Glorifying Allah

How often do we say the statement ‘Subhanna Allah’ off of our tongues? How many times do we hear it throughout the course of the day? Hopefully many times. Have you ever sat and thought about this phrase? Have you ever thought about why people say it so much or even the benefits of this phrase? Well, this is what we wanted to discuss with you today.

There is a Hadeeth of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) that was related by Imam Muslim, which I am sure that many of you have heard numerous times. For others, this may very well be the first time, but none the less this is a very important hadeeth. This is without a doubt a short hadeeth that you want to try to memorize and implement into your lives. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said,

“أحب الكلام إلى الله أربع, سبحان الله, و الحمد لله, و لا إله إلا الله, و الله أكب”

“The most beloved four statements to Allah are Subhanna Allah (Glory be to Allah), and al Hamdulillah (All the praise is for Allah), and La Ilaha Ila Allah (No deity has the right to be worshiped other then Allah) and Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest).”

This Hadeeth shows the great status of this statement ‘Subhanna Allah’.  It affirms the fact that it is from the best of the types of remembrances. This is very important to us as Muslims because we know that staying in the remembrance of Allah is from the best types of worship. The verses of Quran and hadeeth dealing with the topic of Glorifying Allah are far to many to possibly all be mentioned in this article. We find that the situation of Glorifying Allah is mentioned over 80 different times in the Quran. Granted, they many times come using different styles of speech but none the less the subject is mentioned over and over again. We will mention for you just a few.

Sometime we find that Allah commands that He is glorified. This is seen in verses like,

{و سبحوه بكرة و أصيلا}

{And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon [the early morning (Fajr) and ‘Asr prayers].} [33:42]

Sometimes we find that Allah speaks about the fact that is is something that has already been done. We see this in the verse,

{سبح لله ما في السماوت و ما في الأرض}

{Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorified Allah.} [59:1]

As well, at times we find that Allah speaks about the glorification being done presently or in the future, like when He said,

{يسبح لله ما في السماوت و ما في الأرض}

{Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah} [62:1]

We also find that He mentions this term as an infinitive. An example of this is the verse,

{سبحان ربك رب العزة عما يصفون}

{Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! (He is free) from what they attribute unto Him!} [37:180]

So we see that glorifying Allah is something that is very important. It is a topic that many-times we do not take the time to learn about, nor do we take the time out to teach it to our families. We act as though it is something that is of no importance. This is with out a doubt something that has to change. Have you ever noticed that it is so important that Allah opened 8 different chapters in His book with mentioning His Glorification. Go and open your Quran with us for one minute. When you look at the beginning of Surahs (chapter) an Nahl (16), al Isra (17), al Hadeed (57), al Hasr (59), as Saff (61), al Jumu’ah (62), at Tagaabun (64) and A’la (87) you will see that they all begin with the issue of Allah being glorified.

We wanted to bring all of this for the purpose of showing you that this whole issue is not light one. It is not like many seem to perceive it. Many people just use the statement ‘Subhanna Allah” as just another statement that easily rolls off of their tongues. They use it as a statement that is said when they are angry, surprised or even tired. Many of us never even think about what the statement itself really means and why it was stated in the hadeeth mentioned above, as one of the four most beloved statements with Allah.

We see that Allah has made much mention of His glorification in His book. This is because it is not as light as we see it. Hopefully now when we say this statement or even hear it, we will ponder over its virtues. We should remember that it is something that was mentioned in the Speech of Allah numerous times, and that we should try to allow it to roll off of our tongues frequently. We should try to constantly be glorifying Allah as this was the way of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم). Also because we know the place of this statement with Allah, being as though it is one of the most beloved statements to Him.

May Allah forgive us all for our sins, and make us of those whose tongues stay wet with His remembrance and glorification… Allahuma ameen.