7:205 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

الذكر للّه تعالى يكون بالقلب، ويكون باللسان، ويكون بهما، وهو أكمل أنواع الذكر وأحواله، فأمر اللّه عبده ورسوله محمدا أصلا وغيره تبعا، بذكر ربه في نفسه، أي: مخلصا خاليا. تَضَرُّعًا أي: متضرعا بلسانك، مكررا لأنواع الذكر، وَخِيفَةً في قلبك بأن تكون خائفا من اللّه، وَجِلَ القلب منه، خوفا أن يكون عملك غير مقبول، وعلامة الخوف أن يسعى ويجتهد في تكميل العمل وإصلاحه، والنصح به. وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ أي: كن متوسطا، لا تجهر بصلاتك، ولا تخافت بها، وابتغ بين ذلك سبيلا. بِالْغُدُوِّ أول النهار وَالآصَالِ آخره، وهذان الوقتان لذكر الله فيهما مزية وفضيلة على غيرهما. وَلا تَكُنْ مِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ الذين نسوا اللّه فأنساهم أنفسهم، فإنهم حرموا خير الدنيا والآخرة، وأعرضوا عمن كل السعادة والفوز في ذكره وعبوديته، وأقبلوا على من كل الشقاوة والخيبة في الاشتغال به، وهذه من الآداب التي ينبغي للعبد أن يراعيها حق رعايتها، وهي الإكثار من ذكر اللّه آناء الليل والنهار، خصوصا طَرَفَيِ النهار، مخلصا خاشعا متضرعا، متذللا ساكنا، وتواطئا عليه قلبه ولسانه، بأدب ووقار، وإقبال على الدعاء والذكر، وإحضار له بقلبه وعدم غفلة، فإن اللّه لا يستجيب دعاء من قلب غافل لاه.

يأمر تعالى بذكره أول النهار وآخره كثيرا كما أمر بعبادته في هذين الوقتين في قوله "فسبح بحمد ربك قبل طلوع الشمس وقبل الغروب" وقد كان هذا قبل أن تفرض الصلوات الخمس ليلة الإسراء وهذه الآية مكية وقال ههنا بالغدو وهو أول النهار والآصال جمع أصيل كما أن الأيمان جمع يمين وأما قوله "تضرعا وخيفة" أي اذكر ربك في نفسك رغبة ورهبة وبالقول لا جهرا ولهذا قال "ودون الجهر من القول" وهكذا يستحب أن يكون الذكر لا يكون نداء وجهرا بليغا ولهذا لما سألوا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقالوا: أقريب ربنا فنناجيه أم بعيد فنناديه؟ فأنزل الله عز وجل "وإذا سألك عبادي عني فإني قريب أجيب دعوة الداع إذا دعان". وفي الصحيحين عن أبي موسى الأشعري رضي الله عنه قال: رفع الناس أصواتهم بالدعاء في بعض الأسفار فقال لهم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم "يا أيها الناس أربعوا على أنفسكم فإنكم لا تدعون أصم ولا غائبا إن الذي تدعونه سميع قريب أقرب إلى أحدكم من عنق راحلته" وقد يكون المراد من هذه الآية كما في قوله تعالى "ولا تجهر بصلاتك ولا تخافت بها وابتغ بين ذلك سبيلا" فإن المشركين كانوا إذا سمعوا القرآن سبوه وسبوا من أنزله وسبوا من جاء به فأمره الله تعالى أن لا يجهر به لئلا ينال منه المشركون ولا يخافت به عن أصحابه فلا يسمعهم وليتخذ سبيلا بين الجهر والإسرار وكذا قال في هذه الآية الكريمة "ودون الجهر من القول بالغدو والآصال ولا تكن من الغافلين" وقد زعم ابن جرير وقبله عبدالرحمن بن زيد بن أسلم أن المراد بها أمر السامع للقرآن في حال استماعه بالذكر على هذه الصفة وهذا بعيد مناف للإنصات المأمور به ثم إن المراد بذلك في الصلاة كما تقدم أو في الصلاة والخطبة ومعلوم أن الإنصات إذ ذاك أفضل من الذكر باللسان سواء كان سرا أو جهرا فهذا الذي قالاه لم يتابعا عليه بل المراد الحض على كثرة الذكر من العباد بالغدو والآصال لئلا يكونوا من الغافلين ولهذا مدح الملائكة الذين يسبحون الليل والنهار لا يفترون.

