The Most Profitable Trade

Taken from the book 'An Explanation of the Last Tenth of the Noble Qur'an'. This practice is so simple and heavy on its value yet many tend to forget about it and eventually ignore it..

Dhikr-Allah (Rememberance of Allah)

Allah made humans superior to all other creatures and gave man the special endowment of speech, making his tongue nimble. Man can use this blessing for good or evil. If he chooses to use it for good, it will take him to happiness in this world and to the higher chambers of Paradise. If he chooses to use it for other than that, it will lead him to destruction in both this life and the Hereafter. Remembering Allah is the second best thing (after the practice of reciting al-Qur'an) that a man can spend his time in.

The virtues of Dhikr-Allah (Rememberance of Allah):

There are many hadith mentioning the virtues of dhikr. Among them is the saying of the Prophet (sallAllahu'alaihi wa sallam),

"Shall I tell you about the best among all your deeds in status, which is better for you than spending gold and silver, and is better for you than encountering your enemies and striking their necks and them striking yours?" The Companions said,"Yes inform us, O Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet (sallAllahu'alaihi wa sallam) said,"(It is) the rememberance of Allah." (at-Tirmidhi)

He (sallAllahu'alaihi wa sallam) also said,"The similitude of the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not remember his Lord is like the living and the dead respectively." (al-Bukhari).

He (sallAllahu'alaihi wa sallam) said as well,"Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'ala) says,'I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I remember him in Myself. If he remembers Me in a company, I remember him in a company better than his company. If he comes one handspan nearer to Me, I come one cubit nearer to him. If he comes on cubit nearer to Me, I come a distance of two arm-lengths nearer to him. If he comes to Me walking, I come to him running." (al-Bukhari). And there are many more hadith encouraging the rememberance of Allah ('Azza wa Jalla).

Multiplication of the rewards:

The rewards of good deeds are multiplied just as the rewards of reciting the Qur'an is multiplied, and this occurs according to:

1) What is in the heart of the person, his faith and sincerity, love for Allah and what flows from this.

2) THe contemplation of the heart in remembering Allah and preoccupation with this, making the rememberance not simply by the tongue alone.

Whoever fulfills these two conditions, will have Allah expiate his sins and give him his full reward. As for he who is defiant in these matters, then the expiation of sins and the reward will be in accordance with his deficiancy.

The benefits of remembering Allah:

• It repels, weakans, humiliates, and debases the Satan while pleasing Allah
• It develops the love, nearness, awareness and fear of Allah. It results in returning and repenting to Allah and it helps the believer to obey Allah
• It removes depression and anxiety from the heart and brings happiness, giving the heart liveliness, strength and purity. The human heart has a void and emptiness that can only be filled by the rememberance of Allah. It has a hardness that can only be softened by the rememberance of Allah.
• Rememberance of Allah is a cure and treatment to the heart. It provides it with strength and pleasure that no other pleasure can compare to. Forgetfulness in rememberance of Allah, on the other hand, causes sickness and is a disease in itself.
• Lack of rememberance of Allah is a sign of hypocrisy, whereas remembering Allah very often is the sign of the strength of faith and true love for Allah, since when a person loves something, he recalls it often.
• If the believer gets to know Allah in good times by frequently remembering Him, then Allah will be with him in the difficult times, especially at the time of death and its stupor.
• Rememberance of Allah is the means of salvation from the punisment of Allah, the descent of tranquility upon a person, the encompassing of mercy of Allah, and of the angels seeking forgiveness from Allah for the person.
• Occupation of the tongue in rememberance of Allah prevents it from foolishness, backbiting, spreading dissention, falsehoods, and other prohibited and obnoxious acts.
• Rememberance of Allah is the easiest yet the best and most virtuous among all acts of worship. It is also the means for sowing the seeds of Paradise.
• The person who remembers Allah becomes brighter in his face with a sweetness and light that inspires respect and awe. Rememberance of Allah is a light in the life of this world in the grave and in the Hereafter.
• Rememberance of Allah entails that Allah and the angels will send peace and blessing on the worshipper and Allah expresses His pride to the angels for those who remember Him.
• The best worshippers are those that are more profuse in the rememberance of Allah ('Azza wa Jalla). Similarly, the best of those who fast are the ones that remember Allah more while fasting.
• The rememberance of Allah makes the difficult things easier, the complicated things simpler and the harsh softer. It brings to the worshipper sustenance and strengthens his physique.

Shiekh al-Islam ibn Taimiyyah (rahimahulLah) said,"The rememberance of Allah is like water to the fish. What would happen to the fish if it were seperated from the water?"

And Allah knows best..