Remember Allah with much remembrance (Surah Al-Ahzab 33: 41-42)

The Virtue of remembering Allah much

Allah commands His believing servants to remember their Lord much, Who has bestowed upon them all kinds of blessings and favors, because this will bring them a great reward and a wonderful destiny. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Busr said: "Two Bedouins came to the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and one of them said: `O Messenger of Allah, which of the people is best' He (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:

The one whose life is long and whose deeds are good. The other one said: `O Messenger of Allah, the laws of Islam are too much for us. Teach me something that I can adhere to.' He (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,

Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah, may He be exalted.) At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah recorded the second part of this report. At-Tirmidhi said, "This Hadith is Hasan Gharib''. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr, (Radhi Allahu Anhu), said that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,

No people sit together without mentioning Allah, but they will see that as regret on the Day of Resurrection. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas, (Radhi Allahu Anhuma)  commented on the Ayah:

Remember Allah with much remembrance.  "Allah did not enjoin any duty upon His servants without setting known limits and accepting the excuses of those who have a valid excuse -- apart from Dhikr, for Allah has not set any limits for it, and no one has any excuse for not remembering Allah unless he is oppressed and forced to neglect it. Allah says:

Remember Allah standing, sitting down, and (lying down) on your sides (Surah An-Nisa' 4: 103).

By night and by day, on land and on sea, when traveling and when staying home, in richness and in poverty, in sickness and in health, in secret and openly, in all situations and circumstances. And Allah says:

And glorify His praises morning and Asila.  If you do this, He and His angels will send blessings upon you.'' There are very many Ayat, Hadiths and reports which encourage the remembrance of Allah, and this Ayah urges us to remember Him much. People such as An-Nasa'i and Al-Ma`mari and others have written books about the Adhkar to be recited at different times of the night and day.

And glorify His praises morning and Asila  in the morning and in the evening. This is like the Ayah:

So glorify Allah, when you come up to the evening, and when you enter the morning. And His are all the praises and thanks in the heavens and the earth; and in the afternoon and when you come up to the time, when the day begins to decline. (Surah Ar-Rum 30: 17-18).


Source: Tafsir ibn Kathir (Abridged)