The Virtues Of Gathering To Remember Allah (Adh-Dhikr)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ.

All Praise is due to Allah, we praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace and blessings on him, is His servant, and His messenger.

Dear Brothers and Sisters …

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

 يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102

O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.

وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Al Juma’ (62) 10 – And remember Allah often that you may succeed.

The Prophet ﷺ used to praise Allah all in all his circumstances. And used to remember Him the exalted at all times. And encourage His ummah (nation) with regards to the circles of remembrance. He ﷺinformed that they are from the gardens of paradise.

Be conscious of Allah and obey Him. Persist in remembrance of Him, learn His religion and reflect on His signs. For the heart knows no joy except through Him.

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

Ar Ra’d  (13) 28- Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.

Circles of knowledge, remembrance and Quran are gatherings that charge the hearts with Iman (faith). And the chests are relaxed through the remembrance of Allah. And the believers learn the religion and the ordinances. It is no wonder that there are many textual references indicating the virtue of the gatherings of knowledge, remembrance and studying the Quran.

Among the virtues of the Gathering/Majlis of remembrance is success through attaining forgiveness, paradise, deliverance from the fire, and the attendance of the Angels in these gatherings. And the Angels attend by the command of Allah the Exalted which indicates that the people attending gatherings of remembrance are taking a big step in the sight of Allah as illustrated in the Hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with Him) who said:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-: “إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى- مَلَائِكَةً سَيَّارَةً فُضُلًا  يَتَتَبَّعُونَ مَجَالِسَ الذِّكْرِ  فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا مَجْلِسًا فِيهِ ذِكْرٌ قَعَدُوا مَعَهُمْ  وَحَفَّ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا بِأَجْنِحَتِهِمْ  حَتَّى يَمْلَئُوا مَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا

The Prophet ﷺ said: Verily, Allah the Blessed and Exalted has caravans of angels who follow the gatherings of remembrance. When they find gatherings of remembrance, they sit with them and surround each other with their wings until the space between them and the heaven of this world is filled.

 فَإِذَا تَفَرَّقُوا عَرَجُوا وَصَعِدُوا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ  قَالَ: فَيَسْأَلُهُمُ اللَّهُ -عَزَّ وَجَلَّ-  وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ: مِنْ أَيْنَ جِئْتُمْ

When they disperse, they ascend and rise to the heaven and Allah the Exalted asks them –although he is best informed about them: From where have you come?

فَيَقُولُونَ: جِئْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِ عِبَادٍ لَكَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يُسَبِّحُونَكَ وَيُكَبِّرُونَكَ وَيُهَلِّلُونَكَ وَيَحْمَدُونَكَ وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ

They will say: We came from Your servants on earth who were glorifying You, exalting You, declaring Your and oneness, praising You and asking from You.

قَالَ : فَيَقُولُ : هَلْ رَأَوْنِي ؟

Allah will say: Did they see me.

 قَالَ : فَيَقُولُونَ : لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَوْكَ ، قَالَ : فَيَقُولُ : وَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْنِي ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَوْ رَأَوْكَ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ لَكَ عِبَادَةً ، وَأَشَدَّ لَكَ تَمْجِيدًا ، وَتَحْمِيدًا ، وَأَكْثَرَ لَكَ تَسْبِيحًا ،

The Angel will reply: No By Allah they did not see you. Then Allah says : How it would have been if they see me? The Angels reply if they saw you, they would worship you more devoutly and celebrate your Glory more deeply and declare your freedom from any resemblance to anything more often.

 قَالَ: وَمَاذَا يَسْأَلُونِي

Allah will say: What do they ask from Me?

  قَالُوا: يَسْأَلُونَكَ الْجَنَّةَ  

They will say: They ask You for Your Paradise.

 قَالَ : يَقُولُ : وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَا

Allah will say: Have they seen My Paradise? They will say: No, our Lord.

وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا رَأَوْهَا ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ : فَكَيْفَ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهَا حِرْصًا ، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا طَلَبًا ، وَأَعْظَمَ فِيهَا رَغْبَةً

 Allah will say: What if they were to see My Paradise? Angel Says if they saw it they would have greater covetousness for it and would seek it with greater zeal and would have greater desire for it.

