Allah, the Exalted, has said:
رياض الصالحينAbū Zakariyyā Muḥyī al-Dīn Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī٢٤٧ - باب فضل حلق الذكر والندب إلى ملازمتها والنهي عن مفارقتها لغير عذر
٢٤٧ - باب فضل حلق الذكر والندب إلى ملازمتها والنهي عن مفارقتها لغير عذر
And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His face [i.e., acceptance]. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.1
- ﵁ - - ﷺ: - ﷿ - - - ﵁ - - ﷺ - - ﷿ - -:
On the authority of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Indeed Allah, the Exalted, has angels who roam the roads seeking out the people of remembrance. When they find a people remembering Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, they call out to one another: Come to what you have been seeking! Then they envelop them with their wings up to the lowest heaven. Their Lord then asks them — though He knows best: What are My servants saying? He said: They say: They are glorifying You, magnifying You, praising You, and exalting You. He says: Have they seen Me? They say: No, by Allah, they have not seen You. He says: How would it be if they saw Me? He said: They say: Were they to see You, they would worship You more intensely, exalt You more greatly, and glorify You more abundantly. He says: What are they asking for? He said: They say: They are asking You for Paradise. He said: He says: And have they seen it? He said: They say: No, by Allah, O Lord, they have not seen it. He said: He says: How would it be if they saw it? He said: They say: Were they to see it, they would be more eager for it, seek it more earnestly, and desire it more greatly. He said: From what are they seeking refuge? He said: They say: They are seeking refuge from the Fire. He said: He says: And have they seen it? He said: They say: No, by Allah, they have not seen it. He says: How would it be if they saw it? He said: They say: Were they to see it, they would flee from it more intensely and fear it more greatly. He said: He says: I call you to witness that I have indeed forgiven them. He said: One of the angels says: Among them is so-and-so who is not one of them; he only came for some need. He said: They are the companions by whom none who sits with them shall be wretched." Agreed upon. In a narration of Muslim, on the authority of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "Indeed Allah has roving angels, surplus ones, who follow the gatherings of remembrance. When they find a gathering in which there is remembrance, they sit down with them and envelop one another with their wings until they fill the space between themselves and the lowest heaven. When the people disperse, the angels ascend and rise up to the heaven. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, then asks them — though He knows best: Where have you come from? They say: We have come from some servants of Yours on earth: they were glorifying You, magnifying You, declaring Your oneness, praising You, and asking of You. He says: And what do they ask of Me? They say: They ask You for Your Paradise. He says: And have they seen My Paradise? They say: No, O Lord. He says: How would it be if they saw My Paradise? They say: And they seek Your protection. He says: And from what do they seek My protection? They say: From Your Fire, O Lord. He says: And have they seen My Fire? They say: No. He says: How would it be if they saw My Fire? They say: And they seek Your forgiveness. So He says: I have forgiven them, granted them what they asked, and given them protection from that which they sought refuge. He said: They say: O Lord, among them is so-and-so, a much-sinning servant who merely passed by and sat down with them. He says: To him too I have granted forgiveness; they are a people by whom none who sits with them shall be wretched."
وعنه وعن أَبي سعيدٍ ﵄، قالا: قَالَ رسولُ الله - ﷺ: «لا يَقْعُدُ قَومٌ يَذكُرُونَ اللهَ - ﷿ - إِلاَّ حَفَّتْهُمُ المَلائِكَةُ وغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ وَنَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ السَّكِينَةُ؛ وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللهُ فِيمَنْ عِنْدَهُ». رواه مسلم.
On the authority of him (Abu Hurayra) and of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with them both), who both said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "No people sit remembering Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, but that the angels envelop them, mercy covers them, and tranquillity descends upon them; and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him." Narrated by Muslim.
