2:152 Al-Baqara (The Cow)

يقول تعالى: إن إنعامنا عليكم باستقبال الكعبة وإتمامها بالشرائع والنعم المتممة, ليس ذلك ببدع من إحساننا, ولا بأوله, بل أنعمنا عليكم بأصول النعم ومتمماتها, فأبلغها إرسالنا إليكم هذا الرسول الكريم منكم, تعرفون نسبه وصدقه, وأمانته وكماله ونصحه. { يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِنَا } وهذا يعم الآيات القرآنية وغيرها، فهو يتلو عليكم الآيات المبينة للحق من الباطل, والهدى من الضلال, التي دلتكم أولا, على توحيد الله وكماله, ثم على صدق رسوله, ووجوب الإيمان به, ثم على جميع ما أخبر به من المعاد والغيوب, حتى حصل لكم الهداية التامة, والعلم اليقيني. { وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ } أي: يطهر أخلاقكم ونفوسكم, بتربيتها على الأخلاق الجميلة, وتنزيهها عن الأخلاق الرذيلة, وذلك كتزكيتكم من الشرك, إلى التوحيد ومن الرياء إلى الإخلاص, ومن الكذب إلى الصدق, ومن الخيانة إلى الأمانة, ومن الكبر إلى التواضع, ومن سوء الخلق إلى حسن الخلق, ومن التباغض والتهاجر والتقاطع, إلى التحاب والتواصل والتوادد, وغير ذلك من أنواع التزكية. { وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتَابَ } أي: القرآن, ألفاظه ومعانيه، { وَالْحِكْمَةَ } قيل: هي السنة, وقيل: الحكمة, معرفة أسرار الشريعة والفقه فيها, وتنزيل الأمور منازلها. فيكون - على هذا - تعليم السنة داخلا في تعليم الكتاب, لأن السنة, تبين القرآن وتفسره, وتعبر عنه، { وَيُعَلِّمُكُمْ مَا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ } لأنهم كانوا قبل بعثته, في ضلال مبين, لا علم ولا عمل، فكل علم أو عمل, نالته هذه الأمة فعلى يده صلى الله عليه وسلم, وبسببه كان، فهذه النعم هي أصول النعم على الإطلاق, ولهي أكبر نعم ينعم بها على عباده، فوظيفتهم شكر الله عليها والقيام بها؛ فلهذا قال تعالى: { فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ } فأمر تعالى بذكره, ووعد عليه أفضل جزاء, وهو ذكره لمن ذكره, كما قال تعالى على لسان رسوله: { من ذكرني في نفسه ذكرته في نفسي, ومن ذكرني في ملأ ذكرته في ملأ خير منهم } وذكر الله تعالى, أفضله, ما تواطأ عليه القلب واللسان, وهو الذكر الذي يثمر معرفة الله ومحبته, وكثرة ثوابه، والذكر هو رأس الشكر, فلهذا أمر به خصوصا, ثم من بعده أمر بالشكر عموما فقال: { وَاشْكُرُوا لِي } أي: على ما أنعمت عليكم بهذه النعم، ودفعت عنكم صنوف النقم، والشكر يكون بالقلب, إقرارا بالنعم, واعترافا, وباللسان, ذكرا وثناء, وبالجوارح, طاعة لله وانقيادا لأمره, واجتنابا لنهيه, فالشكر فيه بقاء النعمة الموجودة, وزيادة في النعم المفقودة، قال تعالى: { لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ } وفي الإتيان بالأمر بالشكر بعد النعم الدينية, من العلم وتزكية الأخلاق والتوفيق للأعمال, بيان أنها أكبر النعم, بل هي النعم الحقيقية؟ التي تدوم, إذا زال غيرها وأنه ينبغي لمن وفقوا لعلم أو عمل, أن يشكروا الله على ذلك, ليزيدهم من فضله, وليندفع عنهم الإعجاب, فيشتغلوا بالشكر. ولما كان الشكر ضده الكفر, نهى عن ضده فقال: { وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ } المراد بالكفر هاهنا ما يقابل الشكر, فهو كفر النعم وجحدها, وعدم القيام بها، ويحتمل أن يكون المعنى عاما, فيكون الكفر أنواعا كثيرة, أعظمه الكفر بالله, ثم أنواع المعاصي, على اختلاف أنواعها وأجناسها, من الشرك, فما دونه.