، قَالَ : فَمِمَّ يَتَعَوَّذُونَ ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : مِنَ النَّارِ

Allah Says from what do they see from My protection? They Angels reply They seek refuge from hell fire.

 قَالَ : يَقُولُ : وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَا ، وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا رَأَوْهَا ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ : فَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْهَا ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَوْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهَا فِرَارًا ، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا مَخَافَةً ،

 Allah will say: Have they seen My Hellfire? They will say: No. Allah will say: What if they were to see My Hellfire? The Angels will say: if they saw it they would flee from it with the extreme fleeing and would have extreme fear from it.And they ask for Your forgiveness.

 قَالَ: فَيَقُولُ : فَأُشْهِدُكُمْ أَنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُمْ   فَأَعْطَيْتُهُمْ مَا سَأَلُوا  وَأَجَرْتُهُمْ مِمَّا اسْتَجَارُوا

Allah will say: I make you witness that I have forgiven them, gave them what they ask and grant them protection from which they sought protection.

  قَالَ: فَيَقُولُونَ: رَبِّ فِيهِمْ فُلَانٌ عَبْدٌ خَطَّاءٌ   إِنَّمَا مَرَّ فَجَلَسَ مَعَهُمْ  قَالَ: فَيَقُولُ: وَلَهُ غَفَرْتُ  هُمُ الْقَوْمُ لَا يَشْقَى بِهِمْ جَلِيسُهُمْ“

They will say: Our Lord, there is one among them, a sinning servant who happened to pass by and sit alongside them. Allah will say: And I have also forgiven him, they are a people that no one who sits with them will be miserable. [Bukhari 6408 Muslim 2689].

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6408

https://sunnah.com/muslim:2689

And from the gatherings of remembrance is that Allah the Exalted gives its people shelter. He accepts them and draws them nearer. As is in the Hadith narrated by Abi Wafed Al Laithy (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

The Messenger of Allah  ﷺ  was sitting in the Masjid and the people were with him when three people came. Two of them came near the Messenger of Allah  ﷺ  and one went away. When the two stopped at the Messenger of Allah  ﷺ  they said the Salam. One of them saw an opening in the circle so he sat there. As for the other one, he sat behind them, and the other one went way in the rear. When the Messenger of Allah  ﷺ  had finished, he said: ‘Shall I inform you about the three people? As for one of them, he sought refuge in Allah so Allah gave him shelter. The other, he was shy so Allah was modest of him. As for the other one, he turned away, so Allah turned away from him.  [Bukhari 66 Muslim 2176]

https://sunnah.com/muslim:2176a

And from the virtues of the gatherings of remembrance is that the sins of its members are replaced with good deeds. As was indicated in the Hadith narrated by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

مَا مِنْ قَوْمٍ اجْتَمَعُوا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ  لَا يُرِيدُونَ بِذَلِكَ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ  إِلَّا نَادَاهُمْ مُنَادٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ: أَنْ قُومُوا مَغْفُورًا لَكُمْ  قَدْ بُدِّلَتْ سَيِّئَاتُكُمْ حَسَنَاتٍ 

There is not a people who gather to make remembrance of Allah, not seeking from it except His countenance (His pleasure), but that a caller from the sky calls them: You have been forgiven, I have replaced your sins with good deeds (Ahmad 12453). 

And this description is found a lot in the gatherings of knowledge and Quran. What gathered them is learning knowledge and the Quran in spite of their different nationalities and countries of origin. They are there to learn Quran and Sunnah which draws them closer to one another. They have mutual love for the sake of Allah. They have not come together like those who do so for worldly interests. If they are given, they are content and if they are not given they become angry.

We ask Allah SWT to guide us to what benefits us and avert what harms us. And that we die in state of Iman and following the Sunnah. Indeed He is the All Hearing, Answering.

I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon our Prophet as your Lord commanded:

Allahumma Sallai Al’a Muahmmad’n wa’aila Muhammad

أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ  لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ  إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