by Ayesha Zaka
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says about our father Adam (‘alaihis salam):
“And, indeed, long ago did We impose Our commandment on Adam; but he forgot it, and We found no firmness of purpose in him.” (Surah Taha, ayah 115)
Forgetfulness is in the very nature of human beings from the first day. It hasn’t even been a month since we bid farewell to Ramadan, and we have already started to slip and forget many of our good intentions and resolutions. We forget a lot. We forget our Akhirah and the outcome of our actions. We become heedless and forget even our Rabb –this is indeed the worst kind of forgetfulness with serious repercussions.
Forgetting Allah or remembering him very little has been termed a characteristic of the hypocrites. Allah says about them:
“They forgot God, and so He forgot them.” (Surah at-Taubah, ayah 67)
People who forget the remembrance of Allah have been labeled as being from the Party of Shaitaan, as Allah says:
“Shaitaan has gained mastery over them, and has caused them to forget the remembrance of God. Such as these are Shaitaan’s partisans: oh, verily, it is they, the partisans of Shaitaan, who will truly be the losers!” (Surah al-Mujadilah, ayah 19)
Allah Subahanau wa Ta’ala warns us:
“..and be not like those who forgot God, and whom He therefore causes to forget [what is good for] their own selves: [for] it is they, they who are truly depraved!” (Surah al-Hashr, ayah 19)
The best way to save ourselves from forgetfulness and heedlessness and to stay steadfast after Ramadan is: Zikr (remembrance of Allah). Ibn al-Qayyim has mentioned almost 80 benefits of Zikr in his book Al-Waabil-us-Sayyib. Every single one of these is enough to motivate a person to keep his tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah. For example, is it not the greatest honour that when you remember Allah, He remembers you!? Allah says in Surah al-Baqarah:
“So remember me and I shall remember you.” (Surah al-Baqarah, ayah 152)
Staying true to our Ramadan resolutions and being as close a version of our Ramadan selves as possible can be made easier if we keep remembering Allah and thereby re-aligining our priorities in life. The delusions and deceptions of the worldly life have been made to look convincing and beautiful for us. It is very important to keep remembering our real Master and our real purpose in life. This remembrance, in the form of prayers, Quranic recitation, morning and evening azkaar, Sunnah du’as should be an integral part of our life. This is the basic nourishment that our soul needs to successfully travel towards Allah.
This ‘Dawn and Dusk’ series was a small attempt to revive and rekindle the zeal for Zikr within us. May Allah make us all among those who remember him abundantly with their tongues and hearts. Ameen.