- The best way to use your words
to remember Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
is to read His words about Himself.
And that's why the Qur'an, the frequently recited book
is the best form of dhikr.
It is the best form of remembrance.
Subhan Allah, if you look at all of the other adhkaar
that we have covered and they are all beautiful,
you will find that they are multiplied
in the context of the Qur'an,
meaning if you go through the Qur'an,
you will read these adhkaar naturally.
And all of the blessings of these adhkaar
will become so much more,
because you'll have the reward of the dhikr themselves,
as well as the recitation of the Qur'an.
You'll understand the context,
when the Prophets were saying it,
when we should say it as believers.
Allah huma ajalil qurana arbiyya qulubina
And you'll see that with all of the adhkaar,
when they are recited in isolation,
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallaam mentioned
rewards for the entirety
of that particular statement of dhikr,
but with the Qur'an,
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said
that every letter of the Qur'an is worth ten hasanaat.
And he said, and I'm not saying
that Alif Lam Mim, for example, is 10 hasanaat.
I'm saying Alif is 10, Lam is 10, Mim is 10.
And so Alif Lam Mim in and of itself is 30 hasanaat.
There is no other dhikr that you'll find
that is mentioned like this to where even the letter
becomes rewardable like the Qur'an.
When you think about the status of a person,
all of the adhkaar that elevate a person,
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said
that "the one who recites the Qur'an with proficiency
is Ma'alkiraam Al-bararra,with the most noble of the angels.
You know, you're talking about the adhkaar
and you're wanting to be remembered by those noble angels.
The one who recites it proficiently
is with the most noble of the angels,
and the one who recites it and struggles
has double the reward.
When you think about the adhkaar
being witnessed by the angels,
and the angels recording the remembrance
of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Allay says about the Qur'an
innal Qur'an-al Fajri, kana mashhuda (Al-Quran 17:78)
that the Qur'an of Fajr is witnessed by the angels.
as Imam ibn Salah Rahimahullah said
that the angels have been given the gift
of listening to the Qur'an,
but you have been given the gift of reciting the Qur'an.
And so there is nothing that the angels love more
than to hear you recite the Qur'an
and they descend upon you to hear it
the way they gathered around Jibreel Alaihi salaam
as he brought it down to
the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi wa sallam.
And so you cannot imagine
the amount of angels that descend upon you
when you sit to remember Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala
by reciting his words.
In the very famous hadith of Al Bara'ah
Radiallahu ta'aala anhu
where he mentioned a man who was reciting Surah al-Kahf.
And as he was reciting Surah al-Kahf,
the horses started to move in a way
that it was as if they were going to break free.
And when they told the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
about that incident
he said that the angels were descending upon you.
That you saw the lights filling the skies
and the angels descending upon you.
So much so that even the horses were moved by it.
And in one narration
the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said
that was as-sakeenah,
that was tranquility that descended upon you.
And Imam ibn Hajar Rahimahullah,
he said that as-sakeenah here
refers to the angels themselves,
because wherever the angels go,
sakeenah, tranquility descends as well.
And there's nothing that causes the angels
to descend upon you like the recitation of the Qur'an.
And so when you want tranquility around you
you recite the Qur'an.
When you want tranquility in your heart
you recite the Qur'an.
And when Allah Azza Wa Jal says,
alaa bizikril laahi tatma'innul quloob (Al-Quran 13:28)
that, verily, in the remembrance of Allah,
do hearts find satisfaction.
Nothing is going to bring that satisfaction to the heart
like the Qur'an, the best of all dhikr,
the best of all remembrance.
And Subahaanallah we find in another narration,
the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
said the opposite also
that a person who doesn't have any of the Qur'an
in their heart is like al Bait-ul-Kharab,
is like a destroyed home.
They're completely in shambles
when they don't have the Qur'an in their heart
and committed to their recitation
and are committed to it in their practice.
As for your status,
Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said,
innallaha yarfaoo bi hadhal kitaabi aqwaman
wa yadaa bihi akhireen
that verily Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala honors people
with this book and he humiliates others.
What does that exactly look like?
In this life the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said
that you should only envy two people.
That there is no hasad, no envy, except in the case of two.
A person who Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala gives wealth to
and he spends it for the sake of Allah,
and a person who has the Quran committed to memory
and he recites it day and night.
And of course, this type of envy is a healthy envy.
Not one where you want bad for the person,
but where you wish to be like that person.
And spending and reciting
of what Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala has blessed you with
for His sake.
That's in this dunya.
On the day of judgment there is no other dhikr
like the Qur'an.
For the Qur'an comes forth
as an intercessor on your behalf, arguing on your behalf
in front of Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala.
Surah al-Baqarah, Surah Ali Imraan, form a canopy over you
of birds and clouds shading you
and crowning you on the day of judgment.
And so on the day of judgment
nothing elevates you like the Qur'an.
And finally in Jannah,
when you talk about trees and treasures
Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said
that it will be said to the person,
read and recite up until the last verse
that you have committed to memory.
And so when you talk about elevation,
how many ayaat,
how many letters are there in the Qur'an?
Memorize as much as you can, recite as much as you can.
And that is the ability that you have
to reach the highest rank in Jannah bi ithnillahi ta aala.
And SubahanAllah it is a healing for us in every single way
shifaaa'ul limaa fis sudoor (Al-Quran 10:57)
a healing for that which is in our hearts.
And even when it comes to physical healing
there is nothing that heals like Surah al-Fatiha.
And the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam taught us
to read it over ourselves to heal.
And he even allowed us to read it over others to heal them.
When it comes to protection,
there is nothing like the last three Quls of the Qur'an.
There is nothing like Ayaatul Qursi.
And the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
when he received the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah,
Jabir ibn Abdullah Radiallahu ta'ala anhu said,
they were sufficient for us at night.
So the best form of dhikr at night
is the recitation of the end of the Qur'an.
And is there a restriction
to how much you should recite the Qur'an?
SubahanAllah you find it in your salaah,
you find it after your Salaah
you find it throughout the day and night.
You find it as the rope of Allah.
You find it as the trustworthy handhold.
You find that the people of
the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
the greatest generation were described as Ahlul Quran,
the people of Qur'an.
And they're the most beloved people
to Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala.
And you find that the companions were up at night
especially in the last third,
reciting the book of Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala
and connecting themselves to Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala.
And in that process, you know, if you think about the Qur'an
not only are all other forms of dhikr
embedded in the Qur'an,
but the best thing that you could do with the Qur'an
is to pray, is to go back to Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala
and to immerse your entire body in a form of dhikr.
And this is where you find yourself
in the closest position to Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala,
when every part of your body is in a state of dhikr
and you're remembering Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala
with His word.
What better place could you be in
than in that place with Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala?
And so this Quran is your greatest sustenance.
This is what determines your station
in this life and the next.
This Qur'an is your salvation.
This Qur'an is the way that you cling
to Allah Subahaanahu wa ta'aala.
This Qur'an is the way that you learn about Allah.
This Qur'an is how you remember Allah.
This Qur'an is how you hope to be resurrected
in front of Allah Subahanahu wa ta'aala.
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