فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ 152
Translations
So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.
Transliteration
Fadhkuroonee adhkurkum waashkuroo lee wa laa takfuroon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a divine reciprocal promise: Allah commands the believers to remember Him, and He promises to remember them in return, while also commanding gratitude and forbidding ingratitude. Ibn Kathir explains that remembrance of Allah (dhikr) includes both verbal invocation and contemplation of His signs, and that Allah's remembrance of His servants encompasses His mercy, protection, and acceptance of their deeds. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that the ayah establishes a covenant of mutual relationship—the more one remembers Allah, the more Allah's grace and guidance becomes apparent in their life.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the context of Surah Al-Baqarah's discussion of faith, obedience, and the covenant between Allah and His servants. It follows verses about fasting and precedes verses about seeking Allah's help through patience and prayer, establishing a thematic progression on maintaining closeness to Allah through remembrance and gratitude.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me within himself, I remember him within Myself; and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I remember him in an assembly better than it' (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 7405). Additionally, the Prophet emphasized: 'The best of you are those who have the best character' and maintaining dhikr is essential to good character (Jami' at-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that spiritual growth and divine proximity are achieved through consistent remembrance of Allah and gratitude for His blessings—a practice that creates a meaningful reciprocal relationship where increased devotion from the servant draws increased mercy and guidance from the Lord. For modern believers, it emphasizes that maintaining mindfulness of Allah throughout daily life, rather than compartmentalizing faith, is the pathway to both personal peace and divine favor.
Related Ayahs
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ نَزَّلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَفِى شِقَاقٍۭ بَعِيدٍ
That is [deserved by them] because Allāh has sent down the Book in truth. And indeed, those who differ over the Book are in extreme dissension.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلضَّلَـٰلَةَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْعَذَابَ بِٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ ۚ فَمَآ أَصْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ
Those are the ones who have exchanged guidance for error and forgiveness for punishment. How patient they are for [i.e., in pursuit of] the Fire!
۞ قَوْلٌ مَّعْرُوفٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن صَدَقَةٍ يَتْبَعُهَآ أَذًى ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَنِىٌّ حَلِيمٌ
Kind speech and forgiveness are better than charity followed by injury. And Allāh is Free of need and Forbearing.
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِىٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
Do you not know that to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and [that] you have not besides Allāh any protector or any helper?