Benefits of Thikr
allaah says (what means): “indeed, the muslim men and muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who mention allaah often and the women who do so – for them allaah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” [quran 33: 35]
and also (what means): “o you who believe! remember allaah with much remembrance. and exalt him morning and afternoon.” [quran 33: 41-42]
abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him reported that the apostle sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “the mufarridoon have surpassed (the others) (i.e. in terms of reward).” the people asked: “who are the mufarridoon?” he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) replied: “those men and women who frequently mention allaah.” [muslim]
mentioning allaah has many benefits which the slave will reap, both in this world as well as the hereafter. imaam ibn al-qayyim may allaah have mercy upon him recorded more than seventy benefits of mentioning allaah in a famous work of his. the following is a summary of what he stated in this regard.
benefits of mentioning allaah:
[1] it expels, dismisses and humiliates satan.
[2] it pleases allaah, glorified be he.
[3] it removes the worries and anxieties of the heart.
[4] it engulfs the heart with happiness and joy.
[5] it strengthens both heart and body.
[6] it illuminates the face and heart.
[7] it is a means for obtaining provision.
[8] it garnishes the one who practices it with nobility, delightfulness and radiance.
[9] it leads the person to be loved by allaah, which is the very essence of islaam and the cornerstone of happiness and salvation. one who strives to attain the love of allaah must be zealous in his mentioning of allaah.
[10] it causes the person to be conscious of allaah, to the point where he would reach the state of ihsaan (i.e., perfection of faith), and once this is attained, he will worship allaah as if he sees him.
[11] it leads to penitence and repentance to allaah. when a muslim turns to allaah by frequently mentioning him, it will lead his heart to turn to him in every state. accordingly, allaah the exalted will be his haven, his refuge and the one to whom he will revert when in trouble or danger.
[12] it brings the slave nearer to his lord. the more one mentions allaah, the closer he will be to him, and the more heedless he is in mentioning allaah, the further from him he will be.
[13] it makes allaah mention his slave, as allaah says (what means): “so mention me; i will mention you…”[quran 2: 152]
despite its greatness, if the mentioning of allaah had no other benefits than this, it would have been virtue and honour enough. allaah said in the qudsi hadeeth: “and if he (i.e., my servant) mentions me within himself, i shall mention him to myself, and if he mentions me in an assembly, i will mention him in a better assembly.” [al-bukhaari and muslim]
[14] it revives the heart. imaam ibn al-qayyim may allaah have mercy upon him said: “i heard imaam ibn taymiyyah may allaah have mercy upon him saying: `the similitude of the importance of the mentioning of allaah to the heart is like that of water for fish. how would a fish be if it left water?`”
[15] it is the sustenance of the heart and the soul, and foregoing it would be just like depriving the body of nutrition. imaam ibn al-qayyim may allaah have mercy upon him said: “i prayed the fajr prayer once with imaam ibn taymiyyah may allaah have mercy upon him and after he finished, he remained in his place of prayer mentioning allaah until close to midday, then he turned around and addressed me saying; `this is my daily nutrition; if i did not get this then i would lose my power.`”
[16] righteous deeds eradicate sins, and mentioning allaah is one of the greatest righteous deeds; allaah says (what means): “…indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds…” [quran 11: 114]
[17] it removes the gap between the slave and his lord, as the heedless have a huge gap between themselves and their lord.
[18] it rescues the slave from the punishment of allaah. the messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “there is nothing that can rescue the slave from the punishment of allaah more than mentioning him.” [ahmad]
[19] it results in the descent of mercy and tranquillity, and the company of the angels. the messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “it is never that a group of people assemble in one of the houses of allaah, reciting the book of allaah, learning it and teaching it, except that there will descend upon them tranquillity, and mercy will cover them, and the angels will flock around them, and allaah will mention them in the presence of those nearest to him.” [muslim]
[20] it busies the tongue away from backbiting, tale-bearing, lying and foul speech. it is certain that the slave will speak, and if this is not in the form of mentioning allaah, then it will be, most likely, either totally in what is prohibited, or at least partially in that. thus, the only way to protect oneself from this is by using the tongue to mention allaah.