Remembering Allah in the Mornings and Afternoons

Allah ordains that He be remembered more often in the mornings and the afternoons. Just as He ordered that He be worshipped during these two times when He said,

وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ

(And glorify the praises of your Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting.) 50:39 Before the night of Isra', when the five daily prayers were ordained, this Ayah was revealed in Makkah ordering that Allah be worshipped at these times, Allah said next,

تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً

(humbly and with fear) meaning, remember your Lord in secret, not loudly, with eagerness and fear. This is why Allah said next,

وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ

(and without loudness in words). Therefore, it is recommended that remembering Allah in Dhikr is not performed in a loud voice. When the Companions asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "Is our Lord close, so that we call Him in secret, or far, so that we raise our voices" Allah sent down the verse,

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ

(And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor).) 2:186 In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari said, "The people raised their voices with Du`a' (invoking Allah) while travelling. The Prophet said to them,

«يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ارْبَعُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ، فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَدْعُونَ أَصَمَّ وَلَا غَائِبًا إِنَّ الَّذِي تَدْعُونَهُ سَمِيعٌ قَرِيبٌ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ عُنُقِ رَاحِلِته»

(O people! Take it easy on yourselves, for He Whom you are calling is not deaf or absent. Verily, He Whom you are calling is the All-Hearer, close (by His knowledge), closer to one of you than the neck of his animal.)" These texts encourage the servants to invoke Allah in Dhikr often, especially in the mornings and afternoons, so that they are not among those who neglect remembering Him. This is why Allah praised the angels who praise Him night and day without tiring,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ

(Surely, those who are with your Lord (i.e., angels) are never too proud to perform acts of worship to Him) Allah reminded the servants of this fact so that they imitate the angels in their tireless worship and obedience of Allah. Prostration, here, upon the mention that the angels prostrate to Allah is legitimate. A Hadith reads;

«أَلَا تَصُفُّونَ كَمَا تَصُفُّ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهَا يُتِمُّونَ الصُّفُوفَ الْأُوَلَ فَالْأُوَلَ وَيَتَرَاصُّونَ فِي الصَّف»

(Why not you stand in line (for the prayer) like the angels stand in line before their Lord They continue the first then the next lines and they stand close to each other in line. ) This is the first place in the Qur'an where it has been legitimized -- according to the agreement of the scholars -- for the readers of the Qur'an, and those listening to its recitation, to perform prostration.

And remember your Lord within yourself that is secretly humbly submissively and fearfully in awe of Him and louder than speaking in secret more quietly than speaking out loud that is a middle way between the two at morning and evening at the beginning of the day and at its end. And do not be among the heedless of God’s remembrance.

Commentary

That the Holy Qur'an should be listened to and that due etiquette should be observed when doing so was the subject in previous verses. Described in the present two verses, as held by the majority of commentators, is the injunction to remember Allah, in an absolute sense, as well as its attending etiquette - which includes the recitation of the Qur'an. However, according to Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ the word: ذِکر (dhikr: remembrance) as it appears in this verse means the Qur'an, and the rules of etiquette enunciated therein are also related to its recitation. But, this does not make much of a difference because according to the consensus of all, other modes of remembrance (adhkar: plural of dhikr), in addition to the Qur'an, are governed by the same injunction and the same rules of etiquette.

In short, in this verse, human beings have been commanded to remember Allah and told when to do it and how to do it.

Rules of Voiced and Voiceless Remembrance [ Dhikr ]

The first rule of etiquette relates to the doing of Dhikr in a lowered or loud voice. The Holy Qur'an has given two choices about that in this verse. It can be made secretly and voicelessly and it can be made openly and loudly. About the voiceless Dhikr, it was said: وَاذْكُر‌ رَّ‌بَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ which has been translated here literally as 'and remember your Lord in yourself (or, in your heart). This too would, take two forms: (1) That one does not move his tongue and simply thinks of Allah and His attributes in his heart that is known as al-dhikr-al-khafiyy (Dhikr of the heart) or tafakkur (pondering). (2) That one brings his tongue in alignment with what is happening in the deep recesses of his heart, lowers his voice and renders the letters carrying Divine names. The most preferred form of doing it is to first understand the sense of what is being said. Then, in synchronization with it, let him do two things simultaneously: Be fully conscious of its presence in his heart with his span of attention riveted to it and then, verbalize it too. The reason is that this is a form in which the tongue also joins in the Dhikr along with the heart. And if someone were to remain devoted to the thought within his heart alone, without uttering any word from his tongue, that too is a reward-worthy act in its own place. However, the lowest degree of it would be uttering the words of Dhikr but the heart stays denuded with it, even heedless towards it. About a Dhikr like that, the great sage, Rumi said:

بر زبان تسبیح و در دل گا ؤخَر ایں چنییں تسبیح کے دارد اثر

On the tongue, glory to God، Cow and donkey in the heart!

