After Ramadan: Commit to Remember Allah – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
In this article, Shaykh Faraz gives powerful advice at the conclusion of Ramadan to commit to remember God, through establishing prayer and keeping one’s tongue moist with remembrance.
Maintaining Prayer Through Dhikr
If we struggle with prayer, before we seek out reminders of its virtues, we should first focus on strengthening our connection with the One we are praying to.
Allah says: “Indeed, I am Allah. There is no god but Me. There is none free of need of any other, whom all are in absolute need of but Me. So therefore worship Me and establish the prayer for My remembrance.” [Quran, 20:14]
One of the greatest lessons from this is that if the purpose of prayer is to remember Allah, then one of the most effective ways to facilitate our prayer is to engage in constant remembrance of Him. When we strive to remember Allah outside of prayer, the act of prayer itself becomes easier and more meaningful. The greatest expression of remembering Allah will naturally take precedence as the time for prayer approaches.
Within the prayer itself, if the very purpose is to be in a state of remembrance of Allah, then if we are already engaged in His remembrance before we pray, it becomes easier to maintain that state within the prayer and rise in levels of remembrance.
Thus, the constant alarm for prayer is the remembrance of Allah.
A hadith related by Abdullah ibn Busr (Allah be pleased with him) mentions a man who had recently embraced Islam. He approached the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, the teachings of Islam are so many, so give us a comprehensive door that we can hold on to.”
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) responded, “Let your tongue remain moist with the remembrance of Allah.” [Tirmidhi]
This is the constant reminder: those who remember Allah much, both male and female, will find that Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a tremendous reward.
This should be our commitment after Ramadan: to prioritize our prayer and structure our days around it rather than squeezing prayer into our schedules. We should take measures to guard our prayers in beautiful ways and, above all, strive to enter into states of remembrance of Allah.
The heart of the Sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is to be in remembrance of Allah in all states. As a scholar from Damascus once said, “The greatest innovation in Islam is heedlessness of Allah, for the essence of the Sunna is to remember Allah at every moment and in every choice.”
Let us commit to remembering Allah, for it leads to all that is good. This remembrance will serve as our alarm for prayer and a guide for every choice we make. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) encouraged making much mention of adhkar found in the Quran and Sunna, such as saying SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, as constant punctuations of our daily lives.
May Allah make us among those who are constant in remembering Him, who leave behind all that distracts us from Him, and who seek refuge in Him from heedlessness and wrong choices. May He always facilitate for us the blessings of prayer, remembrance, and all good deeds that purify our hearts.
We ask Allah to overlook our shortcomings and, through His generosity and grace, grant us the highest ranks among His servants. May He treat us with the same mercy and kindness that He bestows upon His most beloved servants.
We pray for ease, assistance, and facilitation for all of creation. May we be an Umma of mercy, virtue, and goodness, upholding the qualities beloved to Allah: spreading love, mercy, and righteousness throughout His creation. Ameen.