قال مجاهد في قوله "كما أرسلنا فيكم رسولا منكم" يقول كما فعلت فاذكروني قال عبدالله بن وهب عن هشام بن سعيد عن زيد بن أسلم أن موسى عليه السلام قال يا رب كيف أشكرك؟ قال له ربه: تذكرني ولا تنساني فإذا ذكرتني فقد شكرتني وإذا نسيتني فقد كفرتني قال الحسن البصري وأبو العالية والسدي والربيع بن أنس إن الله يذكر من ذكره ويزيد من شكره ويعذب من كفره وقال بعض السلف في قوله تعالى "اتقوا الله حق تقاته" قال هو أن يطاع فلا يعصى ويذكر فلا ينسى ويشكر فلا يكفر وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا الحسن بن محمد بن الصباح أخبرنا يزيد بن هرون أخبرنا عمارة الصيدلاني أخبرنا مكحول الأزدي قال: قلت لابن عمر أرأيت قاتل النفس وشارب الخمر والسارق والزاني يذكر الله وقد قال الله تعالى "فاذكروني أذكركم" قال إذا ذكر الله هذا ذكره الله بلعنته حتى يسكت وقال الحسن البصري في قوله "فاذكروني أذكركم" قال اذكروني فيما أوجبت لكم على نفسي وعن سعيد بن جبير اذكروني بطاعتي أذكركم بمغفرتي وفي رواية برحمتي وعن ابن عباس في قوله اذكروني أذكركم قال ذكر الله إياكم أكبر من ذكركم إياه وفي الحديث الصحيح "يقول الله تعالى من ذكرني في نفسه ذكرته في نفسي ومن ذكرني في ملإ ذكرته في ملإ خير منه" قال الإمام أحمد حدثنا عبد الرزاق أخبرنا عن قتادة عن أنس قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "قال الله عز وجل يا ابن آدم إن ذكرتني في نفسك ذكرتك في نفسي وإن ذكرتني في ملإ ذكرتك في ملإ من الملائكة - أو قال في ملإ خير منه - وإن دنوت مني شبرا دنوت منك ذراعا وإن دنوت مني ذراعا دنوت منك باعا وإن أتيتني تمشي أتيتك هرولة" صحيح الإسناد أخرجه البخاري من حديث قتادة وعنده قال قتادة الله أقرب بالرحمة: وقوله "واشكروا لي ولا تكفرون" أمر الله تعالى بشكره ووعد على شكره بمزيد الخير فقال "وإذ تأذن ربكم لئن شكرتم لأزيدنكم ولئن كفرتم إن عذابي لشديد" وقال الإمام أحمد حدثنا روح حدثنا شعبة عن الفضيل بن فضالة - رجل من قيس - حدثنا أبو رجاء العطاردي قال خرج علينا عمران بن حصين وعليه مطرف من خز لم نره عليه قبل ذلك ولا بعده فقال إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال "من أنعم الله عليه نعمة فإن الله يحب أن يرى أثر نعمته على خلقه" وقال روح مرة: على عبده.

Muhammad's ﷺ Prophecy is a Great Bounty from Allah

Allah reminds His believing servants with what He has endowed them with by sending Muhammad ﷺ as a Messenger to them, reciting to them Allah's clear Ayat and purifying and cleansing them from the worst types of behavior, the ills of the souls and the acts of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era). The Messenger also takes them away from the darkness (of disbelief) to the light (of faith) and teaches them the Book, the Qur'an, and the Hikmah (i.e., the wisdom), which is his Sunnah. He also teaches them what they knew not. During the time of Jahiliyyah, they used to utter foolish statements. Later on, and with the blessing of the Prophet's Message and the goodness of his prophecy, they were elevated to the status of the Awliya' (loyal friends of Allah) and the rank of the scholars. Hence, they acquired the deepest knowledge among the people, the most pious hearts, and the most truthful tongues. Allah said:

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُواْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ

(Indeed, Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad ) from among themselves, reciting unto them His verses (the Qur'an), and purifying them (from sins).) (3:164)

Allah also criticized those who did not give this bounty its due consideration, when He said:

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّواْ قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ

(Have you not seen those who have changed the favors of Allah into disbelief (by denying Prophet Muhammad ) and his Message of Islam), and caused their people to dwell in the house of destruction) (14:28)

Ibn `Abbas commented, "Allah's favor means Muhammad." Therefore, Allah has commanded the believers to affirm this favor and to appreciate it by thanking and remembering Him:

فَاذْكُرُونِى أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ

(Therefore, remember Me. I will remember you, and be grateful to Me, and never be ungrateful to Me.)