What remembrance is it? How effective will it be?

What sage Rumi means is that Dhikr made through a heedless heart brings no vestiges and blessings of the genuine act of Dhikr. It does not rule out the reward and benefit that may issue forth from what may be a bland verbal Dhikr because there are occasions when this very verbal Dhikr becomes the channel, source and cause of the Dhikr of the heart. The constant utterance of the tongue starts affecting the heart as well. In case that does not materialize, no less is the satisfaction that there is at least one part of the body busy with the Dhikr of Allah. If so, that too is not devoid of its benefits and rewards. Therefore, people who fail to experience peace, attention and sense of presence in their Dhikr and Tasbih (act of remembrance and glorification of Allah) should not abandon it as something useless. They should, rather, continue with it and keep trying to attain the required degree of attention.

The second method of Dhikr has been given within this verse by saying: وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ‌ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ (and without speaking loudly). It means that it has to be in a lowered voice as compared to a raised voice. In other words, the person who is engaged in the Dhikr of Allah does have the option of doing a voiced Dhikr but its etiquette demands that one should not do it too loudly reaching the outer limits of shouting and screaming. Doing it in an average voice with due regard for the reverence-worthy nature of the activity is better. The fact is that doing the Dhikr of Allah and the recitation of the Qur'an very loudly is a sign of disrespect one has in his heart for the addressee. Is it not that one cannot naturally speak up in a loud voice before someone he reveres by heart? Therefore, when the usual Dhikr of Allah or the recitation of the Qur'an is made vocally, one has to be careful not to let the voice be raised any more than necessary.

To sum up, three methods of the Dhikr of Allah and the recitation of the Qur'an come out of this verse. (1) Concentrate on the Dhikr of the heart only, that is, consider it sufficient to imagine and deliberate on the meanings of the Qur'an, and Dhikr, while keeping the tongue totally unmoved. (2) Also move the tongue along with the Dhikr of the heart, without raising the voice to the level of being heard by others. Both these methods are included under the Divine command of: وَاذْكُر‌ رَّ‌بَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ (And remember your Lord in yourself). (3) The third method of Dhikr is that, alongwith attention by heart, there is a movement of tongue with voice, but it should not be raised any higher than necessary, in fact, it should be limited to the average level. This method has been proposed in the Qur'anic statement: وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ‌ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ (and without speaking loudly). Another verse of the Qur'an has explained it further by saying: وَلَا تَجْهَرْ‌ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا . It commands the Holy Prophet ﷺ that he should not recite the Qur'an in a voice rising too high nor in a voice lowered too much. Instead, he should maintain a middle level between the two - [ 17:110].

This was the instruction given by the Holy Prophet ﷺ to Sayyidna Abu Bakr and Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ about the recitation of the Qur'an in Sa1ah.

According to an authentic Hadith, once the Holy Prophet ﷺ came out of the house late at night. When he reached the house of Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ he saw him busy with Salah but he was reciting in a lowered voice. Then he reached the house of Sayyidna ` Umar, ؓ عنہ and saw that he was reciting in a raised voice. When these two companions came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the morning, he said to Sayyidna Abu Bakr 'when I went to you last night, I noticed that you were reciting in a lowered voice.' Sayyidna Abu Bakr submitted, 'ya rasiiallah, the One I was reciting for has heard it. That is sufficient.' Similarly, he said to Sayyidna ` Umar, 'you were reciting in a raised voice.' He submitted, 'By raising my voice in the recitation, I intended to drive away sleep and Shaitan both.' Giving his verdict, the Holy Prophet ﷺ instructed Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ عنہ to raise his voice a little bit and asked Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ to somewhat lower it. (Abu Dwud)

According to a report in Tirmidhi, some Companions asked Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ about the recitation of the Holy Prophet ﷺ whether he did it in a raised voice or a lowered voice. She said, 'at times he would do it loudly and at others, in a lowered voice. He recited both ways.'

Some early elders have favored reciting loudly during nafl Salah at night and in recitations outside the Salah, while some others have preferred reciting softly in a lowered voice. Therefore, Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) has said that the person reciting has the choice of reciting either way. However, it is unanimously agreed that reciting loudly has some conditions to it. Firstly, there should be no apprehension of showing off in doing so. Secondly, the voice of the person reciting should not cause any inconvenience or pain to others. For example, it should not interfere in the Salah or recitation being made by others, or in their work, or rest. Under such eventualities, reciting in a low voice is more meritorious as unanimously held by all.

