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
فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۗ وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ ۖ قُلْ إِصْلَاحٌ لَّهُمْ خَيْرٌ ۖ وَإِن تُخَالِطُوهُمْ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْمُفْسِدَ مِنَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَعْنَتَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
To this world and the Hereafter. And they ask you about orphans. Say, "Improvement for them is best. And if you mix your affairs with theirs - they are your brothers. And Allāh knows the corrupter from the amender. And if Allāh had willed, He could have put you in difficulty. Indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise."
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.
وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَـٰكُم مِّنْ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمْ ۚ وَفِى ذَٰلِكُم بَلَآءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ
And [recall] when We saved you [i.e., your forefathers] from the people of Pharaoh, who afflicted you with the worst torment, slaughtering your [newborn] sons and keeping your females alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord.
۞ مَا نَنسَخْ مِنْ ءَايَةٍ أَوْ نُنسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِّنْهَآ أَوْ مِثْلِهَآ ۗ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allāh is over all things competent?