In His Noble Book, Allah The Almighty praises those who remember and mention Him and orders the believers to remember and mention Him frequently and warns them against negligence in this regard. This is because His slaves are in dire need for remembering and mentioning Him and they can never dispense with this - even for a moment. Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
{O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance.} [Quran 33:41] {O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance and mention of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers.}[Quran 63:9]Remembering and mentioning Allah expels the devil, pleases Allah, drives away worries, brings about the love of Allah for His slave, removes the hardness of the heart, brings about blessings in time and a host of other great benefits.
All deeds and acts of worship in Islam were legislated to establish the remembrance and mentioning of Allah. Allah The Almighty says (what means):
{And establish prayer for My remembrance.} [Quran 20:14]
{Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance and mention of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.}[Quran 29:45]
One of the greatest aims of Hajj is remembering and mentioning Allah; Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
{That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the Name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor.} [Quran 22:28]
{There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord [during Hajj]. But when you depart from ‘Arafaat, remember and mention Allah at al-Mash‘ar al-Haraam. And remember Him, as He has guided you, for indeed, you were before that among those astray. Then depart from the place from where [all] the people depart and ask forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. And when you have completed your rites, remember Allah like your [previous] remembrance of your fathers or with [much] greater remembrance.} [Quran 2:198-200]
Tawaaf (circumambulation), Sa‘ee (walking) between the Mounts Safa and Marwah, casting the pebbles and slaughtering the sacrifices were all legislated in order to mention and remember Allah. This is supported by a Hadeeth on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, where she said that the Prophet, ,said: “Tawaaf, Sa‘ee between Safa and Marwah, and casting the pebbles were legislated only to establish the mention and remembrance of Allah.” [At-Tirmithi and others] In a Hadeeth on the authority of Nubayshah Al-Huthali, may Allah be pleased with him, he said that the Prophet, , said: “The Days of Tashreeq are days of eating, drinking, and remembering and mentioning Allah.”[Muslim]
This shows the status of remembering and mentioning Allah in Hajj and how great it is as this is the Sunnah of the Prophet, , as he combined in his Hajj the supplication of asking Allah for things with that of remembering, mentioning and praising Him. He did not stop remembering and mentioning Allah from when he left Madeenah until he returned back to it. He kept on remembering, mentioning and praising Him with the praise and glorification that is due to Him. The Prophet, , was remembering and mentioning Allah while walking, riding his camel and in whichever state he was in. This is clear for any one who reads the description of the Hajj of the Prophet, .
The greatest Thikr (remembrance and mentioning of Allah) of Hajj is the Talbiyah (Hajj related chant) as this is the slogan of Hajj. The Prophet, , said: “The best thing[s] at Hajj are Takbeer [i.e., saying, ‘Allahu Akbar] Talbiyah, and slaughtering sacrifices.”[At-Tirmithi and others]
Another great Thikr on this day is to say, “La iIaaha illa Allah, Al-Hamdu lillaah, Subhaana Allah, Allahu Akbar (There is no other deityexcept Allah, Praise be to Allah, Glory be to Allah, Allah is Great).” There is also, “Subhaana Allahi wa bihamdih (Glory be to Allah and Praise be to Him).” Anyone who says this last Thikr one hundred times a day will have his sins forgiven, even if they are as voluminous as the foam on the sea.
Another great Thikr is to say, “Subhaana Allahi wa bihamdihi subhaana Allahi Al-‘Atheem (Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him, glory be to Allah The Great).” These words are easy for the tongue to say but heavy in the scale and beloved by Allah The Merciful.
Another one is to say, “Laa ilaaha illa Allah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in Qadeer (There is no other deity except Allah. His is the dominion and praise is due to Him. He is over all things Competent).” For the person who says this Thikr ten times a day, it would be as if he or she has emancipated four souls of the offspring of Prophet Ismaa‘eel, may Allah exalt his mention. For anyone who says this Thikr a hundred times, it would be as if he has emancipated ten such souls and he will get, on top of that, one hundred rewards, be forgiven for one hundred sins, and will be protected from the devil that day.