Then, the rule that applies to the recitation of the Qur'an also applies to other Adhkar and Tasbihat in that these could be made in a voice loud or low. It is permissible to do it either way - subject to the condition that the voice should not be so loud as to be against the norms of humbleness of heart and the formal etiquette of spiritual devotion. In addition to that, the voice of the person so engaged in remembering Allah and glorifying Him should cause no disruption in the activities of people working or resting.

As to what is more meritorious - loud or low - it depends on who is doing it and under what conditions. The verdict differs. For some, loud is better, for others, low. Then, there are times when loud is better and there are other times when keeping it low or voiceless is beneficial. (Tafslr Mazhari, Ruh al-Bayan etc.)

The second rule of etiquette mentioned in the verse under discussion requires that Tilawah and Dhikr should be made humbly which is the outcome of one's realization that Allah Ta` ala is great and most exalted and that one keeps the meaning and sense of what he or she is saying in sight.

The third rule of etiquette comes out from the word: خُفْيَةً (khifah: fear) in this very verse (205). Here, we have been told that one should be in a state of awe and fear while reciting or making Dhikr. As for fear, it means the fear of not being able to do justice to the great task of worshipping Allah and recognizing His greatness - perhaps, we may fall short or do something contrary to His reverence due on us. In addition to that, we have to be actively conscious of our sins and be fearful of His punishment, fearful of what would happen to us in the end for we do not know what and how it will be. So then, Dhikr and Tilawah have to be done in the manner of a person who has been subdued by an aura of awe and fear.

These rules have also appeared in an earlier verse of this very Surah al-A'raf where they relate to prayer: ادْعُوا رَ‌بَّكُمْ تَضَرُّ‌عًا وَخُفْيَةً (Supplicate to your Lord humbly and secretly - 7:55). Here, instead of خُفْيَةً (kh 'fah: fear), the word: خُفْيَةً (khufyah: secretly) has been used which means saying it softly in a low voice - as though, it is also a rule of etiquette that Dhikr and Tilawah should be done softly in a lowered voice. But, this verse makes it clear at the same time that doing voiced Dhikr is not prohibited, however, it is subject to the condition that one does not raise his voice more than necessary, definitely not so high as would cause the state of fear and humbleness to disappear.

Given towards the end of the verse are the timings of Dhikr and Tilawah - that it should be done in the mornings and evenings. It could also mean that one should be busy with the remembrance of Allah at least twice a day in the morning and the evening. And it is also possible that by saying mornings and evenings, the reference is to all timings of the day and night on the analogy of saying East and West and thereby meaning the whole world. If so, the verse would mean that one must remain committed to Dhikr and Tilawah always, under all conditions. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ says that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was devoted to the remembrance of Allah at all times and under all conditions.

At the end of the verse, it was said: وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ الْغَافِلِين is (and do not be among the heedless) which means that abandoning the remembrance of Allah and joining the heedless is a great loss.

The last verse (206) depicts the particular state and style of those close to Allah so that others may learn their lesson from it. It is said that those who are close to Allah Ta` ala show no arrogance against worshipping Him. Being 'with' Allah Ta` ala means being among those approved of and accepted by Him. This includes all angels and all blessed prophets and the most righteous men and women of the Muslim community. As for the sense of arrogance in this context, it means that they do not assume airs and do not fall short in their acts of worship on the false assumption of being big and special. Instead of doing anything of that sort, they take themselves to be weak and needy before Allah and keep devoting themselves to His remembrance, worship and glorification showing their ultimate humility by pros-trating before their Lord in sajdah.

From here, we also learn that people who are blessed with the ability to engage in perpetual worship and remembrance of Allah are blessed with the sign that they are ` with' Allah all the time and fortunate to have His company.

And remember thy Lord in thyself. The rememberers are three men: One remembers with the tongue while the heart is unaware. Another remembers with both tongue and heart, but his work is in danger, as has been said, " The self-purifiers are in grave danger. " Still another is silent with the tongue but his heart is drowned in Him. The Pir of the Tariqah said, " O God, how can I remember, for I myself am all remembrance? I have given the harvest of my marks to the wind. How can I remember Him whom I have not for- gotten? O remembrance of the spirits, remembered by the hearts, and mentioned by the tongues! Remember me with Your bounty and make me happy with gentle remembrance! "