Forgetting

The words meaning forgetting what is bestowed on the human being are used in more than 40 places in the Quran. These words are derived from the "nisyan" root (Râgıb, "nis­yan" article). Many basic concepts such as existence, evolution, relationship with the Creator, individual and social rights are presented together with the concept of forgetting ("nisyan").

The unmatched master of the Quran language, Râgıb states that forgetting is caused by either inadequacy, negligence or intent. The result is an inadequacy that the human being cannot safeguard what is entrusted and consigned to his or her memory.

We must express that forgetting ("nisyan") in the Quran is a special kind of forgetting. It is rather an intentional forgetting that is not the result of negligence. Divine word considers this as an extension of the human being's neglect. For this reason, the Quran clearly declares that Allah will forget the human being who forgets Allah.

The opposite of forgetting ("nisyan") and the way to save the self from it is "zikir", which means to cite and think in order to keep in mind. The way to not to forget Allah is to cite and think of Allah. The most ideal way of "zikir" is to read the Quran.

Absolute Power is free from all inadequacies such as forgetting.

Another meaning of this is that the partial creature will be entangled in forgetting with respect to its degree of creation. As a matter of fact, one of the characteristics of the human being is to forget. This illness is striking as it is counted among Adam's typical characteristics (20/115).

The forgetfulness ("nisyan") of the human being goes together with ungratefulness and negligence (39/8; 25/18). For this reason, the deviation and outrage of the human being by forgetting to thank for the blessings end up with painful results. This causes Allah to isolate him or her or expose him or her to downgrading treatments (7/165).

Forgetting ("nisyan") makes the human being stumble by breaking the balance. There is no difference between forgetfulness's ("nisyan") being related to the infinite, permanent or to the temporary. Because this balance necessitates the harmony between observable world and the unseen world. To break this harmony is to break the balance.

The most dangerous form of "nisyan" is to forget one's own self. Since the Quran sees a unity between the essence of the human being and Allah, one's forgetting his or her self means forgetting Allah and one's forgetting Allah means forgetting his or her self. The Quran expresses this in its own beautiful wording:

We can say the following based on this perspective of the Quran: the way to love and consider the human being as an ultimate aim creature is to know Allah. The seed of humanism is Allah. An humanism which forgot Allah could not give human beings anything but cold comfort.

One of the appearances of forgetting the self is, while giving advice to others, to do the opposite of this advice. This is mostly encountered among the representatives of religion, especially Jewish clergymen. The Quran insistently points out this unfortunate attitude of the rabbis of the Sons of Israel ("Beniisrail").

The path to forgetting Allah goes through forgetting the remembrance of Allah. The primary force that makes one forget the remembrance of Allah is Satan (6/68; 18/63; 12/42; 58/19).

The Quran calls human beings to not to forget the outer world, especially the mystery of creation. In this regard, not to forget Allah's signs / verses is especially emphasized (20/26).

Human being, as the self, which is nested inside himself or herself, must not forget his or her own creation, the admirable mystery exhibited by the evolutionary stages of creation. If s/he forgets this, s/he cannot see the Absolute Creator's power and deviates to arrogance against the Creator (36/78).

In the end, the Quran suggests the following prayer for the followers of the Last Prophet, both in order to warn them against the disorders which would be caused by forgetting and in order to show that they are protected from forgetting by divine grace:

One other appearance of forgetting Allah is to get disconnected from prayer. For the human being, the disaster greater than the prayers being unanswered by God is to become unable to pray altogether.

Source:

Prof. Yaşar Nuri Öztürk
Main Concepts of the Quran, Istanbul, 2014
26. Press, Vol. 2, "Forgetting" (Tr. "Unutmak" Ar. "Nisyan") concept