Remembrance of Allah — Page 50
50 should not engage in dhikr at such a time when his mind is distracted in some other thoughts so that, instead of earning merit, one is deemed to be a sinner. On the contrary, he should engage in dhikr with brevity and at such a time as he can main- tain his focus on the dhikr. Once, when the Holy Prophet s as came home, a lady was talking to Hadrat A‘ishah ra. He asked her what she was saying. Hadrat A‘ishah ra told the Holy Prophet s as that the lady was tell- ing her how much worship she does and the manner in which she does it. Having heard this, he said that it was not a mat- ter of virtue that she worshipped so much. Allah the Exalted likes the worship that is routinely done ( Mishk ā t al-Ma s āb īh, Kitābu s-S alāt, Bāb al-Qa s du fil ‘Amal; Hadith 1242). 9 Allah the Exalted does not get tired on account of lengthy worship, but a person does grow weary of excessive worship and when he gets fatigued, his worship becomes unworthy. Thus, if someone exceeds the limit, he invites distress [upon himself ]. It is said regarding Hadrat Abdullah bin Umar bin Aus ra that he was a strong man. He prayed all night, fasted during the day, and recited the entire Holy Quran in one day. When the Holy Prophet s as found out about it, he said, ‘This is not allowed. Pray for one-sixth, one-third, or—at the most—one- half of the night; and fast—at the most—on alternate days; and a complete recitation of the Holy Quran should not be done in less than three days’ ( S a hih al-Bukh ā r ī, Kitābu s-S aum, Bāb H aqqil-Jismi fi s-S aum; Hadith 1975). 10 Abdullah bin Umar bin Aus ra tried very hard to be allowed to do more, but the Holy Prophet s as did not permit it.