وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ فِى نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ ٱلْجَهْرِ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ بِٱلْغُدُوِّ وَٱلْـَٔاصَالِ وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْغَـٰفِلِينَ 205
Translations
And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.
Transliteration
Wadhkur rabbaka fee nafsika tadarru'an wa khifatan wa duna al-jahri min al-qawli bil-ghuduwwi wa al-asali wa la takun min al-ghafileen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the remembrance (dhikr) of Allah in one's heart with humility, fear, and reverence—not through loud proclamation but in a low voice, particularly during the early morning and evening hours. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this teaches that sincere dhikr is an internal act of the heart expressed with appropriate modesty, distinct from ostentation or carelessness. The emphasis on specific times (morning and evening) indicates consistency in worship, while the prohibition against being among the heedless warns against spiritual negligence and forgetfulness of the Divine.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Al-A'raf within a section addressing believers about proper conduct and obedience to Allah. It follows general commandments to the faithful and emphasizes the inward dimensions of worship during a period when Muslims faced persecution and needed spiritual fortitude through private devotion rather than public display.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of supplications is the supplication made in private' (related to this theme in various hadith collections). Additionally, Uthman ibn Affan reported that the Prophet said regarding the best actions: 'The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it,' which relates to remembrance and reflection.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that genuine worship is an intimate conversation between the servant and their Lord, requiring sincerity of heart rather than outward display, and that consistent, humble remembrance—particularly in solitude—strengthens one's connection to Allah and protects against spiritual heedlessness in daily life.
Related Ayahs
قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ كَـٰفِرُونَ
Said those who were arrogant, "Indeed we, in that which you have believed, are disbelievers."
وَأَوْرَثْنَا ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَانُوا۟ يُسْتَضْعَفُونَ مَشَـٰرِقَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَغَـٰرِبَهَا ٱلَّتِى بَـٰرَكْنَا فِيهَا ۖ وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ عَلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا۟ ۖ وَدَمَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوْنُ وَقَوْمُهُۥ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْرِشُونَ
And We caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones, which We had blessed. And the good word [i.e., decree] of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of what they had patiently endured. And We destroyed [all] that Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.
فَوَقَعَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
So the truth was established, and abolished was what they were doing.
وَنَادَىٰٓ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالًا يَعْرِفُونَهُم بِسِيمَىٰهُمْ قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
And the companions of the Elevations will call to men [within Hell] whom they recognize by their mark, saying, "Of no avail to you was your gathering and [the fact] that you were arrogant."