Aminah Remembers Allah

Aminah looked forward to fajr prayers every morning. She loved the
fresh smell of dew that the morning brang. Everything is so fresh in the
morning and the two rakaats of fajr prayer made her feel really close to Allah
(Subhanahu wa Taala).

But she always had one nagging question in her mind. How can I
ensure that I always remember Allah throughout the day? She wondered.

So one day she decided to observe what her family did to remember
Allah. First, she watched her father carefully, to see what he did. She noticed
that right after finishing his Fajr Prayers, he began to recite,

Subhanallah, subhanallah, subhanallah

And so Aminah repeated after him.

After filling her tummy with a hearty breakfast, Aminah began to see
what her grandma was did after her meal,

Alhamdulillahirobbilalamin.
Said grandma.

Why did you say that? Asked Aminah

I am praising and thanking to Allah for all the wonderful food He has
given us. Replied grandma. It means praise be to Allah for His greatness
for giving us this food to live.

So, Aminah lovingly repeated the dhikr to praise Allah for the breakfast
He had given them. Later on, Aminah then sat down to finish her homework
with her sister, Aisyah. Before beginning her homework Aisyah said,

Bismillahirrohmanirrohiim
and encouraged Aminah to do the same.

Why? Aminah asked.

 Well, it is so that we remember Allah before anything that we do
that we begin bysaying Allah. So Allah may bless us in the work that we are
about to begin. Replied Aisyah.

Well, then? When do we say audubillah? Asked Aminah.

Whenever you have a bad thought in your mind, jumped in Aminah is

elder brother, Rashid

We say,

Audhubillahi minash shaitan ar rajeem.

to seek protection from Allah (Subhanallahu wa Taala) from shaitan, and
from bad thoughts or actions.

Aminah gave Rashid a grateful smile for teaching her a new dhikr to
remember Allah.

Later that day, after praying jamah prayers for Asr with her grandpa,
Aminah noticed that he repeatedly recite,

Astagfirullahaladziim, astagfirullahaladziim,
astagfirullahaladziim.
Curious to know why, Aminah asked, Why do you say this dhikr grandpa?

Well, I like to say astagfirullahaladziim so that I will always seek forgiveness

from Allah (Subhanallahu wa Taala). Replied granpa.

So far the rest of the evening, Aminah rehearsed what she had learnt
from watching her father, her grandma, her sister, her brother and her
grandpa. But as Maghrib drew near, she discovered two more useful dhikrs
for her to recite to remind her of Allah.

For Maghrib prayers, Aminah accompanied her father and their

neighbour, Mr. Abdul Hamid, to the nearby mosque. As they walked to the
mosque, Mr. Hamid kept reciting.

Laa ilaa ha illallah, laa ilaa ha illallah, laa ilaa ha illallah..

What does it mean? Aminah curiously asked him.

Laa ilaa ha illallah means there is no god but Allah, said Mr. Hamid. As
muslims we believe that allah is One and that He has no partners. This is the
most important belief in Islam. Saying Laa ilaa ha illallah will remind us of
this very important belief in Islam. So recite it regularly, Aminah , Mr. Hamid
told her.

Aminah thanked to Mr. Hamid for his advise and went into the mosque
to pray. When she sat down, she saw aunty Fatimah making tasbeeh. Aunty
Fatimah kept on repeating,

Allahu akbar, allahu akbar, allahu akbar..

Why are you repeating Allahu akbar ? Asked Aminah.

I am saying God is Great , I am praising and remembering Allah. Replied

Aunty Fatimah.

Aminah thanked to Aunty Fatimah, and then began reciting Allahu

akbar, praising and remembering Allah.

In her heart, Aminah gave a silent thanks to Allah (Subhanallahu wa

Taala) for helping her learn many ways that she could bring herself coser to
Him.

She set it firmly in her heart to apply whatever dhikr, she had learned
everyday. Everyday starts from today. Insyaallah, Aminah would be closer to
Allah (Subhanallahu wa Taala), and remember Him often.

Moral Value :
Learning points the Quran says, Wa ladhikrul la hi akbar wal la hu yalamu
ma tasnauun

It means : And remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without

doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that you do. [ Surah Ankabut 29 : 45 ]

Different ways of remembering and praising Allah. Applying Islam to our daily
lives.