pray behind the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). One day, when he raised his head from bowing, he said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him.” A man behind him said, “Our Lord, to You belongs all praise—abundant, good, and blessed praise.” When he had finished, he asked, “Who spoke?” The man replied, “I did.” He said, “I saw thirty-odd angels racing to it, each striving to be the first to write it down.”1

His words, “abundant, good, and blessed praise,” mean: “I praise Him with praise.” The word hamdan (praise) is a cognate accusative emphasizing the verb that governs it. The words “abundant, good, and blessed” describe this praise; that is: “I praise You with praise characterized by abundance, goodness, and blessing.”

The Prophet’s words (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), “Who spoke?” mean: Who uttered the words, “Our Lord, to You belongs all praise—abundant, good, and blessed praise”?

His words, “I indeed saw thirty-odd angels racing to it”: the element rendered “odd” denotes an indeterminate portion of a number. It is said to range from three to nine, and it is also said to range from one to ten. “Racing to it” means hastening to be first; that is, they were competing to record it in the records of good deeds.

One benefit of this hadith is that the worshipper following the imam should promptly say, “Our Lord, to You belongs all praise,” immediately after the imam says, “Allah hears whoever praises Him.” This is understood from the particle fa (then) in the words, “Then a man behind him said,” for fa indicates immediate sequence.

Other benefits of the hadith include the great number of recording angels, the angels’ love for goodness and those devoted to it, and their racing and competing with one another in it.

The hadith also establishes a distinction unique to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): he saw these angels—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—whereas the Companions around him did not see them.