42وَسَبِّحوهُ بُكرَةً وَأَصيلًاAli UnalAnd glorify Him (in that He is absolutely above all defects and having partners) in the morning and in the evening (day and night)!1All words of praise and glorification of God – extolling Him with His Perfect Attributes of Power and Majesty, Beauty and Sublimity, and declaring that He is absolutely above having any defects or negative attributes shared by the creation, or above doing useless things, whether one utters these words vocally or says them silently in one’s heart – are known as dhikr (remembrance of God). So, glorification of Him is also included in the meaning of dhikr. In addition to this, reading, reflecting, studying to gain knowledge of God, and speaking about Him to others, are also included in the concept of dhikr. In a hadīth qudsī (a Tradition whose meaning God directly inspired in the heart of the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings), the Messenger narrated: “God says: ‘I am to My servant as he expects of Me, I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him to Myself; if he remembers Me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly better than his; if he draws nearer to Me a hand’s span, I draw nearer to him an arm’s length; if he draws nearer to Me an arm’s length, I draw nearer to him a fathom’s length; and if he comes to me walking, I rush to him with (great) speed’ “ (al-Bukhārī, “Tawhīd,” 50; Muslim, “Dhikr,” 2). God has bestowed a special distinction upon those who remember Him. The Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, said: “The devotees have surpassed all.” They asked: “Who are these exceptional people, O Messenger of God?” He replied: “They are men and women who remember God unceasingly” (Muslim, “Dhikr,” 2). These are the people who are truly alive. Abū Mūsā reported from the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings: “The likeness of the house where God is mentioned and the one where He is not is like that of a living person to a dead person” (al-Bukhārī, Da’awāt,” 66). Mujāhid, one of the earliest interpreters of the Qur’ān, explained: “A person cannot be one of ‘those men and women who remember God much,’ unless he or she remembers God at all times, standing, sitting, or lying in bed (as stated in 3: 191).” Joining the assemblies or circles of dhikr is commendable, as shown by the following hadīth: Ibn ‘Umar reported: “The Prophet, upon him peace and blessings, said: ‘When you pass by a garden of Paradise, avail yourselves of it.’ The Companions asked: ‘What are the gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of God?’ The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, replied: ‘The assemblies or circles of dhikr. There are some angels of God who go about looking for such assemblies of dhikr, and when they find them, they surround them’ “ (Muslim, “Dhikr,” 39).