Another Thikr is to say, “La hawla wala quwwata illa billaah (There is no power and no strength save in Allah).” This is one of the treasures of Paradise and it has a great effect in assisting one to endure hard times.
One of the best places for the remembrance and mentioning of Allah is Mount As-Safa and Al-Marwah. Jaabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said while he was describing the Hajj of the Prophet, ,
The Prophet started with As-Safa, climbed it until he saw the Ka‘bah, then he faced the direction of the Qiblah, said: “La ilaaha illa Allah, Allahu akbar (There is no other deity except Allah, Allah is Great).” He also said: “La ilaaha illa Allah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu al-mulk walahu al-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer, la ilaaha illa Allah wahdah, anjaza wa‘dah wa nasara ‘abdah wa hazama al-ahzaab wahdah (There is no deity but Allah Alone with no partners with Him, His is the dominion and praise is due to Him. He is over all things Competent. There is no other deity except Allah Alone. He fulfilled His promise, made His slave victorious and defeated the allies alone).”[Muslim]
The Day of ‘Arafah is another one of the times and places where the remembrance and mentioning of Allah is established, especially with regards to professing the testimony of monotheism with sincerity. ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, , said: “The best supplication is that [done] on the Day of ‘Arafah and the best of what I and the previous prophets said is: ‘La ilaaha illa Allah wahdahu la shareeka lahu lahu al-mulk walahu al-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no other deity except Allah. Allah is Great. His is the dominion and praise is due to Him. He is over all things Competent).’” [At-Tirmithi]
Among the places where pilgrims should observe the remembrance and mentioning of Allah is at Muzdalifah after dawn until the daylight becomes clear. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {But when you depart from ‘Arafah, remember and mention Allah at al-Mash‘ar al-Haraam. And remember Him, as He has guided you, for indeed, you were before that among those astray.} [Quran 2:198] When he was describing the Hajj of the Prophet, , Jaabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “…Then the Prophet mounted [his camel] Al-Qaswaa’ until he reached Al- Mash‘ar Al-Haraam, faced the direction of the Qiblah, supplicated to Allah, and performed Takbeer [i.e., to say, ‘Allahu Akbar’] and Tahleel [i.e. to say, ‘Laa ilaaha illa Allah’). He kept standing until light emerged.”
Pilgrims should remember Allah frequently after completing their rites. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And when you have completed your rites, remember Allah like your [previous] remembrance of your fathers or with [much] greater remembrance.} [Quran 2:200] Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The people of Jaahiliyyah would stand during the season of pilgrimage and some of them would say, 'My father would feed people and pay their debts and blood money.' They were merely mentioning the deeds of their fathers, so Allah The Almighty revealed the verse (which means): {Remember Allah like your [previous] remembrance of your fathers or with [much] greater remembrance.} ”
The most confirmed type of Thikr is Istighfaar (asking for forgiveness from Allah) which is the ultimate good deed. People who are determined and have insight usually ask insistently for the forgiveness of Allah after performing good deeds as they feel their negligence in the performance of these deeds and realize that they did not perform them in the way that suits Allah The Almighty. This is why Allah The Almighty ordered pilgrims to ask Him for forgiveness after they depart from ‘Arafah. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Then depart from the place from where [all] the people depart and ask forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 2:199]
Pilgrims should utilize their time in remembering Allah The Almighty constantly whether they are sitting, walking or riding. Pilgrims should remember Allah when they are performing the rites such as assuming the state of Ihraam (ritual consecration), or performing Tawaaf (circumambulation) and Sa‘ee, at ‘Arafah and Muzdalifah, and when casting their pebbles so that they would achieve servitude to Allah by establishing His remembrance and mentioning of Allah and be able to perform the rites with their due spirit. Remembering and mentioning Allah is the greatest purpose of these acts of worship and its benefits can be obtained by saying it frequently and by observing Thikrs that are said at the two ends of the day, by saying specified and general Thikrs, and by avoiding innovations in religion and violations of Sharee‘ah.
May Allah help us to remember Him, praise Him and worship Him perfectly!