Thikr in the Kitchen – #ReviveRamadan

No matter what you’re doing, always remember Allah whether it’s cooking in the kitchen, driving the kids to school, waiting at the doctors, or waiting at the checkout.   ‘Aishah said:
“The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) used to remember Allah at all moments.” (Muslim)
So, imagine that you’re cooking for your family to break their fast, and at all times you are remembering Allah.  How will that food taste? How much more reward will you receive? Enjoy this time to be with yourself and Allah. And remember, ”…Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest” (Quran 13:28) Also, the one who is truly alive is the one who remembers Allah. Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
“The similitude of one who remembers his Rubb (Lord) and one who does not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Here are some examples of what you can be saying during these times: Abu Hurayrah reported: The Messenger of Allah () said,
“The uttering of the words: ‘SubhaanAllaah, Alhamdulillaah, Laa ilaha illallaah, and Allaahu Akbar’ (SubhaanAllaahi wal-hamdulillaahi wa laa ilaha illallaahu wal-laahu akbar) is dearer to me than anything over which the sun rises.” (Muslim)

SubhaanAllaah

“Glory be to Allah”

سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ

Alhamdulillaah

“All Praise is for Allah”

الْحَمْدُللّهِ

Laa illaaha ilAllaah

“There is no God but Allah”

لا اِلهَ اِلَّا اللّهُ

Allaahu Akbar

“Allah is the Greatest”

اللّهُ اَكْبَرُ

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) said,
“Whoever says, ‘Glory is to Allah and all Praise is to Him,’ one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.” (Bukhari)

SubhaanAllaahi wa bihamdih

“Glory is to Allah and all Praise is to Him”

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ

Abu Hurayrah said:
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: “Be frequent in saying: ‘There is no might nor power except by Allah’. For verily, it is a treasure from the treasures of Paradise.’” (Tirmidhi)

Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaah

“There is no might nor power except with Allah”

لا حَوْلَ وَ لا قُوَّةَ اِلَّا بِاللّهِ     

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said,
”Whoever says one hundred times in a day: ‘Laa ilaaha illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer’, he will get the same reward as given for freeing ten slaves, one hundred good deeds will be written in his account, one hundred sins will be deducted from his account, and it will be a shield for him from Shaytaan on that day till night; and nobody will be able to do a better deed except the one who does more than he.” (Bukhari)

Laa ilaaha illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer

“There is no god but Allah Alone, Who has no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is able to do all things”

لا اِلهَ اِلَّا اللّهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَرِي كَ لَهُ ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَ لَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَ هُوَ عَلَى كُلِّشَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ     

Istighfaar is also a very important way to remember Allah.

Abu Hurayrah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying,
“I swear by Allah that I seek Allah’s Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” (Bukhari)

Astaghfirullah

“Oh Allah forgive me”

أستغفر الله

The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
“The best supplication for seeking forgiveness is to say Syed-ul- Istighfar. Whoever says it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.” (Bukhari)

Allaahumma anta Rabbee, laa ilaha illaa ant, khalaqtanee wa anaa ‘abduka wa anaa ‘alaa ‘ahdika maas-ta-ta’at, a’oodhu bika min shari maa so-na’at, aboo-u laka bini’a-matika ‘alayya wa aboo-u bi-dhanbee fagh-fir-lee fa-innahu laa yagh-fir-udh-dhu-nooba illaa ant

“O Allah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.”

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّى ، لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَ أَنْتَ ، خَلَقْتَنِى وَ أنَا عَبْدُكَ وَ أنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ ما اسْتَطَعْتُ ، أعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِ مَا صَنَعْت ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَ أبُوءُ بِذَنْبى فَاغْفِرْ لِى فإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

So, this Ramadhan use your spare time in the remembrance of Allah.  And, in sha Allah, your kids will learn to do it too and it will become a beloved practice that you and your kids do all the time after Ramadhan.