The Nearness of Allah and the Power of Remembrance: Exploring Quranic Verse 2:186 and a Related Hadith
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
Al Bakarah 186
وَإِذَا - And when
سَأَلَكَ - they ask you
عِبَادِي - My servants
عَنِّي - about Me,
فَإِنِّي - indeed I
قَرِيبٌ - am near.
أُجِيبُ - I respond
دَعْوَةَ - to the call
الدَّاعِ - of the caller
إِذَا - when
دَعَانِ - he calls Me.
فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا - So let them respond
لِي - to Me
وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا - and believe in Me,
بِي - in Me,
لَعَلَّهُمْ - that they may
يَرْشُدُونَ - be rightly guided.
"يَرْشُدُونَ" is a verb in the present tense, indicating the action is ongoing or habitual. It is in the form of third person plural and its root letters are ر-ش-د which means "to be rightly guided".
"فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا" is a verb in the present tense, indicating the action is ongoing or habitual. It is in the form of third person plural and it is a command or an order.
The verb is in the form of فَعْلَىٰ which is a command form called "amr" in Arabic. The letter ف at the beginning is the prefix for the command form, and the letters علي are the root letters of the verb. The last letter وا is the suffix for the third person plural.
So, "فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا" translates to "So let them respond".
Here is a hadith that explain and emphasize the importance of this verse.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than them; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.'"
يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي، وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَنِي، فَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي نَفْسِهِ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي نَفْسِي، وَإِنْ ذَكَرَنِي فِي مَلأٍ ذَكَرْتُهُ فِي مَلأٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ بِشِبْرٍ تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا، وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ ذِرَاعًا تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ بَاعًا، وَإِنْ أَتَانِي يَمْشِي أَتَيْتُهُ هَرْوَلَةً
يَقُولُ - He says
اللَّهُ - Allah
تَعَالَى - the Most High
أَنَا - I
عِنْدَ - with
ظَنِّ - the thought of
عَبْدِي - My servant
بِي - Me
وَأَنَا - and I
مَعَهُ - with him
إِذَا - when
ذَكَرَنِي - he remembers Me
فَإِنْ - then
ذَكَرَنِي - he remembers Me
فِي - in
نَفْسِهِ - himself
ذَكَرْتُهُ - I remember him
فِي - in
نَفْسِي - Myself
وَإِنْ - and if
ذَكَرَنِي - he remembers Me
فِي - in
مَلأٍ - a gathering
ذَكَرْتُهُ - I remember him
فِي - in
مَلأٍ - a gathering
خَيْرٍ - better
مِنْهُمْ - than them
وَإِنْ - and if
تَقَرَّبَ - he approaches
إِلَىَّ - towards Me
بِشِبْرٍ - a hand span
تَقَرَّبْتُ - I approach
إِلَيْهِ - towards him
ذِرَاعًا - an arm's length
وَإِنْ - and if
تَقَرَّبَ - he approaches
إِلَىَّ - towards Me
ذِرَاعًا - an arm's length
تَقَرَّبْتُ - I approach
إِلَيْهِ - towards him
بَاعًا - two arms' length
وَإِنْ - and if
أَتَانِي - he comes to Me
يَمْشِي - walking
أَتَيْتُهُ - I come to him
هَرْوَلَةً - running