Episode 6: The Preferred Forms of Remembrance

http://youtu.be/4kBQ-oPCrCw

What are the best forms of remembrance during these blessed days? Dr. Omar Suleiman reviews the three small yet powerful phrases to recite frequently in order to keep Allah on your mind and in your heart.

Episode Transcript

(Note: the transcript has been edited for clarity)

0:00 – 0:56 The phrases to recite in these 10 days

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmah Allah wa Barakatu everyone, welcome back to the Virtues of Dhul Hijjah.

So in another narration where the Prophet SAW mentioned the benefits of these good deeds, the Prophet SAW said, 'There are no days in which good deeds are greater or more beloved to Allah than on these 10 days, Fa akithuru fihinna min altahleel, wal takbeer, waltahmid.'

The Prophet SAW said, "So because of that, recite more of La illaha illa Allah, Tahleel, and Takbeer, which is Allahu Akbar, and Tahmeed which is Alhamdulillah.

So say more of the forms of dhikr "La illa ha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulillah,"and of course tasbeeh as well, Subhanallah and others.

So the Prophet SAW specifically here is saying that we need to increase in our remembrance of Allah SWT in these ten days, and he is mentioning the phrases that we typically would recite.

0:57 – 1:31 The best form of remembrance

Now tahleel, La illaha Illa Allah, once gain you're really gonna affirm that more than anything else on the day of Arafah.

But, throughout these 10 days, the Prophet SAW said that "The best form of dhikr, the best form of remembrance of Allah SWT is La illaha Illah Allah, so keep your tongue moist with La Illaha Illah Allah." Constant affirmations, and that's throughout the year.

Here, the Prophet SAW also, as the scholars point out, is speaking to quantity. So it's the quality of those affirmations but he's also speaking to the quantity in which you would mention these phrases of remembrance, particularly in these days.

1:32 – 2:55 Recite the takbeer in your home and masajid

And there are things that we find from the practices of the companions that we can implement today.

So for example, it's narrated in Bukhari that in the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah, Abdullah ibn Omar (R), his father and Abu Hurarya (R), they used to go out in the market place, constantly reciting Takbeer "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar, La Illaha Illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar Wa Lillahi Alhamd."

Now these are phrases that you only hear on Eid day usually, but they would go out throughout the 10 days, reciting these in the marketplace, and the people would join with them and they'd start to recite Takbeer as well.

Now if you live in the west, I don't recommend you go into a mall and start shouting Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar right, but there's a point that's to be stressed here - that if that's what used to be done in the market place, then we should remind ourselves in our homes, you know in our families.

Like hey, it's the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah, let's recite Allahu Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allahu Akbar, let's increase the forms of dhikr, and they would do them loudly to remind everyone else and the people would join as well.

We do so going in and out of the masajid, after our prayers, walking into our prayers, walking out of our prayers. Emphasizing that, that repeated form of dhikr
over and over and over again, and this is one of the sunnahs again that is really really
left out, you know you find abandoned, particularly in these 10 days.

2:56 – 4:40 Plant trees in Jannah with your dhikr

This is also another way for us to connect in a special way with the Prophet who is honored most after the Prophet SAW within these 10 days, which is Ibrahim (AS).

Because these words of remembrance were given in the form of an advice, in the conversation between the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (as), and Prophet Muhammad SAW on the night of Isra and Miraj.

The Prophet SAW said that "I met Ibraheem (AS) on the night of the ascension, on thenight of Isra and Miraj, and he said to me "Oh Muhammad! Convey my greetings to your Ummah."

So, Ibrahim (AS) sent Salams to us.

"And then tell them that paradise has a vast plain of pure soil, and sweet water, and is set as a plain leveled land. The plants grow here by Subhanallah, wal hamdulillah, wa La illaha illa Allah, wa Allahu Akbar."

The seeds of these trees, the seeds of these plants in paradise are SubhanAllah- how perfect is Allah, Alhamdulillah- All praise is to Allah, wa La illaha illa Allah - There is noGod but Allah, wa Allahu Akbar - And Allah is Greatest.

So these forms of dhikr that we say are the seeds that are meant for the soil of Al-Jannah, for the soil of Paradise, and this came in a conversation between Ibrahim (AS) and Prophet Muhammad SAW.

That he said to us, Salams, that he sent peace to us, and said, "Remind them to say these words frequently, because that's how they continue to plant their trees in Al Jannah.."

So if that's for throughout the year, then what then of these 10 days where the Prophet SAW said, "Akthiru fi Hinnah" be plentiful, make sure that you do a lot of these formsof remembrance, constantly saying Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La illaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar.

4:41 – 5:07 Du'a

So we ask Allah SWT to accept our dhikr, our remembrance, inside of these 10 days and outside of these 10 days, and to allow us to keep our tongues moist with these remembrances as well as our hearts saturated in them.

Allahuma Ameen. JazakAllahu Khayran. Wassalamu Alaykum wa Rahmah Allah Wabarakatuh.