Mujahid said that Allah's statement:

كَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْكُمْ

(Similarly (to complete My favor on you), We have sent among you a Messenger (Muhammad ) of your own,)

means: Therefore, remember Me in gratitude to My favor.

Al-Hasan Al-Basri commented about Allah's statement:

فَاذْكُرُونِى أَذْكُرْكُمْ

(Therefore remember Me. I will remember you), "Remember Me regarding what I have commanded you and I will remember you regarding what I have compelled Myself to do for your benefit (i.e., His rewards and forgiveness)."

An authentic Hadith states:

«يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى: مَنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي وَمَنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلَأٍ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلَأٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْه»

(Allah the Exalted said, `Whoever mentions Me to himself, then I will mention him to Myself; and whoever mentions Me in a gathering, I will mention him in a better gathering.)'

Imam Ahmad reported that Anas narrated that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

«قَالَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، إِنْ ذَكَرْتَنِي فِي نَفْسِكَ ذَكَرْتُك فِي نَفْسِي، إِنْ ذَكَرْتَنِي فِي مَلَإٍ ذكَرْتُكَ فِي مَلَإٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَوْ قَالَ: فِي مَلَإٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ دَنَوْتَ مِنِّي شِبْرًا دَنَوْتُ مِنْكَ ذِرَاعًا، وَإِنْ دَنَوْتَ مِنِّي ذِرَاعًا دَنَوْتُ مِنْكَ بَاعًا، وَإنْ أَتَيْتَنِي تَمْشِي أَتَيْتُكَ هَرْوَلَة»

(Allah the Exalted said, `O son of Adam! If you mention Me to yourself, I will mention you to Myself. If you mention Me in a gathering, I will mention you in a gathering of the angels (or said in a better gathering). If you draw closer to Me by a hand span, I will draw closer to you by forearm's length. If you draw closer to Me by a forearm's length, I will draw closer to you by an arm's length. And if you come to Me walking, I will come to you running).

Its chain is Sahih, it was recorded by Al-Bukhari. Allah said:

وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ

(...and be grateful to Me (for My countless favors on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.)

In this Ayah, Allah commands that He be thanked and appreciated, and promises even more rewards for thanking Him. Allah said in another Ayah:

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ

(And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My blessings); but if you are thankless (i.e., disbelievers), verily, My punishment is indeed severe.)

Abu Raja' Al-`Utaridi said: `Imran bin Husayn came by us once wearing a nice silken garment that we never saw him wear before or afterwards. He said, "Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

«مَنْ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ نِعْمَةً فَإِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَرَى أَثَرَ نِعْمَتِهِ عَلَى خَلْقِه»

، وَقَالَ رَوْحٌ مَرَّةً:

«عَلَى عَبْدِه»

(Those whom Allah has favored with a bounty, then Allah likes to see the effect of His bounty on His creation), or he said, "on His servant" - according to Ruh (one of the narrators of the Hadith).

So remember Me through prayer glorification and the like I will remember you this is said to mean ‘I will reward you’; in a hadīth about God that He says ‘whoever remembers Me in himself I will remember him in Myself and whoever remembers Me in an assembly I will remember him in an Assembly more excellent than his’; and be thankful to Me for My grace by being obedient and be not ungrateful towards Me through disobedience.

