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
ٱلَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ كَـٰفِرُونَ
Who averted [people] from the way of Allāh and sought to make it [seem] deviant while they were, concerning the Hereafter, disbelievers."
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ ٱلْأُمِّىِّ ٱلَّذِى يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَٱتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allāh to you all, [from Him] to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death." So believe in Allāh and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allāh and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.
وَٱتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلًا جَسَدًا لَّهُۥ خُوَارٌ ۚ أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّهُۥ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلَا يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلًا ۘ ٱتَّخَذُوهُ وَكَانُوا۟ ظَـٰلِمِينَ
And the people of Moses made, after [his departure], from their ornaments a calf - an image having a lowing sound. Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to a way? They took it [for worship], and they were wrongdoers.
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِأَخِى وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِى رَحْمَتِكَ ۖ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
[Moses] said, "My Lord, forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the most merciful of the merciful."