[21 it protects the slave from regret and sorrow on the day of resurrection. abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him reported that the apostle sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “whenever a group of people sit in a gathering in which they do not mention allaah the exalted, nor supplicate to exalt the rank of their prophet, such a gathering will be a cause of grief and regret to them. if allaah wills, he will punish them (due to it), and if he wills he will forgive them.”[at-tirmithi]
[22] when done in seclusion and accompanied by crying, it makes the person deserving of the shade of the throne of allaah on the day of the greatest heat, the day of resurrection, when all other people will be suffering from the intense heat. the apostle sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said, regarding the seven types of people who will be shaded under the throne of allaah: “there are seven (types of) people whom allaah will shade under his throne when there will be no other shade but his…” and among them he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) mentioned: “…and a person who remembers allaah in solitude, such that his eyes well up.” [al-bukhaari and muslim]
the following are more of the benefits of mentioning allaah that the slave will harvest in this world as well as the hereafter:
[23] the mentioning of allaah plants the trees of paradise. ibn mas`ood may allaah be pleased with him narrated that allaah's messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “i met ibraaheem may allaah exalt his mention on the night of israa' [i.e., the night journey from makkah to al-quds (jerusalem)]. he said: `convey my greetings to your nation, o muhammad, and tell them that paradise consists of vast plains of pure soil and sweet water. the plants grow there by (the utterance of): 'subhaanallaah' (i.e., glory be to allaah), 'al-hamdulillaah' (i.e., all praise is due to allaah), 'laa ilaaha illallaah' (i.e., there is none worthy of worship but allaah); and 'allaahu akbar' (i.e., allaah is the greatest).`” [at-tirmithi]
jaabir may allaah be pleased with him reported that the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “he who says: `subhaanallaah al-‘atheem wa bihamdih' (i.e., glory be to allaah, and to him belongs all praise) will have a palm-tree planted for him in paradise.” [at-tirmithi]
[24] the continuous mentioning of allaah by his slaves protects them from being neglected by allaah, which is the direct cause of their misery in this world and the hereafter. forgetting allaah (by failing to mention and glorify him) leads to forgetting one’s own self and what benefits it, as allaah almighty says (what means): “and be not like those who forgot allaah, so he made them forget themselves. those are the defiantly disobedient.” [ quran 59: 19]
by forgetting one’s own soul, a person becomes oblivious of taking care of its interests, which inevitably causes its degradation and destruction. had there been no other benefit of mentioning allaah than guarding oneself against this, it would have been reason enough. whoever forgets allaah almighty will be made to forget his own soul in this world, and the lord will leave him in the torture of the hellfire in the hereafter; allaah says (what means): “and whoever turns away from my mention – indeed, he will have a depressed [i.e., difficult] life, and we will gather [i.e., raise] him on the day of resurrection blind. he will say: 'my lord! why have you raised me blind while i was [once] seeing?' [allaah] will say: 'thus did our signs come to you, and you forgot [i.e., disregarded] them; and thus will you this day be forgotten.'" [quran 20: 124-126]
meaning, such a slave will be forgotten in the torment just as he forgets the lord’s proofs, verses, signs and revelations, neither reciting them nor acting upon them. the depressed and difficult life mentioned in the verses refers to the difficulties, privation and sufferings he will face in this world, the grave and the hereafter. opposite to this is what the righteous people will lead, which is a happy life in this world, the grave and the hereafter; allaah says (what means): “whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – we will surely cause him to live a good life, and we will surely give them their reward [in the hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.” [quran 16: 97] this applies both to his stay in the grave as well as the hereafter.
speaking about his teacher imaam ibn taymiyyah may allaah have mercy upon him imaam ibn al-qayyim may allaah have mercy upon him said: “allaah is my witness that i have never seen anyone living in a better condition than him, despite the hardships he faced including lack of welfare, imprisonment, constant threat, and exhaustive suffering. he was very tranquil (in his heart), optimistic, cheerful and radiant.”
