Remembrance is a Thinking Process

Of the admonitions given in the language of commands in the Quran, one is of that for which the expression ‘remembrance of God’ has been used. This command appears in several verses of the Quran. One of the verses exhorts believers to “remember God often.” (33:41)

Remembering (zikr) is a meaningful reality, not just a turn of phrase. It is a fact though that when a person remembers someone, he remembers him first by words. For instance, when Zaid has to be remembered, the word Zaid will first come to mind. But in terms of memory, the position of the word is not real but relative. Just as when you remember Zaid, a man will come to your mind, when you remember God, the Lord of the worlds, He will naturally come to your mind as the Owner and Lord of the universe; One whose blessings are so many that they cannot be counted. Contemplation or deep thinking is automatically involved in remembering.

A tradition has been mentioned in different books of Hadith. Ayesha said: “The Prophet Muhammad used to remember God on every occasion.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 373) According to this tradition, frequent remembrance of God means that every experience and observation should create God-oriented thinking to the point where the whole world of nature will become a reminder of God for a person. Remembrance is not just the repetition of some words. The natural way of remembrance is the awakening of man’s mind to such an extent that throughout the different circumstances of his life, he begins to experience God in everything. Everything becomes a means of reminding him of God.