Chapter 15 - On Remembrance

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “There are three acts which we must do no matter what happens: honor whatever we are entrusted with whether it belongs to a good person or a bad one; honor our promises whether they be to a good person or a bad one; and treat our parents with kindness whether they are good or bad.”

“Do you want me to inform you about the hardest duties God has made incumbent upon His servants?” He then discussed three duties, the third of which was to always remember God, whether we are rushing to obey Him, or we are committing sins.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Remembering God often is one of the most important acts that God has made incumbent upon His servants.” He then added: “Beware that by this I do not mean just reciting the praises of God the Almighty. Rather I mean remembering what God has allowed, what He has forbidden, obeying God and abandoning sins.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “There are three groups of people: those who are quiet; those who remember God; and those who say things to cause discord among the people.”

“O' my dear son! Be careful when you enter a gathering to sit with those who are remembering God. This way your knowledge will increase if you are knowledgeable, and you will become knowledgeable if you are ignorant. There is hope that God will spread the shade of His Mercy upon them, and you may benefit from His Mercy, too. But if you see some people who do not remember God, do not sit with them since you will not gain any knowledge if you are knowledgeable, and you will be more misguided if you are ignorant, and God may encompass them with the shadow of His Chastisement in which case you will be chastised too.”

One of the companions of Imam Sadiq (a.s) said that he once asked the Imam (a.s) who the most respectable person in the sight of God is. The Imam (a.s) replied: “The one who remembers God the most, and is best known to serve Him is the most respectable person near God.”

“There are two types of remembrance: remembering God during times of calamities, and even better is remembering God when you are about to do what God has forbidden. This form of remembrance will cause you to abandon forbidden acts.”

“Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and reject not Faith.” [The Holy Quran: Baqara 2:152]. And He also said: “O' ye who believe! Celebrate the praises of God, and do this often.” [The Holy Quran: Ahzab 33:41]. He also said: “For men and women who engage much in God's praise, for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward.” [The Holy Quran: Ahzab 33:35]. He also said: “Therefore do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage (men's) affairs.” [The Holy Quran: Ghashia 88:21-22]

The Noble Prophet (a.s) said: “O' Ali! The following three are one's noblest characteristics: being fair, treating others as equals, and remembering God the Blessed, the High in all situations.”

“There are seven things in the body in charge of remembrance of God: the tongue, the soul, the spirit, the intellect, the wisdom, the head, and the heart- either of which needs to persevere. The tongue's perseverance is attained through honesty in uttering words. The soul's perseverance is attained through presence of one's mind. The spirit's perseverance is attained through sincerity in repentance. The heart's perseverance is attained through properly begging for pardon. The intellect's perseverance is attained through properly learning from one's mistakes. The wisdom's perseverance is attained through proper pride, and the head's perseverance is attained through awareness of the secrets of the world. Thus the remembrance of God is equal to uttering praises of God for the tongue; struggling and hard work for the spirit; fear and hope for the soul; honesty and sincerity for the heart; exaltation and shyness for the intellect; submission and contentment for the wisdom; and witnessing to and approaching God for the head.”

Ameer al-Momineen (a.s) said: “All good characteristics are summarized in three acts: looking, silence and talking. Any looking that is without learning is a waste of time. Any silence that is without pondering is due to ignorance. And any talking that is not accompanied by remembrance of God is vain talk. Then blessed be those who learn when they look; think when they are silent; remember God when they talk; are sorry for their wrong-doings; and the people are safe from their mischief.”

The Noble Prophet (a.s) said: “The reward of any Muslim who sits in his prayer chamber at dawn and remembers God untill the night is equal to the reward of one who goes on the holy pilgrimage (to God's House in Ka'ba). He shall be forgiven all his sins.”

The Noble Prophet (a.s) said: “Set up the gardens of Heaven once you find them as the places in which you go for pleasure.” He was asked where they were. He replied: “Where God is remembered.”

The Prophet (a.s) said: “There are no groups of people who start remembering God to whom a divine announcement as to their being forgiven is not issued. There are also no groups of people who start remembering God and some of the angels do not accompany them.”

The Prophet (a.s) said: “There are no groups of people who start remembering God without being surrounded by the angels and without receiving God's Mercy, and peace of mind. Their names shall be remembered together with those of their companions.”

Moses (a.s) asked God: “What is the reward of one who wholeheartedly remembers You?” God the Almighty replied: “On Judgment Day I will spread the shadow of My Dominion over him and protect him.”

The Prophet (a.s) said: “I saw a man encircled by Satans in a dream. He was saved by remembering God.”

Jabir said that he once told Imam Baqir (a.s): “There are some people who are such that whenever a part of the Quran is read for them or they are reminded of it, one of them becomes unconscious. He gets so unconscious that he will not even realize it if you cut off both his hands or legs.” The Imam (a.s) said: “Praise be to God. This is a Satanic act. They have not been instructed to do so. The Quran is only meant to cause fear of God, softening of the heart and weeping.”

Prophet (a.s) was quoted as saying the following regarding the verse: “Henceforth were your hearts hardened: they become like a rock and even worse in hardness.” [The Holy Quran: Baqara 2:74] “Do not keep on talking without remembering God. This will harden your hearts. And those whose hearts are hardened are the ones most distant from God.”

nights have become longer so that you may pray, and the days have been shortened so that you may fast, and if you cannot stay awake at night and cannot fight with your enemies and do not feel good about giving charity, remember God more often.”

“I do not mean that you should often say praises of God, but remember God in what you do regarding what is allowed and what is forbidden.”