to Abū al-Dardāʾ—may Allah be pleased with him—“A man has emancipated one hundred slaves.” He replied, “One hundred slaves represents a great deal of one man’s wealth. Better than that, however, are faith to which one adheres night and day and keeping one’s tongue ever moist with the remembrance of Allah.”

He thereby made clear the excellence of emancipating slaves, yet despite its immense merit, it does not equal constant and continual remembrance. Many reports to this effect have come down from the early generations—may Allah have mercy on them.

Ibn Masʿūd—may Allah be pleased with him—said, “To say ‘Glory be to Allah’ a number of times is dearer to me than spending the same number of dinars in Allah’s cause.”

ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr and ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿūd—may Allah be pleased with them both—were sitting together when ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿūd said, “To set out along a road saying, ‘Glory be to Allah; all praise is due to Allah; none is worthy of worship but Allah; and Allah is the Greatest,’ is dearer to me than spending the same number of dinars in the cause of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.” ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr then said, “To set out along a road and say those words is dearer to me than providing the same number of horses as mounts in the cause of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.”

Likewise, a number of the Companions and Successors stated that remembrance is superior to giving a corresponding amount of wealth in charity.1

Many reports to this effect have come down from them. They do not imply in the least any disparagement of spending in Allah’s cause, providing horses as mounts in His cause, or emancipating slaves for His sake. Rather, their purpose is to exalt the standing of remembrance and demonstrate its immense worth and lofty rank, and that none of these things equals it. Indeed, all deeds and every act of obedience were prescribed only to establish the remembrance of Allah,