عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُسْرٍ، أَنَّ أَعْرَابِيًّا، قَالَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ إِنَّ شَرَائِعَ الإِسْلاَمِ قَدْ كَثُرَتْ عَلَىَّ فَأَنْبِئْنِي مِنْهَا بِشَىْءٍ أَتَشَبَّثُ بِهِ . قَالَ " لاَ يَزَالُ لِسَانُكَ رَطْبًا مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ " .
It was narrated from Abdullah bin Busr that a Bedouin said to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said:
"The laws of Islam are burdensome for me. Tell me of something that I will be able to adhere to. He said: 'Always keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime.'"
Among the treasures of the Sunnah are those moments when a Companion, in his or her simplicity, asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for a summary, a key, or a concise teaching to hold onto. These moments gave rise to narrations that, while brief in words, carry oceans of meaning. One such narration is the final hadith in Imam an-Nawawi’s collection, reported from ʿAbdullāh ibn Busr (رضي الله عنه).
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “O Messenger of Allah, the laws of Islam are burdensome for me, so tell me something that I can cling to.” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah.”
This counsel, given in the gentlest of ways, is both an answer to the man’s immediate struggle and a timeless gift to the ummah. It teaches us that when our strength falters and we feel overwhelmed, the lifeline that sustains our faith is dhikr — the remembrance of Allah.
The Companion’s words are not an excuse for laziness, but an honest confession of limitation. He saw before him the vast horizon of acts of worship: prayers, fasting, zakāh, charity, jihād, night prayers, voluntary fasts, helping others, maintaining kinship ties, and more. His heart yearned for all of them, but his capacity felt small. Rather than withdraw from the path, he sought from the Prophet ﷺ a deed that would anchor him.
This humility is itself a lesson. Unlike many of us today, who reduce religion to the bare minimum and still feel it heavy, the Companions worried when they could not do more. Their concern was not how to escape duties but how to maximize closeness to Allah.
The Prophet’s ﷺ answer points to an act that requires no wealth, no health, no elaborate conditions. Dhikr is available to all — the poor and the rich, the busy and the idle, the strong and the weak, the young and the old. It does not demand ritual purity, although it is better to have it. It can be done in any language, though the Arabic words taught in the Sunnah carry their own beauty and weight.
Dhikr accompanies a believer in all states. Walking, driving, waiting, cooking, working, resting — in every moment the tongue can move with Subḥān Allāh, al-ḥamdu lillāh, Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illa Allāh, or Qur’anic verses. This is why the Prophet ﷺ described it as the act that keeps the tongue “moist.” The tongue that remembers Allah is alive, soft, and fresh, while the tongue that forgets Him becomes dry, harsh, and lifeless.
The Qur’an repeatedly stresses the centrality of dhikr. Allah commands:
“O you who believe, remember Allah with much remembrance, and glorify Him morning and evening.” (al-Aḥzāb 33:41–42).
He praises “the men and women who remember Allah abundantly” (33:35), placing them alongside those who pray, fast, and give charity.
The Qur’an also highlights the protective role of remembrance: “And whoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Merciful, We assign to him a devil who becomes his companion.” (az-Zukhruf 43:36). Forgetfulness opens the door to Shayṭān, while dhikr fortifies the heart.
Ibn al-Qayyim, reflecting on dhikr, wrote: “The heart has a need for dhikr that is greater than the body’s need for food and drink. If the heart is deprived of dhikr, it becomes diseased. If the disease intensifies, it dies. For the heart is enlivened only through the remembrance of Allah.”
Al-Ghazālī described dhikr as the key to purification of the soul, for repetition of Allah’s names gradually engraves His greatness upon the heart until it becomes its natural state. Ibn Taymiyyah, who spent much time imprisoned, was once asked how he endured it. He said: “What can my enemies do to me? My garden and paradise are in my heart. If they imprison me, it is seclusion with my Lord. If they kill me, it is martyrdom. If they exile me, it is a journey. My paradise is in my heart, and it accompanies me wherever I go. My heart is in constant remembrance of Allah.”
When the tongue is engaged in dhikr, it is less prone to sin. A moist tongue with Subḥān Allāh has no space left for gossip. A heart engaged in Allah’s remembrance cannot be equally engaged in resentment or envy. Dhikr is not merely uttered words; it is a shield that transforms behavior.
This is why the Prophet ﷺ connected dhikr with salvation in many narrations. He said: “The similitude of the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not is like that of the living and the dead.” (Bukhārī, Muslim).
From the Sunnah, we learn structured adhkār:
- Morning and evening remembrances, which serve as daily protection.
- Adhkār after ṣalāh, such as saying Subḥān Allāh 33 times, al-ḥamdu lillāh 33 times, and Allāhu akbar 34 times.
- Short phrases with immense reward: “Subḥān Allāh wa bi-ḥamdih”, which erases sins even if they are as vast as the foam of the sea.
- Recitation of Qur’an, the highest form of dhikr.
Even small commitments build consistency. A believer can start by setting aside five minutes in the morning and evening, gradually increasing until remembrance becomes second nature.
Notice how the Prophet ﷺ chose dhikr as the counsel for someone who felt burdened. Dhikr lightens the load of worship instead of adding to it. It transforms the sense of heaviness into sweetness. When one remembers Allah often, other acts of worship become easier. The tongue that is moist with remembrance softens the heart, and the softened heart finds joy in prayer, patience in fasting, generosity in giving.
The Companion asked for something to cling to, and the Prophet ﷺ gave him dhikr as a rope — a lifeline. We too live in an age of overwhelm: information overload, endless distractions, countless responsibilities. The laws of Islam can feel heavy if approached without a living connection to Allah. But the tongue that remembers, the heart that beats with His names, and the soul that stays aware of His presence find Islam not a burden but a nourishment.
In the end, this hadith leaves us with a simple, practical, and profound counsel: Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah. Cling to it in moments of weakness, in times of strength, in hardship and in ease. For through dhikr, the believer walks steadily toward Allah, never alone, always accompanied by His presence.
Disclaimer:
Instructor: Sheikh Dr. Sajid Umar | STEPS TO JANNAH S4 | Forty Hadith Imam Nawawi
These are notes sharing from the Steps of Jannah classes online taught by Sheikh Dr Sajid Umar focusing on Hadith 40 an-Nawawi. The classes are still ongoing, every Monday 8pm UK time. If you would like to join, please email stepstojannah12@gmail.com
The notes written are from a student’s personal notes transcribed from the sessions. Should there be any error, May Allah forgive us, and do feedback (ain1810@gmail.com) so that it can get amended, and may it be beneficial to all of us and may Allah reward Jannah to Sh Sajid and his team for the beneficial ‘ilm being shared and to all of the students Steps to Jannah, Ameen.