Words of Remembrance that Serve as a Cure in Life

Certain words of remembrance of Allah can serve as a cure against what Ails us in lif if recited on a regular basis: Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said, "When a servant of Allah utters the words la ilaha illa'Allah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah) sincerely, the doors of heaven open up for these words until they reach the Throne of Allah, so long as its utterer keeps away from the major sins.'' [Tirmizhi, who says it is a hasan gharib hadith] Abu Hurairah also reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Renew your faith." "How can we renew our faith?" they asked. The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, "Say always, 'La ilaha ill- Allah'.'' [Reported by Ahmad with a sound chain of authorities] Jabir reported that the Prophet said, "The best remembrance of Allah is to repeat La ilaha ill-Allah and the best prayer is alhamdu li-Allah (All Praise is due to Allah).'' [Reported by Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim, who considers its chain sound]

Also pronouncing Tahlil and Tasbih and supplication on a regular basis brings about merit: Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said "There are two phrases that are light on the tongue but heavy on the scale of rewards and are dear to (Allah) the Gracious One. These are, subhanallah wa bi-hamdihi (All Glory is to Allah and all Praise to Him), and subhanallah al-azim (Glorified is Allah, the Great).'' [Muslim, Bukhari, and Tirmizhi] Abu Hurairah also reported that the Prophet said, "I love repeating subhanallah, wal-hamdulillah, wa la- ilaha ill-Allah, wa-Allahu akbar (Glorified is Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and there is no God but Allah, Allah is the greatest) more than all that the sun shines upon.'' [Muslim and Tirmizhi] Abu Zharr reported the Prophetsaid, 'Shall I tell you the words that Allah loves the most?' I said, 'Yes, tell me, O Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'The words most dear to Allah are subhan-Allah wa bihamdihi (Glorified is Allah with all praise due to Him)'." [This is narrated by Muslim and Tirmizhi]

Also the Prophet (sa) said certain words bring benefit to us in their world and the hereafter: "Whoever says Subhan-Allah-al-Azim wa bihamdihi (Glorified is Allah, the Great, with all praise due to Him), will have a palm tree planted for him in Paradise.'' [Reported by Tirmizhi who considers it a sound hadith] Abdallah reported that the Prophet said, "During the Night Journey I met Ibrahim who said to me, 'O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your ummah, and tell them that the Paradise is of pure land, its water is sweet, and its expanse is vast, spacious and even. And its plants are Subhan-Allah, wal-hamdulillah, wala ilah illallah, wa-Allahu akbar'.''

Remembering Allah through words on a regular basis is also considered an enduring good deed: Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet said, "Perform the enduring goods deeds more frequently." The asked, "What are these enduring deeds?" The Prophet replied, At-Takbir, (Saying Allahu akbar i.e., Allah is the greatest) At-Tahlil, (Saying la ilaha ill- Allah, i.e., there is no god but Allah) At-Tasbih, (Saying subhan-Allah meaning, Exalted and far removed is Allah from any weakness) al-hamdu li- Allah, (This means: All praise belongs to Allah alone) and la hawla wala quwwata illa billah. (There is no power nor any authority except with the permission of Allah) [This is reported by An-Nasa'i and Al-Hakim, who consider its chain of authorities sound] Samura ibn Jundab reported that the Prophet said, "The dearest phrases to Allah are four: Subhan Allah, (Glorified is Allah), al-Hamdulillah (All praise be to Allah), Wa la ilaha ill-Allah (There is no God but Allah), and Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is the Greatest). There is no harm in beginning them in any order you choose while remembering Allah.'' (Muslim)

Taking words from the Quran and using them as supplication is also a means of Remembering Allah: Abu Mas'ud reported that the Prophet said, "If anyone recites the last two verses of Surat al-Baqarah, they will suffice for him,'' [Bukhariand Muslim] That means these two verses will bring him a reward equivalent to that of a night prayer, and will safeguard him from any hurt during that night. Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet asked, "Can anyone of you recite a third of the Qur'an during the night?" The Companions considered this rather difficult and they said, "Who among us can do so, O Prophet of Allah?" Thereupon the Prophet said, "(Say:) He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is he begotten; and there is none like unto Him.'' The reference here is to recitation of Surah 112 (Suratul Ikhlas) of the Qur'an, which the Prophet described as equivalent to reciting one-third of the Qur'an. [This hadith is reported by Bukhari, Muslim, and Nasa'i]

Also The Prophet Said: "Whoever says, 'La llaha illa-Allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in qadir' a hundred times during a day will have a reward equivalent to the reward for freeing ten slaves. Besides, a hundred good deeds will be recorded for him and a hundred bad deeds of his will be wiped off, and it will be a safeguard for him from Satan that day until evening, and no one will be better in deeds than such a person except he who does more than that.'' [Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizhi, Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah] In the version of Muslim, Tirmizhi, and Nasa'i, we find this addition: "And whoever says subhan Allah wa bi-hamdihi a hundred times during a day, will have all his sins wiped off even if they were as numerous as the foam on the surface of the sea."

Finally – Whenever one rememembers Allah through words, he or she should always end by seeking forgiveness: Anas reported that he heard the Prophet saying that Allah says, "O son of Adam, whatever you asked Me and expect from Me I forgave - respecting that which you owed to Me - and I don't care [how great this was]. O Son of Adam, even if your sins pile up to the sky and then you seek My forgiveness I will forgive you, and O son of Adam, even if you have an earthful of sins but you meet Me without associating any other thing with Me I will forgive you.' [Reported by Tirmizhi, who considers it a hasan sahih hadith] Abdallah b. 'Abbas said, "If one supplicates without fail for forgiveness from Allah, He finds a way out for him to get out of every distress and difficulty, and gives him sustenance through ways utterly unthought of.'' [Reported by Abu Daw'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim, who says its chain of authorities is sound.]

A cure against falling into sin A cure against sinning against others So thus Allah has sent the cure for every illness and remembering him with your tongue on a regular basis serves as a great cure A cure against falling into sin A cure against sinning against others A cure against doubt A cure against despair The question is; “Are you ready to take the cure?”

To be Continued