Surely in remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest

There is a Hadith attribute to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that reads: There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart. A sound heart refers to one that is free from arrogance and tries to please Allah. That is the more one cleans one's heart of worldly wants and puts complete trust in Allah, the more peace and tranquility one finds, for then one is reassured that no harm can come to him as long as love for Allah resides in his heart. 

Have you ever seen the bright radiance on the faces of the people who are closer to Allah, the ones whose time is spent in remembrance of Allah and doing things as ordained by their Creator? That is the more one remembers Allah the more his heart is cleansed of evil thoughts and takes him away from the worldly thoughts and worries. This is exactly the theme of the 28th verse of Surah 13. Ar Ra'ad (The Thunder) as shared below:

اَلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَتَطۡمَـئِنُّ قُلُوۡبُهُمۡ بِذِكۡرِ اللّٰهِ​ ؕ اَلَا بِذِكۡرِ اللّٰهِ تَطۡمَـئِنُّ الۡقُلُوۡبُ ؕ‏ 

(13:28) Such are the ones who believe (in the message of the Prophet) and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Surely in Allah's remembrance do hearts find rest.

That is to say that to the degree that you remember Allah, your heart will be calm and cheerful. His remembrance carries with it the meaning of total dependence upon Him, of turning to Him for aid, of having good thoughts about Him, and of waiting for victory from Him. Truly, He is near when supplicated: He hears when He is called and He answers when He is invoked, so humble yourself before Him and ask of Him sincerely. Repeat His beautiful blessed name, and mention Him as being alone worthy of worship. Mention His praises, supplicate to Him, and ask forgiveness from Him: you will then find - by the will of Allah- happiness, peace, and illumination. [1]

How can we remember Allah so that our hearts are at rest, peaceful and comforted? Herein under are some tips:

• Unflinching Faith in Allah
• Total trust in Allah (Tawakkul). ...
• Constant mention of Allah (Dhikrullah). ...
• Supplication (Duah)
• Positive attitude for every distress 

Let us read how Muslim scholars interpret this verse:

Yusuf Ali Explanation:

The Sign or Miracle is not something external: it is something internal, something in your mind, heart, and soul. It depends on your inner spiritual experience. If you turn to Allah, that light, that experience, will come. If you do not, Allah will not force you.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:

Ie., not through marvels and miracles, but through the Qur’ān when it fully expounds the attributes of God, His established practices and the arguments of His comprehension. However, for this it is necessary that a person is prepared to recognize the truth per se.

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

This is followed by an image of believing hearts which enjoy a congenial atmosphere of reassurance, happiness and peace. They find comfort in their feeling that their bond with God is a real one, and that they are close to Him, secure with His support.

They are without worry, and worry is normally only generated when one is left alone or when one is unsure of one’s way. Such people understand God’s wisdom behind man’s creation, origin and destiny. They also find comfort in feeling secure against aggression, harm or evil, except as God wills for them. This is coupled with a resigned acceptance of whatever trial God wishes to test them with. They are reassured that God will always bestow on them His grace, giving them guidance, abundance and security in this life and in the life to come.

Such comfort in the heart is a profound reality in the hearts of believers who deeply and truly feel the meaning of faith. They have a bond with God which they recognize. They cannot express the meaning of such a bond in words.

It touches their hearts, generating a feeling of happiness and reassurance that they do not stand alone in this universe. Whatever surrounds them is a friend, because it is all made by God under whose protection they live.

No one on earth is more miserable than those who are deprived of the blessing of a close relationship with God. Those who, having severed the most essential bond with their Creator, feel that they have no relationship with all around them are bound to suffer great misery. Who can be more wretched than one who does not realize why he has been created, or where he is heading, or why he suffers? Forlorn indeed is the one who goes about his life feeling isolated in an endless desert, having to strive without support, guidance or help.

In life we often experience moments which none can withstand unless we are certain of God’s support and protection, regardless of whatever resources of fortitude, perseverance and power may be at our command. There are moments in life that render all that useless. But such moments can be faced easily by those who find their comfort in God.

Now you may listen to the following short clipped video to explanation of the aforesaid Ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan:

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from the following sources: 

• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Yusuf Ali Translation
• Translation Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Qur'an Wiki
• Towards Understanding the Quran

In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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Selected Verses from Quran: The Divine Chastisement

History and archaeology teach man many a thing about the past, the once mighty empires lying in ruins with winds whistling through corridors of one mighty kings. Travelers and tourists come across such sites but enjoy their trip to such places without realizing to ponder over the the why of fate of such empires. The students of history and archaeology are few which leaves the large majority of man around the world oblivious of fate of such people and nations.

Have you ever pondered over to know the why? If not as yet, read the following verse from the Qur'an - it says all:

لَهٗ مُعَقِّبٰتٌ مِّنۡۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهٖ يَحۡفَظُوۡنَهٗ مِنۡ اَمۡرِ اللّٰهِ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتّٰى يُغَيِّرُوۡا مَا بِاَنۡفُسِهِمۡ​ؕ وَاِذَاۤ اَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِقَوۡمٍ سُوۡۤءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهٗ​ۚ وَمَا لَهُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِهٖ مِنۡ وَّالٍ‏ 

"There are guardians over everyone, both before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command. Verily Allah does not change a people's condition unless they change their inner selves. And when Allah decides to make a people suffer punishment, no one can avert it. Nor can any be of help to such a people against Allah." (Surah 13. Ar-Ra'd: 11) 

This verse contains lessons for both individuals and nations. Allah has sent prophets and messengers since time immemorial so that people listen to them and walk the Divine way as shown by the prophets. The people of Ad and Thamud are just but an example. They were told to follow the Divine way but their arrogance prevented them from doing so. They thought by making houses in mountains, no calamity would hit them and thus denied their prophets. God continued to provide them leverage for may be one day they repent and accept Allah's will. And when they continued to persist in their denial,  Allah's wrath befell  on them and they were no more than dead corpses within no time. And today only ruins remain to tell the world of their fate.

