Remembrance, Contemplation, and Supplication

“Those who remember Allah while standing or sitting or (lying) on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying), ‘Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. We proclaim Your purity. So, save us from the punishment of Fire.” (Ali Imran, 191)

This blessed ayah exemplifies the lifestyle of righteous and distinguished servants, showcasing how they engage in remembrance, contemplation, and supplication. These individuals are constantly occupied with remembrance, reflection, worship, and obedience. One hadith states: "Whoever desires to enjoy the bounties of Paradise in its gardens should remember Allah abundantly." (Tabarani, al-Kabir, 20/157; Haythami, al-Zawa'id, 10/75)

Regarding the reason for the revelation of this ayah, the following narration is mentioned: 

Ata bin Abi Rabah narrates that he visited Aisha (radiyallahu anha), along with Abdullah bin Umar and Ubaydullah bin Umar (radiyallahu anhuma).

When Aisha (radiyallahu anha) asked about their identities, he replied, "Abdullah bin Umar and Ubaydullah bin Umar."

Aisha (radiyallahu anha) expressed her disappointment to Ubaydullah, saying, "Welcome, Ubaydullah, why do you never visit us?"

To this, Ubaydullah replied, "Visits should be made at long intervals so that the visited one would long for and love you more."

Abdullah then said, "O Mother of the Believers, please tell us what about the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was the most pleasing for you." Upon hearing this, Aisha (radiyallahu anha) wept for a long time and then said, "Everything about him was pleasing. On one of the nights when it was my turn, he entered my room, came to my bed, and as his body touched mine, he said, 'Aisha, may I worship my Lord?' I replied, 'By Allah, I desire that you do what you wish more than being together with you.'

Hearing this, he got up, took the water vessel, performed wudu, and then stood in salah. He wept until his tears wet both sides of his body. After completing his prayer, he lay on his right side, placing his right hand on his right cheek, and continued weeping until his tears dropped like pearls to the ground.

Finally, Bilal (radiyallahu anh) arrived after reciting the fajr azan. When he saw Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) weeping, he asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, while all your sins have been forgiven, why do you weep?' The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied, 'O Bilal, shall I not be a grateful servant? Moreover, how can I not weep when these noble verses were revealed to me tonight: "Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding–Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or (lying) on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying), ‘Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. We proclaim Your purity. So, save us from the punishment of Fire.'" (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 6; Muslim, Al-Munafiqun, 79-81)"

The Light of Reason

Just as the eye needs sunlight to see, the mind also requires revelation to comprehend the truth. Raghib al-Isfahani (rahmatullahi alayh) expresses the significance of reason and revelation as follows:

"The Almighty and Majestic Allah has two messengers for mankind: the first is the inner messenger, reason, and the second is the outer messenger, the prophets. Firstly, benefiting from the outer messenger (the prophets) is impossible without utilizing the inner messenger (reason). This is because one can only realize the authenticity of the prophets’ teachings through reason... If there were no reason, religion could not be practiced, and if there were no religion, reason would deviate from its path. Therefore, Allah has connected these two with the expression 'light upon light.’"

This ayah indicates the harmony between reason and revelation. It informs that observant individuals who contemplate the creation of the universe will recognize and acknowledge the supreme power that has created and arranged it in a state of perfect order. Furthermore, it states that these people of keen understanding will answer the messenger’s call, inviting people to faith with a sincere affirmation of belief in Allah and a plea to be saved from the fire of Hell.

When the Divine gift of reason is properly utilized, it leads one to contemplate the necessity of having authority and responsibility in life. It causes them to reflect on their reason for existing and conclude that there will be a Day of Judgment on which one will be held accountable for their actions in this world, receiving either punishment or reward. At this level of thinking, the sense of responsibility intensifies, leading one to abstain from committing sins in this world and instead seeking refuge in Allah the Most High from the punishment of Hell. A person immersed in such profound deliberation inevitably turns to Him in supplication.

