The excellence of remembering Allah

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ

Glorified is Allah and praised is He.

one hundred times a day, will have his sins forgiven even if they are like the foam of the sea.

Reference: Al-Bukhari 7/168, Muslim 4/2071, see also invocation no. 91 of this book.

255. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: Whoever says:

لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ المُلْكُ وَلَهُ الحَمْد، وهُوَ عَلى كُلِّ شَيءٍ قَديرٌ

None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, Who has no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things.

ten times, will have the reward for freeing four slaves from the Children of Isma'il (i.e. the Muslims).

Reference: Al-Bukhari 7/67, Muslim 4/2071, see also invocation no. 93 of this book.

256. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "Two statements are light on the tongue, weigh heavily in the balance, and are loved by the Most Merciful One.  Here are the two statements":

سُبْحانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ  سُبْحَانَ اللهِ العَظِيمِ

Glorified is Allah and praised is He , Glorified is Allah the Most Great.

Reference: Al-Bukhari 7/168, Muslim 4/2072.

257. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: For me to say:

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، والحَمْدُ للهِ،  وَ لاَ إِلَهَ إلاَّ اللهُ واللهُ أَكْبَرُ

Glory is to Allah, and praise is to Allah, and there is none worthy of worship but Allah, and Allah is the Most Great.

is dearer to me than all that the sun rises upon (i.e. the whole world).

Reference: Muslim 4/2072.

258. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "Is anyone of you incapable of earning one thousand Hasanah (rewards) in a day?" Someone from his gathering asked, "How can anyone of us earn a thousand Hasanah':'" He said, "Glorify Allah a hundred times and a thousand Hasanah will be written for you, or a thousand sins will be wiped away."

Reference: Muslim 4/2073.

259. Whoever says:

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ العَظِيمِ وبِحَمْدِهِ

Glorified is Allah the Most Great and praised is He.

will have a date palm planted for him in Paradise.

Reference: At-Tirmithi 5/511, and Al-Hakim who graded it authentic and Ath-Thahabi agreed 1/501. See also Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jami' As-Saghir 5/531 and Sahih At-Tirmithi3/160.

260. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "O Abdullah bin Qais, should I not point you to one of the treasures of Paradise?" I said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." So he told me to say:

لاَ حَوٍلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ باللهِ

There is no power and no might except by Allah.

Reference: Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 11/213, Muslim 4/2076.

261. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: The most beloved words to Allah are four.  They are:

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، / Glorified is Allah

And

الْحَمْدُ للهِ، / The praise is for Allah

And

لاَ إِلَهَ إَلاَّ اللهُ / There is none worthy of worship but Allah

And

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ / Allah is the Most Great

Reference: Muslim 3/1685.

262. A desert Arab came to Allah's Messenger (SAW) and said, "Teach me a word that I can say. " The Prophet told him to say:

لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبيراَ والْحَمْدُ للهِ كَثيراً، سُبْحَانَ اللهِ رَبِّ العَالَمينَ، لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ باللهِ العَزيزِ الْحَكِيمِ

There is none worthy of worship but Allah , Who has no partner, Allah is the Great, the Most Great, and praise is to Allah in abundance, glory is to Allah, Lord of the worlds . There is no power and no might but by Allah the Mighty, the Wise.

He said, "That is for my Lord, but what about me?" The Prophet (SAW) told him to say:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي، وارْحَمْنِي، واهْدِنِي، وارْزُقْنِي

O Allah forgive me, and have mercy on me and guide me, and provide for me.

Reference: Muslim 4/2072, Abu Dawud reports the same Hadith with the addition: and when the Arab left, the Prophet (SAW) said: "He has filled his hands with goodness." 1/220.

263. Whenever anyone accepted Islam, the Prophet (SAW) used to teach him how to pray, then he would instruct him to invoke Allah with the following words:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرِ لِي، وارْحَمْنِي، واهْدِنِي، وعَافِنِي وارْزُقْنِي

O Allah forgive me, and have mercy on me and guide me and give me good health and provide for me.

Reference: Muslim 4/2073, and in one of Muslim's reports there is the addition: 'For these words combine [the goodness of] this world and the next.'

264. The most excellent invocation is:

الْحَمْدُ للهِ / Praise is for Allah.

And

لاَ إِلَه إِلاَّ اللهُ / There is none worthy of worship but Allah.

Reference: At-Tirmithi 5/462, Ibn Majah 2/1249, and Al-Hakim who graded it authentic and Ath-Tbahabi agreed 1/503. See Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jami' As-Saghir 1/362.

