Part 54

* Recorded by Muslim.

Remembering Allah when hearing thunder

When ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubair heard thunder, he would stop delivering his lecture and say: “Subhan-Allah whom thunder glorifies with Praises due to Him, and angels out of their fear of Him.”!

Remembering Allah at the sight of the new moon

Talha ibn ‘Ubaydillah reported that when the Prophet 4 saw a new moon, he would say: “O Allah, make the new moon rise on us with security, faith, safety and Islam. My Lord and your Lord is Allah.”?

Remembering Allah when setting out on a journey

Abu Hurayrah # reported that the Prophet said: “He who sets out on a journey, should say, to the ones he leaves behind: ‘I leave you in the Care of Allah, Whose Charges are never lost.”*

Remembering Allah when using a mode of transport

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar 4 said that whenever the Messenger of Allah mounted his camel to set out on a journey, he glorified Allah (uttered Allahu-Akbar) thrice, and then said: “Hallowed is He Who subdued for us this (mount) as we were not ourselves powerful enough to use it as a mount, and we are going to return to our Lord. O Allah, we seek virtue and piety from You on this journey of ours, as an act which pleases You. O Allah, lighten this journey of ours, and make its distance easy for us. O Allah, You are our companion. on the journey, and guardian of our family. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the hardship of the journey, the gloominess of the sights, and of finding any evil changes in (our) property and family on our return”. And on his return he also % uttered these words, with addition: “We are returning repentant, worshipping our Lord and praising Him.’*

) Transmitted by al-Bukhari in “a/-adab al-mufrad”

2 Recorded by al-Darimi, al-Tirmidhi who categorised it as hasan. 3 Recorded by Ibn Majah, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Sunni and Ahmad.

* Recorded by Muslim.

Remembering Allah when stopping at a place

Khawlah bint Hakeem reported that she heard the Prophet # say: “When anyone lands at a place, and then says: ‘I seek refuge in the Perfect Word of Allah from the evil of what he created’, nothing would harm him until he marches away from that stopping place.”'

Remembering Allah when eating and drinking

‘Amru ibn Abi Salamah - said: “I was a boy under the care of the Messenger of Allah, and my hand used to roam around the dish while I was éating. So the Prophet 48 said to me: ‘O boy! Mention the Name of Allah, eat with your right hand, and eat from the dish whatever is nearest to you.””

‘Aishah 2 reported that the Prophet 3% said: “When one of you intends to eat, he should mention the Name of Allah at the beginning, however if he forgets to do so then he shoud say: ‘In the Name of Allah, at the beginning ard in the end.’”

Anas ibn Malik 2 reported that the Prophet 4 said: “Verily, Allah 3 is pleases with His Servant who eats his meal and praises Him for it, and drinks (water) and praises Him for it.”

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari 4 reported that when the Prophet 3 ate and drank, he said: “Praise be to Allah Who has given (us) food and drink and made it easy to swallow, and provided an exit for it.’”*

Remembering Allah when sneezing

Abu Hurayrah 2 reported that the Prophet said: “If anyone of you sneezes, he should say ‘al-hamdulillah’ (Praise be to Allah), and his (Muslim) brother or companion should say in reply to him, ‘yarhamuka-I-lah’ (May Allah bestow His Mercy on you), When the latter says ‘yar-hamuka-llah’, the former should say, ‘Yahdikumul-lah wa

' Recorded by Muslim.

? Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim

3 Recorded by al-Tirmidhi who categorised it as hasan sahih. * Recorded by Muslim.

> Recorded by Abu Dawud.

Yuslih balakum’ (May Allah give you guidance and improve your condition).”!

Remembering Allah when hearing the crowing of a cockerel, braying of a donkey, and barking of a dog

Abu Hurayah 2 reported that the Prophet 4% said: “When you hear the braying of a donkey, seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast; for the donkey has seen a devil. But when you hear the crowing of a cockerel, ask for Allah’s Blessings, for their crowing indicates that he has seen an angel.”

Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah reported that the Prophet 3% said: “When you hear the barking of dogs or the braying of asses at night, seek refuge in Allah, for they see that which you do not see.”

