good deeds?” A man among those sitting with him asked, “How can one of us earn one thousand good deeds?” He replied, “He glorifies Allah one hundred times, whereupon one thousand good deeds are recorded for him, or one thousand sins are erased from him.”1

Another virtue reported concerning the glorification of Allah is the Prophet’s statement—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—that it will weigh heavily in the balance on the Day of Resurrection, despite how light and easy the deed is in this world. The two Sahīhs narrate from Abu Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Two phrases are beloved to the Most Merciful, light on the tongue and heavy in the balance: ‘Glory and praise be to Allah; glory be to Allah, the Magnificent.’”2

In the hadith, the Prophet’s words—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“Two phrases” form a fronted predicate, whose subject is “Glory and praise be to Allah; glory be to Allah, the Magnificent.” Some scholars said, “The purpose of placing the predicate first is to heighten the listener’s anticipation of the subject. The longer the description contained in the predicate, the more fitting it is to place it first, for an abundance of beautiful descriptions further heightens the listener’s anticipation.”3 The two phrases are described in the hadith by three sublime and beautiful qualities: they are beloved to the Most Merciful, light on the tongue and heavy in the balance.

The name “the Most Merciful” is specifically mentioned here because the hadith is intended to demonstrate the vastness of Allah’s mercy toward His servants: He rewards a small deed with abundant recompense and an immense reward. How easy it is for the tongue to utter these two phrases, and how immense their reward and recompense are with the All-Generous, the Most Merciful! The two phrases are described in the hadith as both light and heavy: light on the tongue