Once you are able to remember Him in your mind then you are ready to accept an increase in your act of worship to Allah.

1. Prayer:

For Muslims we have to pray 5 times a day which are obligatory. However, there are many, who in addition to the obligatory prayers, perform the non obligatory prayers in manifold during the days but particularly in the night. For those who are focused in their Prayers in remembering Allah, Paradise shall be their reward.

Verily, I am Allah: there is no god but I: so serve thou Me (only), and establish regular prayer to remember me. ⁷⁸

But those will prosper who purify themselves and remember the name of their Guardian-Lord, and (lift their hearts) in Prayer. ⁷⁹

But keep in remembrance the name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him whole-heartedly.⁸⁰

And do thou (O reader!) bring thy Lord to remembrance in thy (very) soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in words, in the mornings and evenings; and be not thou of those who are unheedful⁸¹

Lord of the heavens and of the earth, and of all that is between them: so worship Him, and be constant and patient in His worship: knows thou of any who is worthy of the same Name as He? ⁸²

And those who guard their prayers well, such will be the honoured ones in the Gardens (of Bliss). ⁸³

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had said to the effect:

If a person performs his prayer and he glorifies Allah as well as he empty his mind to fill it with remembrance of Allah, He will forgive him of his sins as if he is born again. ⁸⁴

Allah admonishes those who are slackening in their prayers. Allah had commanded in the Quran to the effect:

So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their Prayers.⁸⁵

Notwithstanding the numbers of prayers a person done day and night, if it is done without remembrance of Allah then the prayers are futile. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had said to the effects:

(Allah had commanded) You stand before me and you utter words to me, yet your mind is far away from me. It is surely an exercise in futility.⁸⁶

Sayidina Umar Al Khatib had said to the effect:

A person may perform his prayer until he is old and his beard turned white however all his prayers may come to naught because he was never focus, without humility nor was he attentive. ⁸⁷

The Holy Prophet, in addition to the obligatory worship, would in the darkness of the night carry out many non-obligatory act of worship until his feet suffered cracks and blisters. This happened because he stood a long time reading several chapters of the Quran whilst doing the act of worship.⁸⁸ His companions too follow suit his example in that, apart from performing the daily act of worship, they too carried out the many non-obligatory prayers in the night.⁸⁹ To this end, Allah had commanded to the effect:

Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the night prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord, (like one who does not)? Say: “Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.⁹⁰

Stand (to prayer) by night, but not all night, half of it, or a little less, Or a little more; and recite the Quran in slow, measured rhythmic tones.⁹¹

Such practice once undertaken should be carried out consistently. Allah had commanded to the effect:

But those who believe and work righteousness – no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear – they will be Companions of the Garden, therein to dwell (for ever).⁹²

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had said to the effect:

Those who performed 12 rakaat of the non-obligatory worship in a day will have a house built for him in Paradise.⁹³

Those who are constant in their worship will enter heaven through the door of worship.⁹⁴

2. Remembering Allah:

After we have finished our prayers, we are to continue focusing in remembering Allah constantly in whatsoever circumstances. Allah had commanded in the Quran to the effect:

When you finished your prayers, remember Allah standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides⁹⁵

Men whom neither traffic nor merchandise can divert from the Remembrance of Allah⁹⁶

Those who fear Allah, when a thought of evil from Satan assaults them, bring Allah to remembrance, when lo! they see (aright)! ⁹⁷

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) focused in remembering Allah all the time. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had said to the effect:

Although my eyes are closed but my mental eyes are not. ⁹⁸

Less words but more remembrance of Allah as more words than remembrance of Allah will harden the heart and Allah stays away from the harden heart. ⁹⁹

Sayidatina Aishah had said to the effect:

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) remembers Allah all the times. ¹⁰⁰

Prophet Jesus said that for the Gnostics, they are capable of focusing in remembering God all the times; it is like a person who whilst hammering the stones, he could still hold a conversation with his colleagues.¹⁰¹Syeikh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani had said to the effect:

Gnosticism is a fulltime job. ¹⁰²

Sayidina Ali had said the Companions would spend their time (after the dawn prayer) remembering Allah and when daylight came they looked disheveled.¹⁰³

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