Verily in the Remembrance of Allah Do Hearts Find Rest
Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest (13:28): the ayah in context, Ibn Kathir and as-Sa'di's tafsir, and authentic daily dhikr.
Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest is the closing line of Surah ar-Ra'd 13:28 in Pickthall's well-known translation. It describes the believers whom Allah guides: when He is remembered, their hearts settle, grow content and feel secure with Him as their Protector. Ibn Kathir adds that Allah is truly worthy of that trust.
This article reads the ayah in its setting, explains its key Arabic words, and sets out what Ibn Kathir and as-Sa'di said about it. It then turns the ayah into practice, with remembrance taken only from the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah, so you can bring it into an ordinary working day.
What does 'verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest' mean?
The line 'verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest' means that a heart only truly settles when Allah is remembered, so the remembrance of Allah is where real peace is found. Here is the full ayah, with the Saheeh International translation:
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ
“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.”
The ayah has two halves. The first describes a group of people: those who believe and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. The second turns that description into a general truth that opens with أَلَا (alā), a word that calls for attention: unquestionably, verily. The emphasis is that the remembrance of Allah is where hearts truly find their rest. Translators reach for different English words, but they are all circling the same Arabic verb:
| Translation | Rendering |
|---|---|
| Pickthall | Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest! |
| Hilali and Khan | verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. |
| Saheeh International | Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured. |
| Yusuf Ali | for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction. |
| Abdel Haleem | truly it is in the remembrance of God that hearts find peace |
The key words: dhikr and itmi'nan
تَطْمَئِنُّ
taṭma'innu
They become still, settled and reassured
From the same root as *ṭuma'nīnah*, calm settledness. Allah uses it for the believer's soul in Al-Fajr 89:27: يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ, *O reassured soul*. Rest, peace, satisfaction and assurance are all attempts to capture this one word.
بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ
bi-dhikri llāh
By the remembrance (and mention) of Allah
*Dhikr* means both remembering and mentioning. It covers the heart that keeps Allah in mind and the tongue that speaks His praise. Allah also calls the Qur'an itself *adh-dhikr* (Al-Hijr 15:9).
What comes before and after 13:28?
Surah ar-Ra'd 13:28 answers a challenge raised in the ayah just before it. The disbelievers kept asking for a miracle, and Allah replied that guidance does not depend on signs being sent down on demand:
وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَوْلَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِىٓ إِلَيْهِ مَنْ أَنَابَ
“And those who disbelieved say, "Why has a sign not been sent down to him from his Lord?" Say, [O Muhammad], "Indeed, Allah leaves astray whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him]."”
Ibn Kathir explains that Allah guides to Himself those who repent, turn to Him, call on Him, seek His help and humble themselves before Him. Ayah 28 then describes these people, and as-Sa'di calls it the mark ('alāmah) of the believers: their hearts find rest when Allah is remembered. Ayah 29 completes the picture: 'Those who have believed and done righteous deeds: a good state is theirs and a good return.' So the rest in 13:28 belongs to people who believe, turn back to Allah and act on their faith, not to a feeling that arrives by itself.
What did Ibn Kathir say about 13:28?
Ibn Kathir explained 13:28 in a few dense phrases. In his words, the hearts of the believers become pleasant and lean towards Allah, grow calm when He is remembered, and are content to have Him as their Protector and Helper. On the second half of the ayah he adds a short phrase: huwa ḥaqīqun bi-dhālik, He is truly worthy of that. The abridged English translation of his tafsir puts it this way:
Their hearts find comfort on the side of Allah, become tranquil when He is remembered and pleased to have Him as their Protector and Supporter.
Notice what Ibn Kathir ties the rest to. It is not only the words on the tongue but what they lead to: a heart that relies on Allah and is satisfied with Him as its Protector. That is why remembrance is more than repeating words: the heart is meant to be present with them, turning to Allah and relying on Him.
