by Raiiq Ridwan

As Muslims it is pretty clear to us that our purpose in life is to worship Allah. At times it seems very difficult for us to constantly be in the obedience of Allah. Dare I say, at times we actually feel that Islam is a bit too much!! However, that is more because we have a different idea about Islam, rather than certain knowledge of what Allah and His Messenger have said. Our aim in life is to worship Allah and earn His pleasure, and He has made very easy ways to do so!

So how about deeds which are easy to do yet tremendous in reward? Do we not want to fill our scales with as much good deeds as possible? Here comes the opportunity

The Prophet said, ‘Shall I tell you of the best of deeds, the most pure in the sight of your Lord and of the highest order? That which is far better than spending gold and silver, better than meeting yourbenemy at the battlefield where you strik at their necks and they at yours?’ The companions replied, ‘Yes O Messenger of Allah.’ The Prophet replied, ‘It is Dhikr/zikr (Remembrance) of Allah [Narrated by Tirmidhi]

Allah says in the Quran, “So Remember me, I will remember you” [Quran 2:152]

It is amazing that by remembering Allah we are doing one of the best acts of worship, and by it Allah is remembering and talking about us to His angels. What an honour! And to add to all of that, there are multitudes of rewards attached to doing various adhkaar too!

The Prophet said that the four most beloved dhikr/zikr to Allah are- subhan Allah, alhamdulillah, la ilaha illa Allah, Allahu akbar [Narrated by Muslim]. If we recite each a hundred times it takes about five minutes in total. Yet what are the possible rewards? [The name in bracekts is the narrator of the saying of the Prophet]

– reward for 400 acts of charity [Muslim]

– 100 plants planted in paradise [Tirmidhi]

– sins fall away like leaves fall off an old tree [Tirmidhi]

– given safety from hellfire [Tirmidhi]

– Subhan Allah a 100 times carries the reward of 1000 good deeds, 1000 sins removed and reward of freeing 100 slaves [Muslim]

– subhan Allah a 100 times also carries reward of freeing 100 slaves from the children of Ismail [Ahmad]

– Allahu akbar a 100 times carries the reward for making a 100 sacrifices [Ahmad]

– these words make tawaf around the throne of Allah, mentioning the name of the one who uttered them [Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Tabarani]

Subhan Allah is a phrase that negates any imperfection to Allah. It is a declaration of Allah’s perfection

Alhamdulillah is a phrase that declares that Allah is perfect and thus to Him belongs all praise and thanks for whatever we go through

La ilaha illa Allah is the greatest phrase of all, and the “best of dhikr” according to hadeeth. It is the foundation stone upon which our faith is based and is among the best of phrases to recite.

Allahu akbar is the phrase that declares that Allah is greater than everything else. Greater than our problems, greater than our needs, greater than our desires and greater than all that we seek!

Let us ponder on these words, and take five minutes of our day to recite these adhkar and worship the Lord who has given us all that we have!