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
أَوَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا۟ فِى مَلَكُوتِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ وَأَنْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ قَدِ ٱقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَهُۥ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Do they not look into the realm of the heavens and the earth and everything that Allāh has created and [think] that perhaps their appointed time has come near? So in what statement [i.e., message] hereafter will they believe?
قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِنَعْبُدَ ٱللَّهَ وَحْدَهُۥ وَنَذَرَ مَا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا ۖ فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَآ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ
They said, "Have you come to us that we should worship Allāh alone and leave what our fathers have worshipped? Then bring us what you promise us, if you should be of the truthful."
وَإِن تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ لَا يَتَّبِعُوكُمْ ۚ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ أَدَعَوْتُمُوهُمْ أَمْ أَنتُمْ صَـٰمِتُونَ
And if you [believers] invite them to guidance, they will not follow you. It is all the same for you whether you invite them or you are silent.
فَأَنجَيْنَـٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥ كَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْغَـٰبِرِينَ
So We saved him and his family, except for his wife; she was of those who remained [with the evildoers].