2 — Another of their virtues is that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stated that they are dearer to him than everything upon which the sun rises—that is, the world and all it contains. Muslim narrated in his Sahih from Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “To say, ‘Glory be to Allah; all praise belongs to Allah; there is no deity but Allah; and Allah is the Greatest,’ is dearer to me than everything upon which the sun rises.”1

3 — Another of their virtues is the report established in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad and al-Bayhaqī’s Shu'ab al-Īmān, with a good chain of transmission from Āsim ibn Bahdala, from Abu Sālih, from Umm Hāni' bint Abu Tālib, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by me, and I said, “I have grown old and weak”—or words to that effect—“so instruct me to perform a deed that I can do while seated.” He said: “Declare Allah’s glory one hundred times, for that will be equivalent for you to freeing one hundred slaves from among the descendants of Ishmael. Praise Allah one hundred times, and that will be equivalent for you to providing one hundred saddled and bridled horses as mounts in the path of Allah. Proclaim Allah’s greatness one hundred times, and that will be equivalent for you to one hundred garlanded sacrificial animals accepted by Allah. Declare Allah’s oneness one hundred times”—Ibn Khalaf, the narrator from Āsim, said, “I believe he said”—“and it will fill everything between heaven and earth. No one’s deed will be raised that day unless he brings the like of what you have brought.”2 Al-Mundhirī said: “Ahmad narrated it with a good chain of transmission.”3 The eminent scholar al-Albānī, may Allah preserve him, likewise graded its chain of transmission as good.4

Reflect upon this immense reward resulting from these phrases, for whoever