The latter part of the ayah and the subsequent ayahs illustrate this state. This ayah, which urges individuals to contemplate the heavens and the earth in order to recognize the oneness, greatness, and infinite power of Allah, also invites them to read and ponder the endless wealth of evidence written in Allah's book and to explore further the boundless book of the universe, which is ayahs made manifest.

The Levels of Servitude

Worship of Allah Almighty takes place in three ways: affirmation with the heart, profession with the tongue, and actions and worship with the body. The expression "Who remember Allah" in the ayah refers to worship performed with the tongue. The phrase "while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides" refers to worship performed with the body. And the phrase "give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth" indicates worship with the heart and mind through contemplation. When the tongue engages in remembrance, the body expresses gratitude, and the heart participates in contemplation, the servant who attains this state becomes immersed in servitude in all aspects.

Most tafsir scholars agree that the remembrance mentioned in this ayah pertains to the act of constantly remembering Allah (jalla jalaluhu). This can be inferred because a person is either standing, sitting, or lying down at all times; that is to say, this state of remembrance encompasses all situations.

By mentioning these three states together, Allah the Almighty stresses the necessity of continuously remembering Him and never departing from this remembrance. In other words, one should remember Allah in all circumstances and at all times, whether at work or at rest.

Another view suggests that the remembrance mentioned in this ayah refers to salah. According to this viewpoint, the meaning of the ayah would be: "They perform the prayer while standing, and if they are unable, they do so while sitting, and if they are unable, they do so while lying on their sides." In other words, they never abandon salah regardless of their condition.

Although salah is a form of remembrance, it does not encompass all types of remembrance. Therefore, it is preferable to interpret the ayah according to the first view. In other words, remembering and mentioning Allah, maintaining a continuous connection with Him through the heart and tongue...

Allah the Exalted informs us of the remembrance of those righteous servants, and since it is established that remembrance can only be completed through contemplation, He subsequently says: "(And they) give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth."

Contemplating Him

Contemplation, or tafakkur, involves the mind's focus on a particular objective and its examination. If a person attains intimate knowledge of the Creator, their reverence for Him increases when they contemplate and reflect upon His creation.

In the ayah, Allah the Almighty encourages people to remember Him. However, when it comes to contemplation, He directs the attention of His creation not to His divine personage but to the states of the heavens and the Earth. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) also said: "Contemplate the created beings, but do not contemplate the Creator."

Our minds and senses have limited horizons. We operate according to the principles of the physical world we live in. Allah, on the other hand, is the Creator of all beings, our minds, and our senses. It is impossible for minds and senses, which are limited and bound by time and space, to comprehend the Creator, Who is self-existent, eternal, infinite, and limitless. On the contrary, every attempt to think about His essence would be erroneous and futile, as it would be based on something created.

It is only possible to know a being whose essential reality cannot be known through His works and actions. Therefore, we are commanded to direct our contemplation to His works and creations, not His essence.

Just as water nourishes seedlings and nature flourishes with the growth of new life, contemplation negates ghaflah (heedlessness) and instills the fear of Allah in the heart. Contemplation is to recognize the Creator by delving into the vast expanse of His creation, immersing one’s thoughts in the intricacies of the universe’s structure and in the incredibly sophisticated fabric that spans all our senses can perceive. It is to reduce everything to a single point where all thoughts, all meditations on every aspect of creation eventually converge on the Creator. It is to understand that the essence of every matter, every fiber, every thread, and every atom is dependent on Allah the Exalted, who is the one without cause unto His Own being yet is the causer of every cause in existence. In realization of this, a believer does everything they do in the name of Allah. This is called "tawhid."

From the Atom to the Universe

The evidence of tawhid is divided into two categories:

• Evidence outside of human beings (objective evidence),

• Evidence within human beings (internal/subjective evidence).

There is no doubt that objective evidence is more sublime. Indeed, Allah Almighty states: "Certainly, the creation of the heavens and the Earth is greater than the creation of human beings, but most human beings do not know” (Al-Mu'min, 57). Therefore, Allah has commanded contemplation regarding the creation of the heavens and the Earth in this ayah. This is because the evidence found in them is more remarkable and grander than the subjective evidence one might find within.