[25] the mentioning of allaah is a deed that has a unique and distinctive sweet taste that other good deeds cannot come close to producing. maalik bin deenaar may allaah have mercy upon him said: “nobody ever found more sweetness and enjoyment than in mentioning allaah.” imaam ibn al-qayyim may allaah have mercy upon him said: “i heard shaykh al-islaam ibn taymiyyah may allaah have mercy upon him saying: `there is a paradise in this worldly life (i.e. the mention of allaah); he who does not enter it, will not enter the paradise of the hereafter.`” imaam ibn al-qayyim may allaah have mercy upon him also quoted imaam ibn taymiyyah may allaah have mercy upon him as saying: “what can my enemies do to me? my paradise (i.e. the mentioning of allaah) is in my heart; it moves with me wherever i go. imprisonment for me is a religious retreat. to kill and be killed (for me) is martyrdom, and to be expelled to another land is a spiritual journey" and also: "if i were to pay them (i.e., his enemies who imprisoned him) as much as the weight of this fortress (where he was imprisoned) in gold, that would still not repay them for the great favour they have done to me by imprisoning me; they cannot realise the great benefit i have gained from being in seclusion.”
[26] it is a light for the one who mentions allaah in this worldly life, in his grave and on the day of resurrection. it will illuminate his way on the siraat (i.e. the bridge over hell) to pass it easily; allaah says (what means): “and is the one who was dead and we gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom?...” [quran 6: 122] the first person mentioned in the verse is he who mentions allaah and is thus granted the light of faith and the love of allaah, while the second is he who is heedless of doing so.
[27] it makes the person closer to allaah and worthy of his love, support, and company, as allaah says in a qudsi narration: “i am with my slave when he mentions me and his lips move with my utterance.”[al-bukhaari]
[28] it is superior to spending in charity for the sake of allaah and better than fighting jihaad. abu ad-dardaa’ may allaah be pleased with him reported that the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “shall i not inform you of the best of your deeds which are the purest to your lord, which exalt you to the highest ranks, which are more efficacious than spending gold and silver (in charity), and better for you than encountering your enemies whose necks you will smite and who will smite your necks?” the people replied: "certainly!'' he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “the mentioning of allaah the exalted.” [at-tirmithi]
[29] it is the highest form of expressing gratitude; one who does not mention allaah is certainly of the ungrateful. mu`aath bin jabal may allaah be pleased with him reported that the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) once held him by the hand and said: “o mu`aath! i swear by allaah that i love you. i advise you not to miss supplicating after every prayer saying: `allaahumma a`inni `alaa thikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni `ibaadatika,' (i.e., o allaah! assist me in mentioning you, expressing gratitude to you, and worshiping you in the finest manner).” [abu daawood & an-nasaa'i] here, the prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) combined between gratitude and the mentioning of allaah, because they are the means of attaining true felicity.
continuing with the benefits of mentioning allaah, the following are further benefits that the slave will harvest in this world, as well as the hereafter, due to mentioning him:
[30] there is a hardness in the heart that cannot be melted except by mentioning allaah the almighty. therefore, the slave must treat his hardened heart by mentioning him. a man complained of his hard heart to al-hasan may allaah have mercy upon him who responded by saying: “melt it by mentioning allaah.”
[31] hearts are cured by the medicine of mentioning allaah and sickened by being heedless of and forgetting him. `umar may allaah be pleased with him said: “mention allaah, as it is the ultimate cure.”
[32] allaah’s blessings are not drawn, nor is his wrath appeased, by anything better than mentioning him.
[33] mentioning allaah calls for the mercy of allaah and the supplications of his angels for the one who does so. such a person will indeed be amongst the successful; allaah almighty says: (what means): “o you who believe! mention allaah with much mention. and exalt him morning and afternoon. it is he who confers blessing upon you, and his angels [ask him to do so] that he may bring you out from darkness into the light. and ever is he, to the believers, merciful.” [quran 33: 41-43]
this mercy from allaah, glory be to him, and the supplications by his angels for those who frequently mention him are the means by which they are brought out of darkness into the light, which entails the attainment of all goodness and the protection from all evil. woe to those who are forgetful of their lord, for being deprived of his graces! may allaah grant us all success in mentioning him.
[34] the assemblies in which allaah is mentioned are the only ones, anywhere, which the angels attend. abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him narrated that allaah's messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “allaah has mobile squads of angels who traverse the roads seeking those who mention him. when they find people doing so, they call one another and say: 'hasten to what you are looking for!' they then surround them with their wings until the space between them and the sky is full. allaah the exalted and glorious then asks them (although he is best informed about everything): `what are my servants saying?` they reply: `they are glorifying you, uttering your greatness, recognising your oneness, and celebrating your praise.` allaah will say: `have they ever seen me?` they say: `no, we swear by allaah that they have never seen you`. allaah says: `how would it have been if they saw 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` …” until he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “… then allaah says: `i make you witnesses that i have forgiven them`. one of the angels then says: `there is someone amongst them, and he is not one of them, but came for some need`. allaah would say: `these are people whose companions will not suffer from misery.'” [al-bukhaari and muslim]
in this way, the assemblies that contain the mentioning of allaah are the assemblies of the angels, while those of forgetfulness and heedlessness of allaah are the assemblies of the devils. everyone selects his counterpart, whether angelic or devilish.
