Remember Me and I Will Remember You
Al-Baqarah 2:152. Also known as Fadhkuruni adhkurkum, So remember Me, I will remember you, Fazkuruni azkurkum
فَٱذۡكُرُونِيٓ أَذۡكُرۡكُمۡ وَٱشۡكُرُواْ لِي وَلَا تَكۡفُرُونِ ﴿١٥٢﴾
Faothkuroonee athkurkum waoshkuroo lee wala takfurooni
So remember Me, and I will remember you. And thank Me, and do not be ungrateful.
Verse 152 of Surah Al-Baqarah contains one of the shortest and most direct promises in the Quran: remember Me, and I will remember you. It goes on to ask the believers to be grateful and not to deny Allah's favors.
The verse links remembrance and gratitude, two of the most basic acts of a believer's life, and it promises that each time a person turns their mind to Allah, Allah turns to them.
What it means
So remember Me
The verse begins with the word so, which connects it to what came before: the blessing of a messenger sent to teach them. In response to that gift, Allah asks to be remembered.
I will remember you
The promise is that Allah will remember the one who remembers Him. A small human act is met by Allah's attention, mercy and care, which is far greater.
Be grateful
The verse then tells believers to thank Allah. Elsewhere, at 14:7, the Quran says that if people are grateful, Allah will give them more.
Do not be ungrateful
The verse ends by telling them not to deny His favors. The Arabic word used, kufr, means both ingratitude and covering up something good.
Where it sits in Surah Al-Baqarah
Verses 142 to 150 deal with the change of the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah in Mecca. Verse 151 reminds the believers that Allah sent them a messenger from among themselves, who recites His verses to them, purifies them, and teaches them the Book, wisdom and what they did not know. Verse 152 responds with remember Me and be grateful. Verse 153 then calls on the believers to seek help through patience and prayer, and the following verses speak of trials and the patient.
How it is used
Muslims see in this verse the reason for regular remembrance, such as the words of praise after prayer and in the morning and evening. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim report a hadith qudsi in which Allah says that He is with His servant when the servant remembers Him: if the servant remembers Him privately, He remembers the servant privately, and if the servant remembers Him in a gathering, He remembers the servant in a better gathering.
Questions
Where does Allah say 'remember Me and I will remember you'?
In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 152.
How does Allah remember us?
The verse does not describe it in detail. A hadith qudsi in Bukhari and Muslim says that if a servant remembers Allah privately, Allah remembers them privately, and if in a gathering, Allah remembers them in a better gathering. Scholars explain that Allah's remembrance includes His mercy, help and reward.
What is the best way to remember Allah?
Prayer, reciting the Quran, words of praise and glorification, and supplication are all remembrance. 33:41 tells believers to remember Allah often.