Tadhakkur Riqabat Allah Taala
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dar Ibn Khuzaymah
Tadhakkur Riqabat Allah Taala (Remembering the Watchfulness of God the Exalted) is an Arabic spiritual admonition treatise authored by Azhari Ahmad Mahmoud, focusing on the concept of divine watchfulness (muraqaba) and encouraging repentance .
Structure and Content
The treatise is structured around direct exhortations addressed repeatedly to the sinner (Ayyuha al-mudhnib), beginning with a preface on the insight of the heart (basar al-qalb), asserting that inner perception leads to recognizing God, fulfilling sincere servitude, and attaining veneration, fear, and mindfulness .
The body of the text is organized under several thematic headings:
- The Impact of Sin on the Heart: Discusses how persistent sins bring darkness and blind the heart, citing the prophetic hadith stating that committing a sin places a black mark on the heart, which either clears through repentance or accumulates to become spiritual rust (ran) .
- The Majesty of the One Disobeyed: Warns against forgetting the power and severe punishment of God, quoting an admonition from Abu Sulayman al-Darani and the maxim urging the servant not to let God be the least regarded of onlookers .
- God's All-Encompassing Sight: Reminds the reader of God's constant awareness of human actions, citing the narration of the Hadith of Gabriel on ihsan ( أن تخشى الله كأنك تراه، فإنك إن لا تكن تراه، فإنه يراك —"That you fear God as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you"), counsel by Sulayman ibn Ali and Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, and an anecdote of a teacher who instructed his pupils to slaughter a bird in a place where no one could see them, praising the student who returned with his bird alive because no place was hidden from God .
- Modesty Before God (Haya'): Examines shame and modesty before God as the highest form of modesty, citing the prophetic hadith that God loves modesty and concealment, a sermon by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and statements by al-Fudayl ibn Iyad, al-Jarrah ibn Abd Allah al-Hakami, and Ahmad ibn Asim al-Antaki .
- Divine Nearness: Emphasizes that God is nearer to the human being than the jugular vein, referencing the hadith transmitted by Abu Musa al-Ashari where the Prophet ﷺ declared that God is All-Hearing and Near, alongside reflections by Sahl and al-Darani .
- Intimacy with God (Al-Uns bi-Allah): Contrasts the peace of obedience and solitary intimate supplication (munajah) with the desolation of disobedience, drawing upon sayings by Ibrahim ibn Adham, Malik ibn Mighwal, Habib Abu Muhammad, Muslim ibn Yasar, and Muslim ibn Abid .
The treatise concludes with a final appeal to the sinner to remember God's oversight, turn to righteous deeds, and seek closeness to Him .
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