Remembering is the opposite of forgetting. Allah (swt) has created the human being with a memory (The Arabic noun is derived from the verb remember) contained in his brain, this memory picks up the feelings and stores the matters:

 وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ

(And remember your Lord when you forget) (Al-Kahf: 24)

Hence, Remembrance (Dhikr) is the top of worshipping acts. Even that Allah (swt) called the Quran (Dhikr):

 إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

(Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an (Dhikr) and indeed, We will be its guardian.) (Al-Hijr: 9)

It is called (dhikr); because its reader lives with the words of Allah (swt). Remembrance (dhikr) is recalling Allah’s blessings upon His servants. When a person lives in the blessing of health and in the blessing of sustenance and security, it is as if he were given the keys to the whole world. Blessing lasts by thanksgiving, and thanksgiving is the Remembrance, that is, when a person mentions his Lord, then, he complies with the commands of Allah (swt).

(… وَمِيثَاقَهُ الَّذِي وَاثَقَكُم بِهِ …) (…and His covenant with which He bound you …): The covenant may refer to two matters:

• The covenant of Faith: Because it is a covenant between the servant and his Lord. This is the covenant by which we will enter the Paradise.
• The covenant of )Adh-Dhar) which is indicated in the following verse:

 وَإِذۡ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمۡ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمۡ وَأَشۡهَدَهُمۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ أَلَسۡتُ بِرَبِّكُمۡۖ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰ شَهِدۡنَآۚ أَن تَقُولُواْ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنۡ هَٰذَا غَٰفِلِينَ

(And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we have testified.” [This] – lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “Indeed, we were of this unaware.”) (Al-A’raf: 172)

Therefore, in every human being there is instinct of faith, the Prophet (saws) said:

“Every child is born with a true faith”[1]

In this instinct there is faith, but it is necessary to send Messengers to learn about Allah (swt), His attributes, majesty and about what is permissible and what is forbidden.

(  وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ … ) (and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts): Allah (swt) is All-Knowing of what is in our hearts, and our actions are according to our intentions. The Prophet (saws) said:

“Actions are only done with intentions, and every man shall have what he intended. Thus he whose emigration was for Allah and His Messenger, his emigration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose emigration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his emigration was for that which he intended.”[2]

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Funerals, Chapter: If a boy becomes a Muslim and then dies, should a funeral prayer be offered for him? Should Islam be explained to a boy? Hadith No. 1292.

[2] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Revelation, Hadith No. 1.