Day 3

Allah the Most High says in the Qur'an:

So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.

(Sahih International)

So remember Me; I will remember you. Be thankful to Me, and never ungrateful.

(M.A.S. Abdel Haleem)

In this magnificent ayah (verse) of the Qur'an, Allah comforts the reader with a most amazing statement, one that can provide comfort, hope and satisfaction to all who ponder and reflect upon it. Many times, due to the hardship or obstacles that we may face personally, or the pain, suffering and injustice we see around us, we reach times in our lives where we are forced to acknowledge that we cannot understand or explain everything.

For the believer, we can at least take comfort in the knowledge that the Creator, the All-Merciful and All-Wise is in all cases aware of what is going on and has not left or abandoned his creation. All we have to do is turn our minds, our tongues, and our hearts toward God and his remembrance, and He has promised that he will then "remember us."

In the moving hadith qudsee (sacred narration) this point is explained and emphasized in even more beautiful detail. A hadith qudsee is a statement in which the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, quotes a meaning revealed to him from our Lord in his own words:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ :
"يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي، وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَنِي، فَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ، ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي، وَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلَإٍ، ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلَإٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ بِشِبْرٍ، تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ ذِرَاعًا، تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ بَاعًا(1) وَإِنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي، أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً"
رواه البخاري (وكذلك مسلم والترمذي وابن ماجه)

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

"Allah the Almighty said:

'I am as My servant thinks I am (or I am as my servant expects Me to be). I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed."

If we look at this hadith carefully, we can see that not only is God there to comfort and support us whenever we turn to Him, but that one should always pay close attention to how one thinks of his or her Lord. If you expect to find mercy and compassion and love with your Lord, then that is what you will find, providing that you do your best to act with righteousness. God makes a similar point in many other ways in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of His prophet. God tells us that if He will help and support us as long as we help and support our brothers and sisters, while if a person refuses to spend his wealth or his time to help others, God may withhold blessings and support from him or her.

Also, we notice that there is nothing that Allah loves more than when a servant turns toward Him, acknowledges mistakes and shortcomings and endeavors to improve him or herself, to try and be a better person. In such cases, God will turn towards the servant and make the journey easy. If one takes one step in the right direction, God will take two steps toward him or her, and if one starts walking toward God, God will start running towards him or her.

Reflection Questions/Spiritual Reflection:

What are some ways that I can make sure to turn towards God when I am in need (don't forget that "remembering" God can take many different forms), and also when I am feeling comfortable or blessed that I can show gratitude?

One of the best ways to begin taking a step towards God, after engaging in the required daily acts of worship such as the five prayers or obligatory charity (zakat) is to consciously seek to improve one's character. Try to reflect upon one negative character trait you may sometimes fall into (for example lying, or gossiping/backbiting, or being jealous of others) and actively seek to start on the road to addressing that issue. Commit to consciously tell the truth, to say good things about others or be quiet and to be content with and grateful for what you have.