The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“Two phrases are light on the tongue, heavy on the Scale, and beloved to the Most Merciful:

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ ، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ

Subḥān Allāhi wa biḥamdihi — Glory be to Allah, and His is the praise.

Subḥān Allāhil-ʿAẓīm — Glory be to Allah, the Almighty.”

They are two phrases, just as the Prophet (ﷺ) described them.

Light on the tongue: Saying “Subḥān Allāhi wa biḥamdihi, Subḥān Allāhil-ʿAẓīm” is effortless to utter.

Heavy on the Scale: Although these phrases are easy to say, they are immensely weighty in reward. On the Day of Judgment, when deeds are weighed, these words will be heavy on the scale.

Beloved to the Most Merciful: And this is the greatest reward of all—that Allah, the Exalted, loves them.

When Allah loves a deed, He loves the one who performs it. Thus, these two phrases are among the means of attaining Allah’s love for His servant.

What does “Subḥān Allāhi wa biḥamdihi” mean?

It means that you declare Allah to be free from every imperfection and deficiency, affirming that He is perfect in every way. Exalted and Glorified be He.

And this glorification is accompanied by praise, affirming the perfection of His favors and kindness toward His creation—Exalted and Glorified be He—as well as the perfection of His wisdom, knowledge, and all His other attributes of perfection.

“Subḥān Allāhil-ʿAẓīm” means glorifying Allah, the One who possesses greatness and majesty.

Nothing is greater than Allah in authority, rank, wisdom, or knowledge. He is Great in His Essence and Great in His attributes. Exalted and Glorified be He.

“Subḥān Allāhi wa biḥamdihi, Subḥān Allāhil-ʿAẓīm”

Therefore, O servant of Allah, persist in repeating these two phrases continually. Say them regularly, for they are heavy on the Scale, beloved to the Most Merciful, require no burden, and are light upon the tongue.

Then another hadith was mentioned on the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), in which the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“That I say: Subḥān Allāh [Glory be to Allah], wal-ḥamdu lillāh [All praise is for Allah], wa Lā ilāha illallāh [There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah], wallāhu Akbar [Allah is the Greatest] is dearer to me than everything over which the sun rises.”

Meaning, they are dearer to him than the entire world. These are also simple and light words:

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ، وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَ

“Subḥān Allāh, wal-ḥamdu lillāh, wa Lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu Akbar.”

Nowadays, people travel across vast deserts, perilous wildernesses, and hazardous terrain just to acquire a small portion of worldly wealth—which they may enjoy or may ultimately be deprived of.

Yet, when it comes to these great deeds, a person procrastinates and turns away because Satan makes him lazy, abandons him, and holds him back.

Otherwise, as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, they are dearer to a person than everything over which the sun rises.

Even if we were to assume that you possessed the entire world—everything upon which the sun rises and sets—and then you died, what would you gain from it? You would gain nothing.

But “Subḥān Allāh, wal-ḥamdu lillāh, wa Lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu Akbar” are among the everlasting righteous deeds.

Allah, the Exalted, says:

اَلۡمَالُ وَ الۡبَـنُوۡنَ زِيۡنَةُ الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا ۚ وَالۡبٰقِيٰتُ الصّٰلِحٰتُ خَيۡرٌ عِنۡدَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَّخَيۡرٌ اَمَلًا‏

“Wealth and children are only the adornment of this worldly life. But the everlasting righteous deeds are better with your Lord in reward and better in hope.”
(Qur’an 18:46)

Therefore, we should seize the opportunity to perform these righteous deeds.

As for the subsequent hadith, it states that whoever recites one hundred times in a day:

لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهْوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ‏

Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah. Lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shay’in qadīr.

“There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner. To Him belongs all sovereignty and all praise, and He is over all things Omnipotent.”

He will attain these five virtues:

• It will be as if he had freed ten slaves.
• One hundred good deeds will be recorded for him.
• One hundred sins will be erased from his record.
• It will be a protection for him from Satan.
• No one will come with anything better than what he has brought, except one who has done more than he did.

These are the five virtues that a person receives by saying:

“Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah. Lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shay’in qadīr.”

…one hundred times.

This is easy to do. For example, while waiting for the Fajr prayer after arriving at the mosque, you can recite it on your way or after the break of dawn, thereby attaining its virtues.

— Adapted from Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn (رحمه الله).

May Allah ﷻ aid us, accept our deeds, and grant us the ability to remember Him often.

Aameen!