The remembrance of Allah alone, and the remembrance of Allah in a gathering, both
have their unique benefits.
And so when you're sitting alone and remembering Allah (swt) the angels
will surely accompany you and that will not compromise your intention,
but only increase your sincerity and in fact have it recorded with Allah
(swt) when you're sitting with a gathering and remembering Allah
(swt),
then that will increase the number of angels and cause the mercy of Allah
(swt) to descend on every single person in that gathering.
The prophet (pbuh) one time came out to a group of companions and the way
that he asked them how long they'd been sitting there caused them to worry.
And he said, don't worry, it's just that Jabril ealayh alslam,
just came to me and said that Allah is boasting to the angels about you.
Allah (swt) says through hadith qidsi that "I am as my servant expects of me
and I am with him when he remembers me". So if he remembers me inwardly,
I remember him inwardly, and if he remembers me in an assembly,
then I remember him in a greater assembly,
meaning the assembly of the Malayikuh the assembly of the angels.
And so there's a blessing that comes with both of those things.
And it's important to have a share of both of them.
And the prophet (pbuh) did not restrict the type of gathering here to one
form of a duea' or just the recitation of the Qur'an,
or just a gathering of knowledge or what type of knowledge.
But anytime people gathered to remember Allah (swt),
the prophet (pbuh) said the angels surround them, mercy overtakes them,
tranquility descends upon them.
And as the angels surround them with their wings,
until the wings go up to Allah (swt),
Allah makes mention of those that are there with those that are with him.
So Allah (eaza wajal) mentions them to the angels and boasts about them. And there's a long,
beautiful Hadith about this where the prophet (pbuh) said "the angels are going
out through the streets every single night.
And they're looking for people that are gathered and remembering Allah.
How big is the gathering? It doesn't matter.
Just there are people that are sitting together reciting the Qur'an or
remembering Allah (swt), Is it only the Masjid? No.
People are gathered together remembering Allah (swt) or drawing closer to
Allah through knowledge or the recitation of the Qur'an, and as those angels go
through the streets looking for those people,
when they come across those groups of people,
the angels call upon the others and say, hlmu 'iilaa hajatkum,
I found what you were looking for.
Come to what you were looking for and the prophet (pbuh) says,
then they all extend their wings over that gathering and as they extend their
wings over that gathering all the way up through the heavens to Allah
(swt),
those wings are instantly stacked on top of one another and Allah
(swt) asks about us when we're gathered together, remembering him and Allah
knows us better than the angels know us,
but this is a conversation and Allah (swt) ask the angels.
Why are these people gathered there gathered to remember you?
What are they saying?
They're saying "subhan allah, Alhamd Lilah, La alh 'iilaa Allah, Allah 'akbar", they're remembering you.
They're glorifying you, they're learning about you, and what are they asking?
They're asking for Jenna, Allah says, have they seen Jenna?
No they haven't and Allah says and How would it be? Had they seen it? Right?
What type of dedication would they have to paradise?
Had they seen it, and what else are they asking?
They're asking refuge from the fire and have they seen the fire? No.
How would it be?
Had they seen Jahannam than they would have really put more into it had they
actually seen Jahannam.
Imagine how much more dedicated they would have been to staying away from it.
and Allah (swt) calls all of those angels,
those that are stacked at the lowest point all the way to those that have
reached him with their wings and Allah (swt) says,
I want you all to bear witness that I have forgiven all of these people.
And some of the angels will then say, but ya Allah.
You know this person is not there because they came to remember you.
They're there because their friends pulled them in.
They're there because of some social gathering, some element. Other than that,
it wasn't really just for the gathering or for the sincerity of that pursuit and
Allah (swt) says that this group of people "la yashqaa
bihim julaysuhum", that the one who sits amongst them will not be deprived".
So even if someone had some, you know,
some other motive or there was some other reason for them being in the gathering
in the mercy of Allah (swt)
It will cover the entire gathering and it won't exclude anyone from that
gathering, and that's why I can't emphasize enough that as great as the online
world is and as wonderful as it is that you're able to consume this online and
that we're able to communicate through these different means that online viewing
never beats onsite Baraka
It never beats the blessing of us being together and having the angels surround
us. And so wherever you have that opportunity, even if it's a local halqa,
even if you,
if you don't connect as much with the Imam or the speaker or you know,
you find that you benefit more for online,
go for the sake of being in that Baraka being in that blessing and under the
wings of those angels and being mentioned to Allah (swt) and being
forgiven,
what are you going to learn that is going to give you a greater reward than that
reward that Allah (swt) is promising you,
whether it is the tranquility that comes into your heart as a result of it, or
the reward that is recorded with him that you see in paradise. As a result of it.