[35] allaah the almighty boasts to the angels about those who mention him. mu`aawiyah may allaah be pleased with him narrated that the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) came to an assembly in the mosque and said to the people present: “what makes you sit together?” they replied: “we sat to mention allaah and praise him for guiding us to islaam and bestowing his favours upon us.” he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “i adjure you by allaah, has anything else made you sit in this way?” they replied: “we swear by allaah! nothing made us sit here but that.” he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “i did not adjure you because i suspected you (of lying), but (the angel) jibreel came and told me that allaah was boasting about you to the angels.” [muslim] this boasting is an indication of the lofty rank that mentioning allaah holds in his sight, and how much it is loved by him.
[36] all righteous deeds were legislated in order to establish the mention of allaah, as allaah says (what means): “…establish prayer for my mention.” [quran 20:14] meaning, in order to establish my mention. allaah also says (what means): “recite, [o muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the book and establish prayer. indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the mention of allaah is greater…” [quran 32: 45] imaam ibn taymiyyah may allaah have mercy upon him said: “the correct way to understand this verse is that prayer achieves two great objectives, the first of which is prohibiting immorality and the second being the mentioning of allaah, which is the greater of the two objectives.” [end of quote]
‘aa’ishah may allaah be pleased with her narrated that the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “circumambulation around the ka’bah, walking between mount safaa and mount marwah, and the casting of the stones at the pillars (during hajj) were only legislated to establish the mentioning of allaah.” [abu daawood]
[37] continual mentioning of allaah can be a substitute for optional acts of worship. abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him reported that some of the poor emigrants came to the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) and said to him: "the wealthy have obtained the highest ranks and everlasting bliss!" he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) asked: “how is that?” they replied: "they offer prayers as we do, and observe fasting as we do, but they give in charity and we do not, and they emancipate slaves and we cannot." he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “shall i not teach you something whereby you will catch up with those who have preceded you and be ahead of those who follow you; something in which no one can better you, unless he does as you do?” they said: "indeed, o messenger of allaah!" he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: "say: 'subhaanallaah, allaahu akbar and al-hamdu lillaah' (i.e. glory be to allaah, allaah is the greatest, and all praise is due to allaah) thirty-three times at the end of every prayer.” [al-bukhaari and muslim] thus, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) made the mention of allaah make up for whatever deeds they missed out on.
[38] it assists one in performing more good deeds and in remaining obedient to allaah. `abdullaah bin bishr may allaah be pleased with him reported that one of the companions said: "o messenger of allaah! there are many injunctions of islaam upon me, so tell me something to which i may hold fast." he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) replied: “keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of allaah.” [at-tirmithi] the man was not suggesting that the prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) should exempt him from his religious obligations, rather, he needed something that would help him perform them all. therefore, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) guided him to what would assist him to perform them and cause him to be keen to adhere to them, thus facilitating their performance. the person who frequently mentions allaah will love him and whatever pleases him, and nothing would then be dearer to him than endeavouring to please his lord.
this is the last part of this topic that addresses the benefits of mentioning allaah. the following highlights more of these benefits that the slave will harvest in this world as well as the hereafter when mentioning allaah:
[39] it relieves the person during hardships and difficulties, turning them into ease. jaabir may allaah be pleased with him reported that on the day of the battle of the trench, the prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) approached a rock which his companions may allaah be pleased with them were unable to demolish; he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) had a stone tied around his stomach to alleviate the pangs of hunger that he was suffering from due to not having had anything to eat for the previous three days. he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) struck the rock three times and gave glad tidings with each strike of the rock; with each strike he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) mentioned allaah’s name saying: “allaahu akbar”, thus demolishing the rock into sand.
[40] it removes all fear from the heart and instils security in it; the more one mentions allaah, the more secure he will feel during hardships and times of terror.
