Remembrance

Remembrance is one of the key concepts of the Qur'an. In these verses, even revelation itself is characterized as "remembrance". Our capability to remember is one of the greatest miracles of creation and an essential prerequisite for knowledge, understanding and wisdom that we can accumulate only by building up, step by step, on what we remember. It is even essential for love.

There are all those facts and figures that we consider necessary for our everyday lives: in order to make sure that we do not forget them, we put them into our planners and diaries and perhaps set an alarm to be reminded. Our jobs are the least that depends on them - missing more than an occasional appointment might have serious consequences for our livelihood and our relationship with other people.

There are complex personal experiences that we remember in order to profit from them in the future. Some of them are pleasant and we would like to repeat them every now and then. Some of them are unpleasant, sometimes painful. We remember their details in order to avoid them - although there is sometimes something strange about painful experiences that are linked with mistakes and shortcomings on our part: we try to forget them because we feel ashamed of them. But this brings only a temporary and incomplete relief. In the long run it is necessary to acknowledge them in order to learn from them and try to make up for them and achieve forgiveness and healing. One element in this is to remember God's mercy and readiness to forgive.

God's mercy has many different aspects that are worthwhile to remember. People tend to think of what they have lost and what they need and what they would like to have, but on the other hand there are so many things we have been given. Certainly there are many things that we have acquired through hard work - if we disregard the success that cannot really be taken for granted. But our life and health, our physical, mental and spiritual capability, our manifold talents should be remembered as what God has given us so that we can consciously enjoy them and be grateful for them. In fact, rather than presenting logical "proofs" of God's existence, the Qur'an addresses memories of our experience: "How can you deny God? You were dead and He gave you life ..." (2:28)

The Qur'an does not only remind us individually. We are also advised to remember and learn from our experiences as a community: "And remember how you were few, you were weak in the land and afraid that the people would annihilate you, but He protected you and strengthened you with His help and provided you with good things that you may be grateful," (8:26) or, "... remember God's favour to you when you were enemies, but He united your hearts in love that, through His favour, became brothers and sisters ..." (3:103). This refers primarily to the experience in the Prophet's lifetime when the Muslims developed from a persecuted minority in Makkah to an independent community in Madinah. But there are many instances in Muslim history where it feels equally true. Therefore the hope is justified that we will not be left without God's protection, help and care in the future.

Globally speaking, the Muslim community is rather young. The Qur'an therefore points beyond our own "collective memory". We are encouraged to contemplate the traces that great nations left on earth and to remember how their greed for power eventually brought about their fall. We are reminded of the great prophetic teachers of the past, their messages and their peoples. A special weight is given to the experiences of our Abrahamic ancestors: we repeatedly read messages addressed to the Children of Israel, urging them to remember God's favour on various occasions, e.g. when God delivered them from Egypt and the oppressive Pharaoh's army, or when they were given the Torah for "guidance and light" - meanwhile we have ourselves witnessed many a similar occasion, so why not remember together so that these experiences do not get lost in the darkness of the past but continue to be beneficial and helpful for us. The verse even encourages us to ask if we are not sure how to connect with these memories ourselves.

Then there are parents, siblings, relatives and friends whom we remember, all those who are near and dear to us, reviving and strengthening our inner link with them while they are far away or have already left this word. This is a natural constituent of love and respect. The more we love and respect them, the more we think of them and keep their images in our minds. This is also true for prophets, imams and other people who were examples that help us to find orientation. We remember those who were truthful and sincere, who worked for justice, reconciliation and peace among people and inspired confidence and hope. Remembering them and what they stood for is an antidote for forgetfulness and carelessness when we are preoccupied with everyday tasks, questions and problems, whe we are busy with our fears and expectations.

If we remember our human friends, how could we then neglect remembering the Ultimate Friend? Of course, remembering God is the main concern of the Qur'an. This goes far beyond an occasional, "Oops - there is God, isn't there?" in an otherwise "secular" world. Remembrance in the Qur'anic sense means calling to mind God's presence. That is why the Qur'an points out prayer as "remembrance": we become aware that we actually stand before God wherever we are, both with our human responsibility and with out need for help, protection and forgiveness. Ihsan, goodness, is, according to a statement by the Prophet Muhammad, "that you serve God as if you could see Him, for even if you cannot see Him He does see you." This is the meaning of the numerous techniques of "dhikr", remembrance, developed by the sufi traditions: to become more conscious that God is with us and to deepen our love. But ultimately it is not the techniques but our sincerity. We learn to relate our experiences to God, to trust and to find peace, for "it is in the remembrance of God that the hearts find peace."

You who have faith, remember God in frequent remembrance and glorify Him morning and eve. It is He who showers blessings on you, and His angels pray for blessings for you, that He may guide you out of the darknesses into light, and He is merciful to the faithful. Their greeting on the day when they encounter Him is, "Peace!", and He has prepared a honourable reward for them. (Surah 33:41-44)

(c) Halima Krausen, 2006