Where hearts find rest

Dhikr means remembering Allah. It can be words said aloud, a thought in the heart, or both. The Quran describes what it does for a person:

ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ٢٨

Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allāh. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allāh hearts are assured."

By the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured. Worry and restlessness are part of every life. This verse tells us where calm is found.

He remembers you#

فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ١٥٢

So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.

The promise is simple: remember Allah, and He will remember you. The Prophet ﷺ explained more in a hadith where he relates the words of Allah:

Narrated Abu Hurayrah:

I am as My servant expects Me to be, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I remember him in Myself. If he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering better than it.

The living and the dead#

Narrated Abu Musa al-Ash'ari:

The example of the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not is like that of the living and the dead.

The Prophet ﷺ compared a person who does not remember Allah to someone who is dead, however busy and active their life may be.

Remember Him often#

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا٤١

O you who have believed, remember Allāh with much remembrance

The Quran asks for much remembrance. That can sound demanding, but dhikr can be very simple. Short phrases like these can be said at any time, in any place:

• SubhanAllah: glory be to Allah
• Alhamdulillah: all praise is for Allah
• La ilaha illallah: there is no god but Allah
• Allahu akbar: Allah is the Greatest
• Astaghfirullah: I seek Allah's forgiveness

They need no special place, no preparation and only a few seconds. Say them while walking, waiting or working, and the ordinary parts of your day become time spent remembering Allah.