[41] mentioning allaah grants one the power and energy that enables him to do what he could otherwise never do. when faatimah may allaah be pleased with her who was the daughter of the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) complained to him about the hardness of her hands and the pain in them due to her heavy housework, and therefore requested a maid, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) instructed her and her husband `ali may allaah be pleased with them with something better, which was: “when you go to bed, recite: takbeer ('allaahu akbar' (i.e., allaah is the greatest)) thirty-three times and tasbeeh ('subhaan-allaah' (i.e., glory be to allaah)) thirty-three times and tahmeed ('al-hamdu lillaah' (i.e., all praise is due to allaah)) thirty-three times.” [al-bukhaari & muslim]
[42] righteous deeds are the field in which the honourable compete and race, and those who mention allaah are at the forefront of this race. abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him reported that the apostle sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “the mufarridoon have surpassed (the others) (i.e. in terms of reward).” the people asked: “who are the mufarridoon?” he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) replied: “those men and women who frequently mention allaah.” [muslim]
[43] the frequent mentioning of allaah safeguards the person from hypocrisy, because allaah describes the hypocrites saying (what means): “…and they do not mention allaah, except a little.” [quran 4 : 142] allaah knows best, but perhaps this is why allaah concludes chapter al-munaafiqoon (i.e. the hypocrites) with the following verse (which means): “o you who believe! let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of allaah. and whoever does that – then those are the losers.” [quran 63: 9] this is in order to warn people against being heedless of allaah and thereby fall into hypocrisy.
[44] frequently mentioning allaah increases the number of witnesses that will testify in favour of the person. abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him reported that the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) recited the saying of allaah (which means): “that day it [the earth] will report its news.” [quran 99: 4] then he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) asked: “do you know what its news is?” he was told: "allaah and his messenger know better." he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “its news is that it shall bear witness about what every slave, male or female, did while on its surface. it will say: `you did this and this on such and such day.` that will be its news.” [at-tirmithi]
[45] a slave can only guard himself against satan through mentioning allaah the almighty. al-haarith al-asha`ri may allaah be pleased with him reported that the apostle sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “and i enjoin you to mention allaah. (mentioning allaah) resembles a man who was fervently pursued by his enemies, then he came to a fortress in which he saved himself from them. likewise, a slave (of allaah) does not guard himself against satan except through the mentioning of allaah.” [at-tirmithi]
anas may allaah be pleased with him narrated that he heard the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) saying: “when a man goes out of his house, two angels accompany him, so when he utters: 'bismillaah' (i.e., in the name of allaah) the two angels will say to him at that time: 'you are guided'; when he utters: 'tawakkaltu ‘alallaah' (i.e., i place my trust in allaah), the two angels will say: 'you are defended.' when he utters: 'laa hawla wa laa quwwaata illaa billaah' (i.e., there is no might and no power (to resist evil) but with allaah), the two angels will say to him: 'you are protected'; thereupon, one devil will say to another: what can you do to a man who has been guided, protected and defended?” [abu daawood and at-tirmithi]
abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him narrated that the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: “if one utters a hundred times a day these words: `laa ilaaha illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay’in qadeer` (i.e., there is no deity worthy of worship but allaah, the one, having no partner with him, his is the kingdom and his is the praise and he is omnipotent) he will have a reward equivalent to that of freeing ten slaves and there will be recorded a hundred virtues to his credit, and a hundred of his sins will be erased from his record of deeds, and he will be safeguarded against the devil for that day until the evening, and no one will surpass him in doing more excellent deeds except one who has recited these words more often than him.” [al-bukhaari and muslim]
abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him also narrated: “allaah’s messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) put me in charge of guarding al-fitr (i.e., the charity foodstuff) of ramadhaan. then, someone came and snatched some of the food, so i took hold of him and said: `i swear by allaah! i will take you to allaah's messenger'…" abu hurayrah may allaah be pleased with him narrated the rest of the story in which this 'someone' said to him: 'whenever you go to bed, recite aayat al-kursi (the verse of the throne). (if you do so), allaah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no satan will come near you till morning.' later, when the prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) heard this story, he said: “he spoke the truth, although he is a liar - it was satan.” [al-bukhaari and muslim].
dear brothers! with this we conclude the series of lectures on the benefits of thikr (i.e. mentioning allaah) during which we summarised forty five benefits from the words of imaam ibn al-qayyim
