Samura b. Jundub reported God's messenger as saying, "The most excellent words are four: Glory be to God (Subhan Allah); Praise be to God (Al-Hamdu Lillah); there is no god but God (La ilaha illa-llah); and God is most great (Allahu Akbar)." A version has, "The words dearest to God are four: Glory be to God; Praise be to God; there is no god but God; and God is most great. It does not matter which you say first."¹

Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas said: " Once when we were with God's messenger he asked whether any of us was incapable of acquiring a thousand blessings daily, and when one of those who were sitting with him asked how any of them could acquire a thousand blessings he replied, "If he says 'Glory be to God' (Subhan Allah) a hundred times, a thousand blessings will be recorded for him or a thousand sins will be removed from him."²

'Abdallah b. Amr reported God's messenger saying that "Praise be to God" (Al-Hamdu Lillah) is the beginning of thanksgiving, for the man who does not praise God has not thanked Him."³

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God's messenger saying that Moses asked his Lord to teach him something with which to make mention of Him or to supplicate Him, and was told to say, "There is no god but God " (La ilaha illa-llah). He replied to his Lord that all His servants said this, but he wanted something particularly for himself, and He said, "Moses, were the seven heavens and their inhabitants apart from me and the seven earths put in one side of balance and 'There is no god but God' in the other, 'There is no god but God' would outweigh them."⁴ It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari said: Once when we accompanied God's messenger on a journey and the people began to say aloud, "God is most great"(Allahu Akbar), he said, "Restrain yourselves, people; you are not supplicating one who is deaf or absent, but are supplicating One who hears, sees and is with you. He whom you are supplicating is nearer to each of you than the neck of his riding-beast."⁵

Ibn Mas'ud reported God's messenger as saying he met Abraham on the night he was taken up to heaven, and he said, "Convey my greeting to your people, Muhammad, and tell them that paradise has good soil and sweet water, that it consists of level, treeless plains, and that its plants are 'Glory be to God' (Subhan Allah); 'Praise be to God' (Al-Hamdu Lillah); 'There is no god but God' (La ilaha illa-llah); and 'God is most great' (Allahu Akbar)'."⁶ Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying that is a hasan tradition whose isnad is gharib.

"All praises are due to Him only, of Whose favours nobody is deprived, of Whose blessing nobody is left destitute, and Whose bounties nobody needs despair. One who prays to Him need feel no disgrace or ignominy. His Munificence is everlasting and His Blessings will never end. This world in its nature is destructible and its inhabitants will have to desert it. To vicious minded people the perishable pleasures of this life are pleasing, but in actuality life quickly passes away though one may however love it dearly and madly. My advice to you is to pass through life in such a way as to carry good results with you to the next world; to take from life only such things as would be helpful to you in the next."⁷