Remembrance of The Most Merciful By Imâm ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah

Allah says: "Remember Me, and I shall remember you." (Surah al-Baqarah 2:152) And in a hadith qudsi: "I am as My servant thinks of Me. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it." (Sahih al-Bukhari 7405, Sahih Muslim 2675)

The remembrance of Allah is not one act of worship among many — it is the act that gives all others their life. Remembrance of the Most Merciful by Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah is a comprehensive and moving treatment of dhikr: its virtues, its fruits, its types, and the 78 specific benefits it produces for the one who devotes themselves to it — drawn entirely from the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah.

What This Book Covers

The Path to Happiness — Rectifying the Heart

Ibn al-Qayyim opens with chapters on the path of happiness and how the heart is rectified and cleansed. This is not abstract spiritual theory — it is a diagnosis and a prescription. He establishes that the heart's health depends on its connection to Allah, that connection depends on remembrance, and that remembrance is therefore the most direct path available to the believer for restoring their heart when it has become hard, distant, or weighed down by sin.

The Stages of Prayer, Charity, and Fasting

Before proceeding to the benefits of dhikr specifically, the book covers the inner dimensions of the major acts of worship — the stages and stations within prayer, charity, and fasting — so the reader understands how dhikr integrates with and elevates every other act of ibadah.

The 78 Benefits of the Remembrance of Allah

This is the heart of the book: a detailed enumeration of 78 distinct benefits that flow from the remembrance of Allah — spiritual, psychological, physical, and eschatological benefits that demonstrate why the Qur'an repeats the command to remember Allah so insistently. Each benefit is grounded in evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah. Together they build an overwhelming case that dhikr is not a supplementary practice but the sustaining breath of the Islamic life.

About the Author

Imam Shams al-Din Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (691–751 AH) was among the most profound scholars of the heart in Islamic history. A close student of Ibn Taymiyyah, his writings on the inner dimensions of worship, the states of the heart, and the path to closeness with Allah remain without equal in the tradition. Published by Dar as-Sunnah Publishers.

Who This Book Is For

Every Muslim who wants to understand why dhikr matters — and what it specifically produces for the one who practices it consistently and sincerely. Particularly valuable for those whose hearts feel distant from Allah, those going through difficulty, and those who want to understand the Islamic science of the heart from one of its greatest masters. A book many readers describe as one they return to again and again.

Continue Reading

Browse more works by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. Dhikr sits at the centre of the heart sciences — our guide to the best books on purifying the soul (tazkiyah) shows what to pair it with, and the full tazkiyah collection carries those titles. For the rest of this author's works, see Books by Ibn al-Qayyim: where to start.