the two Sahīh collections: “Two phrases are beloved to the Most Merciful, heavy in the scale yet light on the tongue: ‘Glory and praise be to Allah; glory be to Allah, the Magnificent.’”1

Praising Allah is therefore a matter of tremendous importance, and its reward is abundant. It brings recompense and reward known only to Allah. Those who praise Him are the ones most deserving, on the Day of Resurrection, of the loftiest stations, the highest ranks, and the most exalted abodes. Allah—Glorified and Exalted is He—loves expressions of praise and loves His servant to extol Him. He is pleased with His servant when he eats a meal and praises Him for it, and when he takes a drink and praises Him for it. He—Glory be to Him—is the One who bestows the blessing upon them and further favors them by enabling them to praise Him. He freely bestows His blessings upon His servants and asks them to extol Him by recounting those blessings, to mention them, and to praise Him for them. He is pleased to accept this from them as gratitude for those blessings, even though all of it is itself part of His grace toward them. He has no need of their gratitude, but He loves it from His servants because therein lie the servant’s rectitude, success, and perfection. All praise, therefore, belongs to Allah for His blessings, and all thanks belong to Him for His abundant grace and generous gifts—praise that is abundant, wholesome, and blessed, as our Lord loves and is pleased with.