The merits of 'Dhikr' ذکر (Rememberance)

Dhikr ذکر : or "Remembrance" essentially pertains to the heart, but in so far as the tongue is the interpreter of the heart the oral recitation of a Divine Name or a verse of the Holy Qur'an is also described as Dhikr ذکر . In other words, oral Dhikr ذکر can be worth the name only when it is accompanied by the "remembrance" of the heart. As the great Sufi poet Rumi points out, the recitation of a Divine Name can have no efficacy if one keeps thinking of cows and donkeys while repeating it mechanically with the tongue. One must, however, bear in mind that even a mechanical Dhikr ذکر without the heart being engaged in it is not altogether futile. It is related that the great Sufi Abu ` Uthman, hearing a man complain of such a situation, remarked that one should be grateful to Allah even for this favour of having drawn at least one organ of the body, the tongue, into His service. (Qurtubi)

The merits of Dhikr ذکر are, indeed, innumerable. What greater merit could one wish for than the assurance that when a man "remembers" Allah, He too "remembers" him. Abu ` Uthman once claimed that he knew the time when Allah remembered His servants. The listeners grew curious as to how he could determine this. He replied that, according to the promise made in the Holy Qur'an, when a Muslim remembers Allah, He too remembers him, and thus everyone can know for himself that as soon as he turns to Allah and remembers Him, Allah too remembers him.

Let us add that Verse 152 means to say that if men "remember" Allah by obeying His commandments, He will "remember" them by granting His pardon and His rewards. The commentator Said ibn Jubayr has, in fact, interpreted the Dhikr ذکر or "Remembrance" of Allah as obedience and submission to Him. He says:

فمن لم یطعہ لم یذکرہ وان کثر صلاتہ وتسبیحہ

"He who has not obeyed Him has not remembered Him, even though he has kept himself externally busy in offering (nafl نفل : supererogatory) prayers and reciting His praises."

This explanation is fully supported by a hadith cited by Al-Qurtubi on the authority of "Ahkam al-Qur'an احکام القرآن " by Ibn Khuwayz Mandadh. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that one who has been obeying Allah – that is, following the injunctions with regard to the lawful (Halal حلال ) and the unlawful (Haram حرام ) - has truly been remembering Allah, in spite of being deficient in (nafl نفل : supererogatory) prayers and fasting, while one who has been disobeying divine commandments has, in fact, forgotten Allah, in spite of devoting long hours to nafl نفل prayers, fasting and recitation of His praises.

The great Sufi Master Dhu al-Nun al-Misri has said that the man who remembers Allah in the full sense of the term forgets everything else, and that, in reward of such a total absorption, Allah Himself takes care of all his concerns, and grants him something far more valuable for everything he loses. Similarly, the blessed Companion Mu` adh ؓ has remarked that in so far as winning absolution from divine wrath is concerned, no good deed on the part of man can compare with Dhikr ذکر . And in a hadith reported by the blessed Companion Abu Hurayrah ؓ ، Allah Himself says that so long as the servant keeps remembering Him and his lips keep moving in Dhikr ذکر ، Allah is with him (for a more elaborate discussion of the subject, see Dhikrulldh ذکراللہ by the author).

So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful for Me and not ungrateful toward Me. This is to remember the lovingly kind Friend, the heart's ease and the spirit's food. Remembrance is the polo-ball and familiarity with Him is the bat. Its steed is yearning and its field love. Burning for Him is the rose, and recognizing Him the garden. This remembrance makes the Real apparent. It is joined with the Haqiqah and separate from mortal nature. This remembrance is the watering place for the tree of tawḤīd, the fruit and produce of which is friendship with the Real. This is why the Lord of the Worlds said, “My servant does not cease remembering Me, and I remembering him, until he is passionate for Me and I passionate for him.” This is not the remembrance of the tongue that you know-this is inside the spirit. The time came when Abū Yazīd was remembering little with the tongue. When he was asked about that, he said, “I am in wonder at this remembrance of the tongue, and I am more in wonder at him who is a stranger. What would a stranger be doing in the midst? Remembrance of Him is in the midst of the spirit.” In the story of passion for You, many are the hardships. I'm with You, but many are the stations between us. * I wonder at him who says, “I remember my Lord.” Should I forget, then remember what I forgot? That great man of his time said in a whispered prayer, “O Lord! How can I remember You when You Yourself are remembering and I am crying out from forgetfulness. You are the remembrance and the remembered, You are the help in finding Yourself. “O Lord! When someone reaches You, his sorrows are finished; when someone sees You, his spirit laughs. Who has more joy in the two worlds than he who remembers You? Who is more worthy of happiness in You than the servant?” O poor man, you are remembering yourself. What do you know about remembering Him? Not having traveled, what do you know about the way stations? Not having seen the Friend, how can you be aware of His name and mark? You are your own object of worship-you worship yourself: whatever you do, you do it for yourself.