Remembrance of Allah

Types of Remembrance of Allah – Shaykh Abdul Aziz A-Tarefe

As for types of remembrance there are many types, it can be comprised into two types:

1 – Remembrance of Allah the Most High with His Names and Attributes

This type is further comprised of two types:

1) Remembrance of Allah with His names and attributes in the form of praise and glorification.

Juwayriyah bint al-Harith narrated, ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, “Since leaving you I have said four phrases which if weighed against all you have said today, would prove to be heavier: ‘How perfect Allah is and I praise Him by the amount of His creation and His pleasure, and by the weight of His throne, and the ink of His words.” Recorded in Sahih Muslim (no. 2726)

2) Informing about Allah the Most High with His attributes, like how mankind say: Verily Allah hears the voices of His slaves and He sees them in their place of dwellings.

This is of three types:

i. Hamd (praise) – praising Allah with a complete praise with love and glorification.

ii. Thanaa (repeated praise) – doing Hamd repetitively

iii. Majd (glorification) – praising Allah for His qualities of magnificence, greatness, perfection, authority and power.

All three forms of these remembrance are found in Surah Fatiha, it has been recorded in Sahih Muslim:

Abu Hurairah reported:

The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) said: If anyone observes prayer in which he does not recite Umm al-Qur’an, It is deficient [he said this three times] and not complete.

It was said to Abu Hurairah: At times we are behind the Imam. He said: Recite it inwardly, for he had heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) declare that

Allah the Exalted had said: I have divided the prayer into two halves between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks.

When the servant says: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe,

Allah the Most High says: My servant has praised Me.

And when he (the servant) says: The Most Compassionate, the Merciful,

Allah the Most High says: My servant has lauded Me.

And when he (the servant) says: Master of the Day of judgement,

He remarks: My servant has glorified Me. and sometimes He would say: My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me. And when he (the worshipper) says: You do we worship and of You do we ask help,

He (Allah) says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. Then, when he (the worshipper) says: Guide us to the straight path, the path of those to whom You have been Gracious not of those who have incurred Thy displeasure, nor of those who have gone astray,

He (Allah) says: “This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for.” Recorded in Sahih Muslim (no. 395)

2 – The Second of Remembrance of Allah – Mentioning of His Commandments and His Prohibitions

The mentioning of His commandments and His prohibitions, which are of two types:

1) Mentioning of those things that He has made permissible and those which He has prohibited.
2) Hastening in carrying out the orders and refraining from committing any of the prohibited acts.
The intended meaning of the booklet is the first type remembrance which is the remembrance of Allah with His names and attributes in the form praise and glorification.

See Azkaar Sabah wal Masaa’ Riwayah wa Dirayah (p. 9-11)