By Muhammad Azhar Bin Muhammad Iqbal

فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ

“Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, and be thankful to Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me.”
Quran 2:152

In the Quranic verse above, it seems that Allah ﷻ has gently reminded us of our eternal relationship with Him. However, even though He has decreed this beautiful bond with us as such, we seem to be rather forgetful of it.

Imagine this scenario:

Say that after a separation or period of absence from a childhood friend, one randomly bumps into them, prompting a familiar question: remember me? We might boast about going a long way back—sharing special moments growing up that continued to enjoy a special place in our hearts.

Likewise, we go a long way with Allah ﷻ. A really long way. Thus, we are reminded to recollect our origins with Him, to turn back to Him, to know Him intimately and to seek forgiveness from Him for forgetting Him due to worldly distractions. Through these acts of remembrance, we continue to remember Allah ﷻ for His Constant Companionship and Help and maintain that special bond that we are supposed to enjoy with Him.

On my way home after class one Friday evening, I sent a text to the telegram group with my dear brothers Wasim, Hasan, and Dominic:

“Guys, is your 4G data generally taking a longer time to connect?” I asked, referencing the connectivity issues we were facing that evening in the classroom where the session was conducted.

After exchanging a few replies, one of my dear brothers said, “But Allah’s ﷻ connection to you is quick and reliable.”

This was a simple reminder, but a very important one. It reminded us to say, Alhamdulillah – praise belongs to Allah ﷻ. Alhamdulillah ‘Ala Kulli Haal—All Praise belongs to Allah ﷻ in all circumstances.

When we raise our hearts and hands, asking Him in Dua, our connection with Allah ﷻ never falters. He is always available to attend to our needs and requests without the hassle of filling out forms or using unnecessary gadgets. Allah ﷻ has bestowed upon us the mercy of getting connected whenever we turn to Him. We can be anywhere in the world—in an elevator, in the middle of a jungle or desert or even spiritually lost, far from the teachings of the religion—but Allah ﷻ still hears you. Whether it is verbalised beseeching or a whispering thought that crosses your heart, Allah ﷻ is aware and swift in response.

While on the journey to discover His Endless Generosity ﷻ, have we started to praise him enough for the mercy He has shown us? Have we been mindful of every opportunity to turn back to Allah ﷻ which He has blessed us with? Have we thanked Allah ﷻ for every breath we take, or do we only thank Him for material endowments? Has our lack of patience caused our deficit in praising Him? Have we forgotten how to be patient in a fast-paced society?

فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ [١٥٢] يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

“Remember Me; I will remember you. And thank Me, and never be ungrateful. O believers! Seek comfort in patience and prayer. Allah is truly with those who are patient.”
Quran 2:152-153

WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE REMEMBERED HIM TODAY? ONLY FIVE TIMES A DAY DURING OUR SOLAT AS A ROUTINE? WERE WE MINDFUL IN OUR SOLAT? IS THAT TRULY ENOUGH FOR THE COUNTLESS FAVOURS HE HAS BESTOWED UPON US?

He gives us much more and faster than we can possibly thank Him for, even if we were to dedicate all our 24 hours in worship of Him. This is indeed our shortcoming that we must strive to redeem ourselves from through active remembrance and acknowledgement of His Majestic Help and Stature. Let us therefore take notice of the privileges that He has blessed us with and eliminate the complaining in our lives.

Abu Yahya Suhaib bin Sinan reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“How wonderful is the case for a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah ﷻ and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him”
Narrated by Imam Muslim as compiled in Imam Nawawi’s Riyad-us-Saliheen

Imam Nawawi’s commentary adds that:

“A Muslim is required to behave in poverty and prosperity, affluence and hardship, in the manner stated in this Hadith. It means that to forget Allahﷻ in prosperity, rather than being thankful to Him for His Favour is defiance of His Orders. Similarly, it is unbecoming of a Muslim that in troubles and turmoil, rather being patient, he tends to weeping and crying, grousing and grieving against the Will of Allahﷻ.”

Our beloved Rasulullah ﷺ has reminded us to express our gratitude to Allah ﷻ in times of goodness and to remain patient in times of adversity.

Let’s put this into practise by saying ‘Alhamdulillah’ whenever we observe a blessing. We should also say ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un’ in times of adversity because indeed, to Allah ﷻ we belong and to Allah we shall return.

Let’s praise Allah ﷻ for every breath He allows us to take, for every drop of water that He blesses us with and for every convenience He has bestowed on us in this developed country. Let’s remain patient regardless of the slower internet connection, the delayed Grab delivery or the public transport system that may occasionally break down. Indeed, as destitute servants, we want our Creator ﷻ to be with us.

In conclusion, whenever we say ‘Laa ilaha illallah’, remember that there is nothing that can fulfil our needs other than our Creatorﷻ. Our greatest need is Him. So remember Him. Never forget His Favours and what He continues to do for us. And remember to send Selawat upon His Beloved Prophet ﷺ so that we also attain Allah’s ﷻ Love and Gaze through His Love for our Prophet ﷺ.

Allahumma Solli Ala Sayydina Muhammad ﷺ.