265. The most most everlasting deeds is to say:

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، والْحَمْدُ للهِ،لاَ إِلَهَ إَلاَّ اللهُ واللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إلاَّ باللهِ

Glorified is Allah, The praise is for Allah, There is none worth of worship but Allah, Allah is the Most Great and There is no power and no might except by Allah

Reference: Ahmad (no. 513) (Ahmad Shakir, ed.) and its chain of narration is authentic. See Majma'uz-Zawa'id 1/297. Ibn Hajar mentions it in Bulughul-Maram saying that Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim considered it authentic.

Allah the All-Mighty has said:

"فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ". البقرة 152

"Therefore remember Me. I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and never show Me ingratitude" - Al-Baqarah 2:152

And He said:

"يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيراً". الأحزاب 41

"O you who believe, remember Allah with much rememberance." - Al-Ahzab 33:41

And He said:

"وَالذَّاكِرِينَ اللهَ كَثِيرًا وَالذَّاكِرَاتِ أَعَدَّ اللهُ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا". الأحزاب 35

"And the men and women who remember Allah frequently, Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and great reward." - Al-Ahzab 33:35

And He said:

"وَاذْكُرْ رَبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ وَلَا تَكُنْ مِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ". الأعراف 205

"And remember your Lord by your tongue and within yourself, humbly and in awe, without loudness, by words in the morning and in the afternoon, and be not among those who are neglectful." - Al-Araf 7:205

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "He who remembers his Lord and he who does not remember his Lord are like the living and the dead." - Al-Bukhari, cf., Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 11/208; Muslim 1/539 with the wording "The house in which Allah is remembered and the house in which Allah is not remembered is like the living and the dead."

And he said, "Shall I not inform you of the best of your works, the purest of them with your Master (Allah), the loftiest of them in your stations, the thing that is better for you than spending gold and silver (in charity), and better for you than meeting your enemies and slaying them and being slain by them?" They (the Companions) said, "Of course!" He said, "Rememberance of Allah, the Most high." - At-Tirmithi 5/459, Ibn Majah 2/1245. See Al-Albani, Sahih Ibn Majah 2/316 and Sahih At-Tirmithi 3/139.

And he said, "Allah the Most High says, 'I amd with my slave when he thinks of Me and I am with him when he mentions Me. For if he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in a gathering, I mention him in superior gathering. If he approaches Me by a hand's width, I approach him by an arm's length, I approach him by two arms length. And if he comes to me walking, I hasten to him swiftly.'" - Al-ukhari 8/171, Muslim 4/2061; this wording is from Al-Bukhari.

Abdullah bin Busr (raa) said that a man asked the Prophet (pbuh), "O Messenger of Allah! Verily, the sanctions of Islam have become too numerous for me (to perform them all). Inform me of something (simple) that I may adhere to." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Let your tongue always be moist with the rememberance of Allah." - At-0tirmithi 5/458, Ibn Majah 2/1246. See Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmithi 3/139 and Sahih Ibn Majah 2/317.

And he said, "Whoever reads one letter from the Book of Allah, will receive one Hasanah (reward for a good deed), and one Hasanah comes with ten like it. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is a letter. Indeed Alif is a letter, and Lam is a letter, and Mim is a letter." - At-Tirmithi 5/175. See Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmithi 3/9 and Sahihul-Jami' As-Saghir 5/340.

Uqbah bin Amir (raa) said: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came out (from his house) and we were of the porch (As-Suffah). So he said, "Who of you would like to go out in the morning everyday to the valley of Buthan or Al-'Aqeeq and come back with two large she camels without commiting any sin or severing any family ties?" We replied, "O Messenger of Allah! All of us would like this." So he said, "Would one of you not go to the Masjid and learn to recite two Verses from the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic? That would be better than two she camels. And three Verses would be better for him than three she-camels. And four Verses would be better than four she-camels, and whatever their number may be of camels." - Muslim 1/553

And he said, "Whoever sits and does not mention the Name of Allah (before he rises) will find it a cause of sorrowfrom Allah. Whoever lies down to sleep and does npt mention the name of Allah before rising, will find it a cause of sorrow from Allah." - Abu Dawud 4/264. See Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jami' As-Saghir 5/342.

And the Prophet (saw) said: "No people sit in an assembly without mentioning Allah, and without asking Allah for blessings on their Prophet, except that it will be a cause of sorrow upon them. Thus if He (Allah) wishes He will punish them, and if He wishes He will forgive them." - At-Tirmithi. See Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmithi 3/140.