What did as-Sa'di say about 13:28?
As-Sa'di explained 13:28 as the mark of the believers: through the remembrance of Allah their anxiety and agitation leave them, and their joys and delights come to them. On the second half of the ayah he says, in our translation, that it is fitting for hearts to settle on nothing other than His remembrance, because nothing is sweeter to a heart than loving its Creator, feeling close to Him and knowing Him. And a person's remembrance, he adds, grows in proportion to how well he knows and loves Allah. He then gives two meanings of dhikr Allāh in this ayah:
| Meaning | What it is | Why hearts find rest in it |
|---|---|---|
| The servant's remembrance of his Lord | Glorifying, declaring His oneness and magnifying Allah (tasbih, tahlil, takbir) and the like | Nothing is sweeter to a heart than loving, knowing and being close to its Creator |
| Allah's Book, sent down as a reminder | Reading the Qur'an and coming to know its meanings and rulings | Hearts settle only through certainty and knowledge, and the Qur'an gives the clear truth with its proofs |
The second meaning deserves a moment. As-Sa'di notes that hearts are never fully at rest with ideas that contradict one another, and he cites Allah's challenge in An-Nisa 4:82: 'If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.' A heart that studies the Qur'an finds a single, consistent truth to stand on. Another ayah describes that very effect of the Book on those who fear their Lord:
ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ
“then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance [i.e., mention] of Allah.”
Does this mean a believer never feels sad or anxious?
Remembering Allah does not mean a believer will never feel sad or anxious: the rest described in 13:28 is not a promise of a life without grief, fear or worry. Even the Prophet ﷺ wept and grieved at the death of his young son Ibrahim, and he explained what was happening in his heart:
إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ تَدْمَعُ، وَالْقَلْبَ يَحْزَنُ، وَلاَ نَقُولُ إِلاَّ مَا يَرْضَى رَبُّنَا، وَإِنَّا بِفِرَاقِكَ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ لَمَحْزُونُونَ
“Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: "The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim! Indeed we are grieved by your separation."”
Grief and rest sit side by side in that one sentence. The tears are real, yet the heart stays anchored: we will not say except what pleases our Lord. That is the settledness Ibn Kathir described, a heart content with Allah as its Protector even while it hurts. The opposite state is the one Allah warns about:
وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِى فَإِنَّ لَهُۥ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ أَعْمَىٰ
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance, indeed, he will have a depressed [i.e., difficult] life, and We will gather [i.e., raise] him on the Day of Resurrection blind.”
What counts as the remembrance of Allah?
The remembrance of Allah includes every way a servant keeps Allah in mind and on the tongue. Glorifying and praising Him is the most obvious form, and as-Sa'di's second meaning adds reading and understanding the Qur'an. The prayer is remembrance too: Allah told Musa, 'establish prayer for My remembrance' (Ta-Ha 20:14). Allah also commands remembrance 'within yourself in humility and in fear ... in the mornings and the evenings' (Al-A'raf 7:205), so the heart's quiet awareness of Him belongs here as well. The Prophet ﷺ described the difference it makes:
مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَذْكُرُ رَبَّهُ وَالَّذِي لاَ يَذْكُرُ مَثَلُ الْحَىِّ وَالْمَيِّتِ
“Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The example of the one who celebrates the Praises of his Lord (Allah) in comparison to the one who does not celebrate the Praises of his Lord, is that of a living creature compared to a dead one."”
How can you remember Allah more in your day?