If a person looks at a tiny leaf, they will see a vein running through its center. Then they will notice that from that main vein, smaller ones branch out in both directions, and from those smaller veins, countless more spring forth. From this, a person may realize that there are astonishing mysteries in the way the Creator has designed this leaf. For example, they may see that within this leaf, a force has been created that draws nourishment from the depths of the earth, which is then equally distributed throughout every vein of the leaf. If one were to attempt to understand how this leaf was created, invented, and endowed with the capability to obtain nourishment and grow, one would be humbled by the level of complexity inherent in the creation of something so small.

Even in such a small leaf, so much power and art exists. How, then, can the human intellect comprehend the heavens, which contain the sun, the moon, and the stars, or the Earth, which contains the oceans, mountains, minerals, plants, and living beings? The human intellect cannot grasp the greatness of the power and the art of creation involved in bringing all of this into being and maintaining a perfect order within this system. It cannot fully comprehend the awe-inspiring divine wisdom inherent in the creation of the heavens and the Earth.

As a result of all these rational pieces of evidence, a person of sound intellect realizes that no expression or science can fully describe and express the Almighty Allah, Lord of the Worlds. At this point, they say, "Subhanaka: O my Lord, You are exalted and sublime."

When they say "Subhanallah: Glory be to Allah," it is an affirmation that the human intellect is incapable of fully comprehending the wisdom and mysteries of Allah the Almighty in the creation and completion of the heavens and the Earth. It means that when people contemplate the magnitude of celestial bodies and their distances, they can only understand this much: The Creator did not create them in vain or without purpose. Even though their minds cannot fully comprehend it, He created them with great wisdom and profound mysteries.

"Protect Us from the Punishment of the Fire"

After mentioning that the tongues of sincere servants are engaged in remembrance, their bodies in worship, and their hearts immersed in contemplating the signs of Allah's greatness, Allah Almighty also mentions His servants’ supplication to be saved from the punishment of the Fire.

Supplication is only worthy of acceptance when made with sincerity. For this reason, Allah the Most High informs His servants through His grace and generosity in this noble ayah about the proper ways and manners of making supplication that is reciprocated or answered, even though not every supplication may be granted in life. That is to say, Allah will treat every prayer by a believer with perfect and righteous regard without ignoring the prayers and implorations directed to His divine name, but He will grant only some of those prayers as He wills. As His divine wisdom dictates, He delays the acceptance of some of these supplications while postponing others to grant them at a later time or replace them with something better. Lastly, He may reserve the answers of some supplications for the afterlife as He deems fit.

A person who wants to supplicate to Allah should first praise and glorify Him. The phrase "Subhanaka" in the ayah indicates this. Furthermore, the mentioning of supplication after remembrance and contemplation signifies that supplication will be worthy of acceptance only after these other acts of worship are performed as a means to pursue such acceptance.

Additionally, in this ayah, it is understood that remembrance leads to contemplation, and contemplation leads to supplication and earnest prayers.

The awliya, who possess the perfected intellect and whom Allah Almighty praises, continue to engage in the remembrance of Allah in all circumstances, thereby invigorating their hearts and souls. Through this spiritual life, they deeply contemplate Allah's creation, particularly the heavens, the Earth, and all that exists therein. They fully understand that all of these are under the lordship and creation of a single Almighty Creator and that every creation has been brought into existence with wisdom. Then, these created beings retreat from the awliya’s sights and minds and they find themselves in the presence of their Creator, calling upon Him with the words "Ya Rabbi." After comparing the state of the created beings to their Creator, they realize that none of these creations resemble Him in any way and declare His transcendence from everything unworthy of His glory by saying "Subhanaka" (Glory be to You).

Such individuals also supplicate, saying, "Protect us from the punishment of the Fire," seeking refuge from the afflictions that will befall those who neglect their duties and abandon contemplation. They aspire to act in accordance with what they understand from the ayahs of Allah and seek success in doing so.

Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) knows best.

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