The Book of the Remembrance of Allah
كتاب الأذكار
Chapter 1: The Excellence of the Remembrance of Allah
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Glorify your Lord in Ruku' (bowing posture) and exert yourself in supplication in prostration. Thus your supplications are liable to be accepted."[Muslim].
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A slave becomes nearest to his Rubb when he is in prostration. So increase supplications while prostrating."[Muslim].
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say in his prostration: Allahum-maghfir li dhanbi kullahu: diqqahu wa jillahu, wa 'awwalahu wa akhirahu, wa alaniyatahu wa sirrahu (O Allah! Forgive all my sins, the small and the great, first and the last, the open and the secret)."[Muslim].
One night I missed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) from his bed. I searched for him. When I found him he was in bowing or prostrating posture and was reciting: Subhanaka wa bi hamdika. La ilaha illa Anta (You are free from imperfection and I begin praising You. There is no true god except You)."Another narration is: My hand fell over his feet while he was in prostration with his feet erect. He was supplicating: "Allahumma inni a'udhu biridaka min sakhatika, wa bi-mu'afatika min 'uqubatika, wa a'udhu bika minka, la uhsi thana'an 'alaika, Anta kama athnaita 'ala Nafsika (O Allah! I seek protection against Your Wrath in Your Pleasure. I seek protection in Your Pardon against Your chastisement, I am not capable of enumerating praise of You. You are as You have lauded Yourself)."
We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he asked, "Is anyone of you unable to earn a thousand good deeds?" One of those present asked: "How can one earn thousand good deeds in a day?" He (ﷺ) replied, "By saying: Subhan Allah a hundred times, then one thousand good deeds will be recorded for him or one thousand sins will be blotted out from his record."[Muslim].
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Every morning charity is due from every joint bone of the body of every one of you. Every utterance of Allah's Glorification (i.e., Subhan-Allah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of praise of Him (i.e., Al-hamdu lillah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of profession of Faith (i.e., La ilaha illallah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of His Greatness (i.e., Allahu Akbar) is an act of charity; and enjoining good is an act of charity and forbidding what is disreputable is an act of charity; and two Rak'ah prayer which one offers in the forenoon (Ad- Duha) will suffice for all this."[Muslim].
The Prophet (ﷺ) came out from my apartment in the morning as I was busy in performing the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon and found me sitting there. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Are you still in the same position as I left you." I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon the Prophet said, "I recited four words three times after I had left you. If these are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these will be heavier. These are: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, `adada khalqihi, wa rida nafsihi, wa zinatah `arshihi, wa midada kalimatihi [Allah is free from imperfection and I begin with His praise, as many times as the number of His creatures, in accordance with His Good Pleasure, equal to the weight of His Throne and equal to the ink that may be used in recording the words (for His Praise)]."[Muslim].
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The similitude of one who remembers his Rubb and one who does not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah the Exalted says: 'I am as my slave expects me to be, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me inwardly, I will remember him inwardly, and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I will remember him in a better assembly (i.e., in the assembly of angels)."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The Mufarridun have gone ahead." He was asked, "Who are the Mufarridun?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Those men and women who frequently celebrate the remembrance of Allah."[Muslim].
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "The best way to celebrate the remembrance of Allah is to say: La ilaha illallah (there is no true god except Allah)."[At-Tirmidhi].
One of the Companions said, "O Messenger of Allah. There are many injunctions of Islam for me. So tell me something to which I may hold fast." He said, "Keep your tongue wet with the remembrance of Allah."[At-Tirmidhi].
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "For him who says: 'Subhan-Allahi wa bi hamdihi (Allah is free from imperfection, and I begin with praising Him, and to Him),' a palm-tree will be planted in Jannah."[At- Tirmidhi].
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I met Ibrahim (ﷺ) on the Night of Ascension (Al-Asra), and he said to me: 'O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your Ummah, and tell them that Jannah has a vast plain of pure soil and sweet water. It is a plain levelled land. The plants grow there by uttering: Subhan-Allah, Al-hamdu lillah, La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar (Allah is free from imperfection; praise be to Allah; there is no true god except Allah; and Allah is Greatest)."[At- Tirmidhi].
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Shall I not inform you of the best of your actions which are the purest to your Rubb, which exalt you to the high ranks, which are more efficacious than spending gold and silver (in charity), and better for you than you should encounter your enemies whom you will smite their necks and they will smite your necks?" They said, "Certainly." He (ﷺ) said, "Remembrance of Allah the Exalted."[At-Tirmidhi].
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I went to see a woman. She had date- stones or pebbles in front of her, and she was counting and reciting Tasbih. ['Subhan-Allah' (Allah is free from imperfection)]. He said, "Shall I not inform you of what is easier or better than this for you?" You should say: 'Subhan-Allahi 'adada ma khalaqa fis-sama', wa subhan-Allahi 'adada ma khalaqa fil-ardi, wa subhan-Allahi 'adada ma baina dhalika, wa subhan-Allahi 'adada ma Huwa Khaliqun, wallahu Akbaru mithla dhalika, wal-hamdu lillahi mithla dhalika, wa la ilaha illallahu mithla dhalika, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahi mithla dhalika (Subhan-Allah, equal to the number of what He created in the heaven; and Subhan-Allah, equal to the number of His creatures in the earth; and Subhan-Allah, equal to the number in between them; and Subhan-Allah equal to the number of those He will create).' Then say: 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is Greatest) in the same way. Then say: 'Al-hamdu lillah' (praise be to Allah) in the same way. Then say: 'La ilaha illallah' (there is no true god except Allah) in the same way. Then say: 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (there is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah) in the same manner."[At-Tirmidhi].
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "Shall I not guide you to a treasure from the treasures of Jannah?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" Thereupon he (ﷺ) said, "(Recite) 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah)."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Chapter 2: Remembrance of Allah in all Conditions
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to remember Allah at all times.[Muslim].
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If anyone intends to have (sexual intercourse) with his wife, he should say: "Bismillah! Allahumma janibnash-Shaitana, wa jannibish-Shaitana ma razaqtana (In the Name of Allah, O Allah! Keep us away from Satan and keep Satan away from what You have bestowed upon us);' and if Allah has ordained a child for them, Satan will never harm him."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Chapter 3: The Book of the Etiquette of Sleeping, Lying, and Sitting etc
[Al-Bukhari]