The Morning And Evening Remembrances

We must as Muslims, stop fooling ourselves when it comes to the issue of safety and security. Many times we feel as though we are able to keep ourselves in a state of being safe and in a good situation. Sometimes this is due to feeling self sufficient. Others feel as though they have the tools that allow them to do this effectively using their innate instincts. Now some of you may be thinking I am talking about many different things that are running though your minds. I can almost guarantee that what most of you are thinking about, is far from that to which I am referring. 

Allah has told us many times in His book, as well as on the tongue of His Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) how we can keep ourselves safe. All throughout the Quran and Sunnah we find different ways that have been described to us about what needs to be done in order to have protection set up for not only us, but for our loved ones. It is very important that we do not neglect these things, as we must remember that they are pieces of advice that come directly from the Lord of the worlds. 

From these things is the issue of the ‘Morning and Evening Remembrances’. These are things that Allah has send down for us, that if we try to make them part of our daily lives will keep many types of harm away from us. Look at what Allah says in Surah al Ahzaab about this issue. He says {O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify His Praises morning and evening.} [33:41-42]. Here, out of His infinite love, immense amount of knowledge, and abundance of wisdom, He has told us to do something that will save us from things that will harm us, even if we don’t know of the reality of these things.  Brothers and Sisters, this is not something that we should continue taking lightly.

Also Allah told us in another place in the Quran, {And glorify the Praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting.} [50:39]. Again here, Allah is telling us to hold fast to these remembrances. Do you think that Allah is going to tell us over and over again to stick firm to doing something on a regular basis, except that it has a huge effect on our lives? The answer to that question (without a doubt) should be no. It is enough for us to know that our Lord has told us once about the importance of something, let alone when He tells  us time and time again.

So now one might be inclined to ask after understanding, “What type of things should I be saying?” Don’t worry, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) gave us a few of these statements along with some of their benefits. We want to mention some of them now, and we want you to keep in mind that all of what is about to be mentioned are both easy on the tongue as well as not being time consuming.

For instance, we have the three Quls (the last three chapters of the Quran). This is Surah al Ikhlaas (112), Surah al Falaq (113) and Surah an Naas (114). These are the first three Surah that the new Muslim learn generally, after learning to correctly recite The Fatihah. Most of us know how small these three chapters are in actuality. They all fit on one page of our Quran. ُEven though they are so short in terms of their number of words, their benefit is enormous. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever says (Surah Al Ikhlaas) and the two Surah for seeking refuge (Al- Falaq & An Naas) in the morning and the evening, it will protect him from every thing”. This hadeeth was related by Imam at Tirmidhi and graded Sahih by Sheikh al Albaani.

Can anyone of us say that we do not need protection like this? Can we say that it is too much work, or that it will take too long to accomplish? Of course there is no way to honestly make this claim? Then we must ask ourselves what is keeping us from gaining this protection that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned, removing this obstacle from our lives and begin putting this into action today. It only takes a minute or two if you are really interested in safety and protection.

We also have the instruction of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) when he told us to say “O Allah, You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship but You. You created me and I am your slave. I keep Your covenant and my pledge to You so far as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I admit to Your blessings upon me, and I admit to my misdeeds. Forgive me, for there is none who may forgive sins but You.” He told us that, “Whoever recites this with conviction in the evening and dies during that night shall enter Paradise, and whoever recites it with conviction in the morning and dies during that day shall enter Paradise”. This hadeeth was reported by Imaam al Bukhari in his Saheeh. How merciful is our Lord? He sent to us a Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and instructed him to tell us how to achieve everlasting joy and happiness. He also made many easy ways in which this can be done. Like this short statement.

Just to mention one more short reminder we have that statement that no Muslim is exempt from being in need of it’s reward. It is very short in it’s number of words, but the effects of it are widespread. This is the statement “In the Name of Allah, Who with His Name nothing can cause harm in the earth nor in the heavens, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing”. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) told us that – “Whoever recites it three times in the morning will not be afflicted by any calamity before evening, and whoever recites it three times in the evening will not be overtaken by any calamity before morning.” This hadeeth was reported by both Abi Dawood as well as Ibn Maajah. Can you think of any thing that you could be busied by after knowing this piece of information that would cause you to abandon this practice? If you are someone that is chasing the good in both this life and the hereafter, then you will take a minute out of your time to make this statement, due to your need for this protection.

In this article we have mentioned some of the reminders that an individual should try to commit to memory. If you have not been able to remember them, than keep them with you so that you can use them when the time comes around every day. These few that we mentioned are only scratching the surface in terms of what you can be obtaining by sticking to performing these morning and evening remembrances. There are many more that have been compiled in quite a few different books of supplications and remembrances.

May Allah make us all of those that remain steady and firm when it comes to performing these different remembrances and seeking His aide. Allahuma ameen.