وعن أَبي واقدٍ الحارث بن عوف - ﵁: أنَّ رسولَ الله - ﷺ - بَيْنَمَا هُوَ جَالِسٌ في المَسْجِدِ، والنَّاسُ مَعَهُ، إذْ أَقْبَلَ ثَلاثَةُ نَفَرٍ، فَأَقْبَلَ اثْنَانِ إِلَى رسُولِ اللهِ - ﷺ - وَذَهَبَ واحِدٌ؛ فَوَقَفَا عَلَى رسولِ الله - ﷺ. فأمَّا أحَدُهُما فَرَأَى فُرْجةً في الحَلْقَةِ فَجَلَسَ فِيهَا، وَأمَّا الآخرُ فَجَلَسَ خَلْفَهُمْ، وأمَّا الثَّالثُ فأدْبَرَ ذاهِبًا. فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ رَسُولُ الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «ألاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ عَنِ النَّفَرِ الثَّلاَثَةِ: أَمَّا أَحَدُهُمْ فَأوَى إِلَى اللهِ فآوَاهُ اللهُ إِلَيْهِ. وَأمَّا الآخَرُ فاسْتَحْيَى فَاسْتَحْيَى اللهُ مِنْهُ، وأمّا الآخَرُ، فَأعْرَضَ، فَأَعْرَضَ اللهُ عَنْهُ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
On the authority of Abu Waqid al-Harith ibn Awf (may Allah be pleased with him): While the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting in the mosque, with the people around him, three men approached. Two of them came forward towards the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, while one went away. The two stood before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As for one of them, he saw a gap in the circle and sat in it; as for the other, he sat down behind them; and as for the third, he turned away and left. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had finished, he said: "Shall I not tell you about the three men? As for one of them, he took refuge with Allah, so Allah gave him refuge with Himself. As for the other, he felt shy, so Allah was bashful towards him. And as for the other, he turned away, so Allah turned away from him." Agreed upon.
وعن أَبي سعيد الخدري - ﵁ - قَالَ: خرج معاوية - ﵁ - عَلَى حَلْقَةٍ في المَسْجِدِ، فَقَالَ: مَا أجْلَسَكُمْ؟ قالوا: جَلَسْنَا نَذْكُرُ اللهَ. قَالَ: آللهِ مَا أجْلَسَكُمْ إِلاَّ ذاك؟ قالوا: مَا أجْلَسَنَا إِلاَّ ذَاكَ، قَالَ: أما إنِّي لَمْ اسْتَحْلِفْكُمْ تُهْمَةً لَكُمْ، وَمَا كَانَ أحَدٌ بِمَنْزِلَتِي مِنْ رَسولِ الله - ﷺ - أَقَلَّ عَنْهُ حَديثًا مِنِّي: إنَّ رسُولَ الله - ﷺ - خَرَجَ عَلَى حَلْقَةٍ مِنْ أصْحَابِهِ فَقَالَ: «مَا أجْلَسَكُمْ؟» قالوا: جَلَسْنَا نَذْكُرُ الله وَنَحْمَدُهُ عَلَى مَا هَدَانَا للإسْلاَمِ؛ وَمَنَّ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا. قَالَ: «آللهِ مَا أجْلَسَكُمْ إِلاَّ ذَاكَ؟» قالوا: واللهِ مَا أجْلَسَنَا إِلاَّ ذَاكَ. قَالَ: «أمَا إنِّي لَمْ أسْتَحْلِفْكُمْ تُهْمَةً لَكُمْ، ولكِنَّهُ أتَانِي جِبرِيلُ فَأخْبَرَنِي أنَّ الله يُبَاهِي بِكُمُ المَلاَئِكَةَ». رواه مسلم.
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Mu'awiya (may Allah be pleased with him) came out to a circle in the mosque and said: What has made you sit here? They said: We have sat to remember Allah. He said: By Allah, has nothing but that made you sit? They said: Nothing but that has made us sit. He said: I did not ask you to swear out of any suspicion of you; there was no one of my standing with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who narrated less from him than I do: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out to a circle of his Companions and said: "What has made you sit?" They said: We have sat to remember Allah and to praise Him for guiding us to Islam and bestowing it upon us as a favour. He said: "By Allah, has nothing but that made you sit?" They said: By Allah, nothing but that has made us sit. He said: "I did not ask you to swear out of any suspicion of you, but rather Gabriel came to me and informed me that Allah is boasting of you to the angels." Narrated by Muslim.