Begin the Day

Four Phrases That Outweigh Hours of Dhikr

Repetition guidance: 3x

سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ ، عَدَدَ خَلْقِهِ ، وَرِضَا نَفْسِهِ ، وَزِنَةَ عَرْشِهِ ، وَمِدَادَ كَلِمَاتِهِ.

Transliteration

Subḥāna-llāhi wa bi ḥamdih, ʿadada khalqih, wa riḍā nafsih, wa zinata ʿarshih, wa midāda kalimātih.

Translation

Allah is free from imperfection and all praise is due to Him, (in ways) as numerous as all He has created, (as vast) as His pleasure, (as limitless) as the weight of His Throne, and (as endless) as the ink of His words.

Virtue and context

Juwairiyah bint al-Harith (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanha) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left her early in the morning after the dawn prayer while she remained seated in her place of worship, engaged in remembrance. He returned later in the forenoon and found her still sitting in the same place. When he asked whether she had remained there since he left, she replied that she had. The Prophet ﷺ then told her that after leaving, he had recited four expressions three times. He explained that if those words were weighed against everything she had recited since morning, they would outweigh it. The four expressions are the words above: glorifying and praising Allah by the number of His creation, in accordance with His pleasure, by the weight of His Throne, and by the ink of His words.