Remembering Allah when leaving a gathering

Abu Hurayrah & reported that the Prophet # said: “If a person joins a gathering in which fruitless talk takes place, and if that person before leaving the gathering prays, ‘O Allah! Holy You are, and all praise is for You; I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship save You; I ask for Your forgiveness and turn to You’, such a person would be forgiven for his participation in such a gathering.”*

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar # reported that the Messenger of Allah # seldom got up to leave a gathering without using this supplication for his companions: “O Allah, apportion to us such fear of You as will come between us and our acts of disobedience to You; such obedience to You as will bring us to Your Paradise; and such certainty that the calamities of this world will be made easy for us by You. Let us enjoy our hearing, sight and power, as long as You do grant us life, and do the same for those who inherit from us. Grant us revenge on those who have wronged us, and help us against those who are hostile to us. Let no calamity befall our religion, let not worldly affairs be our greatest

' Recorded by al-Bukhari,

? Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim. 3 Recorded by Ahmad and Abu Dawud. 4 Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.

care of all, that we know about, and let not those who do not show mercy towards us rule over us.”

Remembering Allah when seeing afflicted people

Abu Hurayrah 4 reported that the Messenger of Allah 4% said: “If anyone says, on seeing someone who is suffering affliction: ‘Praise be to Allah who has kept me free from the affliction He has brought on him, and has shown me favour above many whom He has created,’ that

affliction, whatever it may be, will not smite him’?.

Remembering Allah when entering a market

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab 2 reported that the Messenger of Allah 3& said: “If anyone says, on entering the market: “There is no god but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner, to Whom belongs the Dominion, to Whom Praise is due, Who gives life and causes death, while He is EverLiving and does not die, in Whose Hand is Good, and Who is Omnipotent,’ Allah will record for him a million good deeds, obliterate from him a million evil deeds, raise him by a million degrees, and build him a house in Paradise.”?

Remembering Allah when your means of transport fails (breaks down)

Abu al-Malih reported, on the authority of a man: “I was riding on a mount behind the Prophet 3; tt stumbled. Whereupon I said: ‘May the devil perish!’ He # replied: ‘Do not say: ‘May the devil perish!’ For if you say that, he will grow so much that he would be like a house, saying: ‘By my power.’ But say: ‘In the Name of Allah’; for when you say that, he would shrink so much that he would be like a fly.”

' Recorded al-Tirmidhi who categorised it as hasan sahih. ? Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.

> Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.

* Recorded by Ahmad and Abu Dawud.

Remembering Allah when seeing an early date fruit

Abu Hurayrah said that when the people saw the first fruit (of the season or of plantation) they brought it to Messenger of Allah %. When he 3 received it he said: “O Allah, bless us in our fruit; and bless us in our city (Madinah); and bless us in our sa‘ (cubic measure) and bless us in our mudd (supply of food). He would then call to him the youngest child and give him these fruits.”

Remembering Allah when seeing something fascinating

Anas ibn Hunayf # reported that the Prophet 38 said: “If any one of you sees something he admires in himself, he should seek Allah’s Blessings; for the evil eye does exist.””

Remembering Allah when facing a difficult issue

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet said: “O Allah, there is no easiness except what You make easy, and only You can make sadness easy to. bear.”?

Supplication in the morning and evening

1. Shaddad ibn Aws # reported that the Prophet 4 said: “The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is to say: ‘Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Anta Khalagtani wa ana abduka, wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’tu, A’udhu bika min Sharri ma sana’tu, abu’u Laka bini’matika ‘alaiya, wa Abu Laka bidhanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta.’ (O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am Your Servant and I abide to Your Covenant and Promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil which I have committed. I acknowledge Your Favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sins except You).” The Prophet added: “If somebody recites this during the day, with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he would be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at

’ Recorded by Muslim and al-Tirmidhi.

? Recorded by Ahmad and others, and authenticated by al-Albani. 3 Recorded by Tbn Sinni.

night, with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he would be from the people of Paradise.”!

2. Abu Hurayrah -% reported that the Prophet 4 said: “He who recites in the morning and in the evening (these words): ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi’ one hundred times, one could not bring on the Day of Resurrection anything excellent than this except one who utters these words of utters more than these words.””

3. ‘Abdullah ibn Khubayb #4 said: “We went out one rainy and intensely dark night to look for the Messenger of Allah 3 (in order for him) to lead us in prayer, and when we found him, he asked: ‘Have you prayed?’, but I did not say anything. So he 3 said: ‘Say’, but I did not say anything. He again said: ‘Say’, but I did not say anything. He then said: ‘Say’. So I replied: ‘What am I to say?’ He said: ‘Say: ¢Say, He is Allah, One) and al-mu ‘awwadhatan three times in the morning and evening; they will serve you for every purpose.”?