They forgot that Allah not only directly watches over whatever each person does, and is fully aware of everything he does, but He has also appointed such guardians as accompany him everywhere and keep a full record of all his deeds. This has been stated here to warn those people who live their lives under the delusion that they have been left absolutely free to do whatever they like and shall not be required to render an account of what they did in this worldly life. The warning is that such people invite their own retribution.

This is to warn them further that they should not remain under any delusion that some holy person or saint or angel has the power to rescue them from divine retribution, for there is none who could defend them against Allah, even though they might have been paying homage and making offerings to their so called patrons and protectors in the hope that they would rescue them from punishment from Allah on the Day of Judgment.

Yusuf Ali Explanation:
Every person, whether he conceals or reveals his thoughts, whether he skulks in darkness or goes about by day,-all are under Allah's watch and ward. His grace encompasses everyone, and again and again protects him, if he will only take the protection, from harm and evil. If in his folly he thinks he can secretly take some pleasure or profit, he is wrong, for recording angels record all his thoughts and deeds.

Allah is not intent on punishment. He created man virtuous and pure; he gave him intelligence and knowledge; he surrounded him with all sorts of instruments of His grace and mercy. If, in spite of all this, man distorts his own will and goes against Allah's Will, yet is Allah's forgiveness open to him if he will take it. It is only when he has made his own sight blind and changed his own nature or soul away from the beautiful mould in which Allah formed it, that Allah's Wrath will descend on him and the favourable position in which Allah placed him will be changed. When once the punishment comes, there is no turning it back. None of the things which he relied upon- other than Allah-can possibly protect him.

Muhammad Asad Explanation:

Lit., "from between his hands and from behind him". As in 2:255 , the expression "between his hands" denotes "something that is perceivable by him" or "evident to him", while that which is "behind him" is a metonym for something "beyond his ken" or "hidden from him". See also next note.

Lit., "from God's command (amr)". The rendering of the above passage hinges on the meaning given to the term mu'aqqibat - a double plural of mu'aqqib, which signifies "something that comes immediately after another thing" or "succeeds another thing without interruption". Most of the classical commentators understand by mu'aqqibat "hosts of angels", i.e., the recording angels who attend on every human being, succeeding one another without interruption. Consequently, they interpret the phrase min bayni yadayhi wa-min khalfihi as meaning "ranged before him and behind him", i.e., surrounding man from all sides; and they explain the words "from God's command" as being here synonymous with "by God's command", and take them to refer to the angels or to their function of guardianship. However, this interpretation has by no means the support of all the commentators. Some of the earliest ones assume that the term mu'aqqibat refers to all manner of worldly forces or concepts on which man so often relies in the mistaken belief that they might help him to achieve his aims independently of God's will: and this is the meaning given to this elliptic passage by the famous commentator Abu Muslim al-Isfahani, as quoted by Razi. Explaining verse {10} and the first part of verse {11}, he says: "All alike are, in God's knowledge, deeds done secretly or openly, as well as he who hides in the darkness of night and he who walks [boldly] in the light of day...: for he that resorts to the [cover of] night can never elude God's will (amr), just as he [cannot] that walks in the light of day, surrounded by hosts of helpers (mu'aqqibat) - that is, guards and aids - meant to protect him: [for] those guards of his cannot save him from [the will of] God." It is on this convincing interpretation that I have based my rendering. The worldly "guards and aids" on which a sinner relies may be tangible (like wealth, progeny, etc.) or intangible (like personal power, high social standing, or the belief in one's "luck"): and this explains the phrase "both such as can be perceived by him and such as are hidden from him" (see preceding note).

Lit., "that which is in themselves". This statement has both a positive and a negative connotation: i.e., God does not withdraw His blessings from men unless their inner selves become depraved (cf. 8:53 ), just as He does not bestow His blessings upon wilful sinners until they change their inner disposition and become worthy of His grace. In its wider sense, this is an illustration of the divine law of cause ar,d effect (sunnat Allah) which dominates the lives of both individuals and communities, and makes the rise and fall of civilizations dependent on people's moral qualities and the changes in "their inner selves".

Let us often visit ruins of erstwhile great empires and try to dig out how they disbelieved in prophets and messengers and how did they resisted to follow the commandments of Allah. Had they done so, they may have been flourishing even today. If we do not learn lessons from history and continue to act tangent to what is contained in the Divine scriptures, we may also meet a similar fate one day.

May Allah help us understand Qur'an and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an

You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.

Photo  } References: | 1 | 2 |

Reading the Holy Quran should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the Sūrahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:

• The plain translation has been taken from the Holy Quran officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
• The exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. 

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Exegesis by Maulana Mufti Muhammad Sharif, revised by Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi  Usmani
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid

In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given in each page. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More