā hawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi-l-aliyyi-l-azīm”
10. “Lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-ḥamdu yuhyi wa yumītu wa huwa ḥayyu-llā yamūtu abadan abada, ḏū-l-jalāli wa-l-ikrām, biyadihi-l-khayr, wa huwa alā kulli Shay-in qadīr”
Or the shortened version:
“Laa ilaaha illal-laahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer”
We should also recite much of durood e Ibrahim which is the durood that is recited towards the end of Salaah.
Or the shortest durood is: “Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim”
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DU’A & REPENTANCE
Almighty Allah says in the Qur’an:
“When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me.”
(2:186)
The place of Dua is so high in front of Allah, that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim) has said:
“Nothing is more honourable to Allah the Most High than Dua.”
[Sahih al-Jami` no.5268].
Allah loves repentance & loves those who turn to him in sincere repentance:
“Truly Allah loves those who turn [to Him] in repentance…”
(Qur’an 2:222)
Many of us rush our Dua’s & quite often our hearts are not present whilst we are making dua to Allah. That is why we lose out on much of the benefits & blessings of Dua. Therefore we should not let our minds wonder whilst in Dua & we should concentrate more, making sure our hearts are present whilst asking of Allah. Whilst we are in dua we should imagine Almighty Allah in front of us & so we should humble ourselves in front of him in a state of meekness & humility.
It may also help if we made a list of what we want to ask Allah during our dua’s. We can then refer to this list as a reminder so that we can cover everything we need to ask him, which may help in making our Dua’s longer & more sincere. This is because we will not always remember everything we want to ask Allah unless we note it down & refer back to it when we need to.
The times when Dua’s are most accepted during Ramadan are:
– The third portion of the night shortly before sehri ends.
– Between Asr & Maghrib.
– Just before breaking the fast.
– On Jumma before & after khutba.
– Between Adhan & Iqamah.
– The Night of Qadr
Let us not be of those who pass by Ramadan without gaining any forgiveness:
Rasullullah (sallahu’ ‘alaihi wasallam) said:
“…the angel Jibra’il appeared before me and said: Destruction to him who found the blessed month of Ramadan and let it pass by without gaining forgiveness…’
Upon that I said: “Ameen.”
[Al-Bukhari, Al-Tabrani]
We should ask of Allah to accept all of our good deeds & efforts throughout Ramadan & be hopeful that Allah will accept it from us. We should also have FULL hope that Allah will accept our Dua’s if not in this world then in the hereafter. We should accept his decree for he knows best in all matters.