aboutthe power of this phrase, " SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi " , which
means, "Glory to Allah and praise Him."
1. Whoever says "SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi" a hundred times during the
day, his sins are wiped away, even if they are like the foam of the
sea. [Sahih al-Bukhari;#7:168, Sahih Muslim;#4:2071]
2. Abu Dharr reported that the Prophet (sws) said, "Shall I tell you
the words that Allah loves the most?"I said: "Yes, tell me, O
Messenger of Allah." He said: "The words dearest to Allah are:
subhanAllah wa bihamdihi.
3. A palm tree is planted for the reciter [of the above] in Paradise.
[at-Tirmidhi; 5:511, al-Hakim]
4. The Prophet Muhammad(sws) said: "Two words (subhanAllah wa
bihamdihi) are light on thetongue, weigh heavily in the balance, and
are loved by the Most Merciful One."
Allah is so forgiving and gives us countless avenuesto earn our
forgiveness. Today, let's have this phrase – subhanAllah wa bihamdihi
– on our tongues, and let's earn ourforgiveness, and have entire
groves of palm treesplanted for us in Jannah, Insha'Allah.
Praise going up, blessings coming down
Of course there are many types of dhikr . Dhikr means praising Allah,
remembering Allah. SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi is a good one, but even
something as simple as saying, "Thank you, Allah" when you finish a
meal is a type of dhikr.
When we have dhikr always on our tongues, wehave this constant
connection with God, even as we go about our daily routines. When
things are going well, or when thingsare hard, we have this lifeline
to Allah, this constant stream of praise going up, and blessings
coming down. Our spirits are lighter, our hearts happier. We are
grateful for everything we have, because we remember that every single
little blessing – good health, thecomfortable beds we sleepin, the
orange juice we hadfor breakfast, even our beating hearts and the
breath in our lungs – comes from Allah.
Dhikr is a guide to excellent character, and a light that keeps us on
the path to Paradise.
We covet what we think about
Here's another important point. I am the editor of IslamicAnswers.com
, which is a common-sense advice website for marriage and family
issues. One type of common question I get is from a young person who
is madly in love with someone who is unavailable. Maybe the
unavailable person is already married, or is not interested, or the
parents do not approve, but it's clear that the match is impossible.
One thing I tell such a young person is, stop thinking about the
object of your desire. When the thoughts come, push themaway.
Absolutely do not spend your time gazing at photographs of him/her,
reading old emails, dwelling on what-ifs, and fantasizing, because
that will only reinforce your obsession, and keep the unavailable
person in yourmind.
What we think about, we come to desire.
With dhikr, we are using this principle for good. By constantly
praising Allah, we keep Him in our minds and hearts. The more we do
so, the more we come to desire His love, His forgiveness, and His
presence. The more we think about Allah, the more we want to please
Him. It becomes a beautiful cycle of remembrance and blessings,
reinforcing each other.
That's why Allah described the believers as,
"Who remember Allaah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their
sides." [3:191]
"…and the men who remember Allaah often and the women who do so – for
them Allaah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward." [33:35]
"O you who have believed, remember Allaah with much remembrance. And
exalt Him morning and afternoon." [33:41-42]
The living and the dead
There is a very powerful hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in which he said,
"The example of the one who remembers his Lord(God) in comparison with
the one who does not remember his Lord isthat of the living and
thedead." [Sahih al-Bukhari; 11:208, Muslim; 1:539]
I could write an entire essay about that one hadith, but I'll just say
thatthe essence of life is our need for Allah. Without Him, our hearts
would not beat, the rain would not fall, there would be no food on our
tables, and no joy in our hearts. When weremember Allah we prove that
we are spiritually alive. We acknowledge ourneed for the One God, and
we acknowledge His favors upon us.
Conversely, if we do not remember Him, it's as if we are spiritually
dead. That's why the famous classical scholar Shaykhul Islam ibn
Taymiyyah said, "The example of dhikr to the heart is that of fish to
water."
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