You can remember Allah more in your day by tying authentic remembrance to moments that already happen: the five prayers, waking and evening, the gaps while you wait or travel, and the hard moments. The Sunnah gives you the words for each, so there is no need to invent your own counts or formulas. Here is a simple map:
| When | What to say or do | Source |
|---|---|---|
| After each obligatory prayer | Subḥān Allāh 33 times, al-ḥamdu lillāh 33 times, Allāhu akbar 33 times, then lā ilāha illā Allāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu l-mulku wa lahu l-ḥamd, wa huwa 'alā kulli shay'in qadīr | Sahih Muslim 597 (sahih) |
| Morning and evening | Recite al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas three times each | Sunan Abi Dawud 5082 (hasan, al-Albani) |
| Any spare moment | Subḥān Allāhi wa bi-ḥamdih, subḥān Allāhi l-'aẓīm: light on the tongue, heavy in the balance | Sahih al-Bukhari 6406 (sahih) |
| A moment of distress | Lā ilāha illā Allāhu l-'aẓīmu l-ḥalīm, lā ilāha illā Allāhu rabbu l-'arshi l-'aẓīm, lā ilāha illā Allāhu rabbu s-samāwāti wa rabbu l-arḍi wa rabbu l-'arshi l-karīm | Sahih al-Bukhari 6346 (sahih) |
| Every day | Read some Qur'an and learn the meaning of what you read | Al-Hijr 15:9; as-Sa'di's second meaning of 13:28 |
Two of these come with their own guides on our site: the three surahs of refuge, with their morning, evening and after-prayer sunnahs, in al-Muawwidhatayn: the two surahs of refuge, and the verse recited after the prayers and before sleep in Ayat al-Kursi, the greatest verse in the Qur'an. For the reward attached to the Qur'an itself, see what authentic hadith promise for reciting the Qur'an.
Building the habit, one week at a time
- 1
Start with the prayers
For the first week, only add the tasbih, tahmid and takbir after each obligatory prayer. Five fixed moments a day build the habit for you.
- 2
Add mornings and evenings
Once the first habit holds, add the three short surahs in the morning and again in the evening. They take under two minutes.
- 3
Fill the gaps
Use waiting time (a queue, a commute, the kettle boiling) for the two light phrases from al-Bukhari 6406 instead of reaching for your phone.
- 4
Learn the meaning
Take one phrase a week and learn what each word means. As-Sa'di links the depth of remembrance to how well you know Allah, and meaning is where that knowledge starts.
- 5
Keep it small and constant
The Prophet ﷺ said the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular, even if it is little (al-Bukhari 6464). A short daily routine beats an ambitious one you drop.
Remembrance in company has its own reward. The Prophet ﷺ described what happens when people sit together remembering Allah:
لاَ يَقْعُدُ قَوْمٌ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلاَّ حَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ وَنَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِيمَنْ عِنْدَهُ
“Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with them) bore witness that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: "The people do not sit but they are surrounded by angels and covered by Mercy, and there descends upon them tranquillity as they remember Allah, and Allah makes a mention of them to those who are near Him."”
Why does understanding the words make a difference?
Understanding the words makes a difference because, as as-Sa'di put it, remembrance grows with knowing Allah. When you know that subḥān Allāh declares Allah free of every imperfection, or what al-'aẓīm al-ḥalīm means in the du'a of distress, the words stop being sounds and start doing their work on the heart. Our guide on why learning the language of the Qur'an matters shows how much changes when you no longer need a translation. If you would like help with the Arabic of the Qur'an and the adhkar, you can find a teacher of your choice for one-to-one lessons.
Key takeaways
- 'Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest' is the end of Surah ar-Ra'd 13:28, in Pickthall's translation.
- The ayah describes those Allah guides, the ones who turn back to Him (13:27), and as-Sa'di calls it the mark of the believers.
- Ibn Kathir: their hearts lean towards Allah, grow calm at His remembrance and are content with Him as Protector, and He is truly worthy of that.
- As-Sa'di gives two meanings of the remembrance of Allah: glorifying and praising Him, and the Qur'an itself.
- The rest in 13:28 is not the absence of grief: the Prophet ﷺ grieved, yet said only what pleases his Lord.
- Build remembrance from the authentic adhkar (after prayer, morning and evening, in distress) and keep it small and constant.
Further reading
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