Remembering God
Continued from page 1
So, we understand from the above verse that we cannot withdraw
ourselves from day to day life, and we must continue to live out
our time on earth within some kind of community. So the question
is how can we live out our personal life, our family life, and our
professional activities, in short our total life on this planet,
and at the same time ensure that our every action, thought and deed
is permeated with the remembrance of God?
An undertaking which, I feel sure you would agree, is certainly
a tremendous challenge. However, God is forever Merciful and He
continues to give reminders and guidance to all those who seek it.
God tells us in 58:7 that He sees and witnesses ALL things. No three
people can conspire secretly without Him being their fourth, nor
five without Him being the sixth, nor less than that, nor more,
without Him being there with them wherever they may be. Because
on the Day of Resurrection it will be God to be there to inform
them of what they have done.
God can inform them because He sees all that we do, good or bad,
right or wrong, just or unjust, stingy or mean, merciful or un-merciful,
kind or spiteful. He is the One who sees all. God tells us that
He is nearer to us than our very own jugular vein (50:16-17). Therefore,
by remembering that God is with you at all times, that God witnesses
everything you do, that God hears everything that you say and knows
every thought that you make, by remembering these things, which
can be done frequently throughout the day without any interruption
to any daily activity, you will be thinking about God day and night
as commanded by your Lord.
Another way is to reflect during our waking hours on some of the
blessings given to us by the Almighty. No one but God gives you
anything; everything comes directly, or indirectly, from God alone.
He is the One that |
causes the rain to come down. He is
the One that causes the plants to grow. He is the One that causes
the sun to shine. He is the One that creates the night and the day.
He is the One who causes the wind to blow. He is the One who subdued
the animals for us. He is the One who gave us clothes to wear. He
is the One who has blessed us with transportation. He is the One
who has blessed us with our homes and families. He is the One who
has blessed us with our jobs to enable us to provide, by His grace,
for our families. And He is the One who teaches man what he never
knew. All these things are blessings from God that we should thank
Him for during our day. These are some of the ways of remembering
God throughout the day and night in whatever we do.
The Quran is full of examples of how to remember God. The Salat
prayer is one way that God teaches us to remember Him. When time
for prayer comes we know that we have to make our ablution. We are
then thinking about Him again by watching the clock to check when
it’s time for prayer and time to make ablution. God teaches
us that we are to mention His name over the things that we consume.
Ask yourself how many times do we eat and drink on a daily basis
and if you observe this command, how many times therefore do you
think of God in that day!
God also tells us in 18:24 that we shall not say, “I will
do this or that” without saying God willing, because it is
only with God’s will that we will be able to do whatever it
is that we wish to do. God instructs us that if we forget to do
this, then we are to say, “May my Lord guide me to do
better next time.” All these are ways that God Himself
is teaching us to remember Him by.
God is forever teaching those who wish to learn. In 18:39 God reminds
us that it is He alone who blesses us with things and reminds us
that we should be thankful: When you entered your garden, you
should have said, “This is what God has given me. No one possesses
power except God.” God alone is teacher of the Quran. |
Nothing in the heavens or the earth
happens unless God wills it. No leaf falls from a tree, no person
dies, no one is hurt, nothing can happen without the direct authority
of God. By reminding yourself throughout the day that nothing can
happen in this world without God’s permission, this is remembering
God as He commands you throughout the day and the night.
Our life on this earth will one day be terminated and on that day
we will be returned to God. No one knows when this will take place,
even today might be the time for that termination; no one knows
except God. Remembering that our life can be ended at any time should
be enough to remind us that we should continually remember God at
every opportunity. When we become engrossed in worldly affairs,
which so often happens, then just as prayer time approaches and
you withdraw from the world to worship your Creator, take a few
extra minutes to think about God, His blessings, His mercy and His
kindness and remind yourself that it is to Him that you will eventually
return.
God has given us this life as a test. A test to see whether we
will worship Him freely or not. During our time on this earth, which
is very short, we have to prove to both God and ourselves that we
are worthy to be saved. We ourselves are nothing without God. An
insignificant being and we walk the earth so proudly!
A thought to end on, just to remind us of how little power we actually
have over anything, most of all our very existence:
The heart beats approximately 72 times in one minute, and every
time it beats it does so only with the permission of God. Once He
removes that permission the heart stops beating and life, as we
know it, comes to an end, and it is to God we will then return.
You shall remember your Lord within yourself, publicly,
privately, and quietly, day and night; do not be unaware. (7:205)
Linda Moore
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