And he said: "No people may rise from an assembly in which they have failed to mention the Name of Allah without it being as if they were getting off a dead donkeys rotting back, and it would be a cause of grief for them." - Abu Dawud 4/264, Ahmad 2/389. See Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jami' 5/176.

Types of goodness and good etiquette for community life

Reference: Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 10/88, Muslim 3/1595.

How the Prophet (SAW) performed Tasbeeh (i.e. glorified Allah)

266. Abdullah bin 'Amr (RA) said: "I saw the Prophet (SAW) counting the glorification of his Lord on his right hand."

Reference: Abu Dawud with a different wording 2/81, and At-Tirmithi 5/521. See also Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jami'As-Saghir 4/271 (no. 4865).

224. The Prophet (SAW) said: "You shall not enter Paradise until you believe, and you have not believed until you love one another. Shall I tell you of something you can do to make you love one another? Spread the greetings of As-salam 'alaykum amongst yourselves (i.e. between each other)

Reference: Muslim 1/74 and others.

225. The Prophet (SAW) said: "There are three things which whoever gathers all of them together, then he has gathered Iman (Faith): justice with oneself, greeting people with greetings of `as-salaam 'alaykum, and freeing oneself from stinginess."

Reference: Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 1/82 as a statement of the Companion 'Ammar (RA).

226. Abdullah bin 'Umar (RA) said: A man asked the Prophet (SAW), "What is the best act of Islam?" He said, "To feed others and to give greetings of as-salam 'alaykum to those whom you know and to those whom you do not know."

Reference: Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 1/55, Muslim 1/65.

248. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "By Allah, I seek the forgiveness of Allah, and repent to Him more than seventy times in a day

Reference: Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 11/101.

249. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "O people, repent to Allah, for I verily repent to Him one hundred times a day

Reference: Muslim 4/2076.

250. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: Whoever says

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الَّذِي لاَ  إِلَهَ إلاَّ هُوَ الحَيُّ القَيّوُمُ وأَتُوبُ إِلَيهِ

I seek the forgiveness of Allah the Mighty, Whom there is none worthy of worship except Him, the Living, the Eternal, and I repent to Him, Allah will forgive him even if he has deserted the army's ranks.

Reference: Abu Dawud 2/85, At-Tirmithi 5/569, and Al-Hakim who declared it authentic and Ath-Thahabi agreed with him 1/511. Al-Albani graded it authentic in Sahih At-Tirmithi 3/182. See also Jami'ul-'Usool li-'Ahdaith Ar-Rasool 4/ 389-90 checked by Al-Arna'ut.

251. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "The closest that the Lord comes to the slave is in the last portion of the night. So, if you are able to be among those who remember Allah in this hour, then be among them."

Reference: At-Tirmithi, An-Nasa'i 1/279 and Al-Hakim. See also Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmithi 3/183, and Jdmi'ul-'Usool with Al-Arna'ut's checking 4/144.

252. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "The closest that the slave comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke Allah much (in prostration)."

Reference: Muslim 1/350.

253. Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "It is a heavy thing for my heart if I do not seek Allah's forgiveness a hundred times a day."

Reference: Muslim 4/2075. Ibn 'Athir explains that the Prophet (SAW) was always vigilant in his remembrance and drawing near to Allah, and if he forgot to do any of what he normally did from time to time, or it slipped his mind, he felt as if he had wronged himself and so he would begin to seek the forgiveness of Allah. See Jami'ul-'Usool 4/386.

Spreading the greetings of As-salaam 'alaykum

224. The Prophet (SAW) said: "You shall not enter Paradise until you believe, and you have not believed until you love one another. Shall I tell you of something you can do to make you love one another? Spread the greetings of As-salam 'alaykum amongst yourselves (i.e. between each other).

Reference: Muslim 1/74 and others.

225. The Prophet (SAW) said: "There are three things which whoever gathers all of them together, then he has gathered Iman (Faith): justice with oneself, greeting people with greetings of `as-salaam 'alaykum, and freeing oneself from stinginess."

Reference: Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 1/82 as a statement of the Companion 'Ammar (RA).

226. Abdullah bin 'Umar (RA) said: A man asked the Prophet (SAW), "What is the best act of Islam?" He said, "To feed others and to give greetings of as-salam 'alaykum to those whom you know and to those whom you do not know." 

Reference: Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 1/55, Muslim 1/65.