and He grants them what they ask, as Allah has stated in several places in the Quran. Asking for provision, well-being, and similar things is among the prescribed supplications offered by believers and disbelievers alike. This is unlike praise, such as the words:

“Glory and praise be to You, O Allah. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god but You.”

And:

“All greetings, prayers, and good things belong to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.”

Only a believer offers praise in these terms. The same applies to the words:

“O Allah, our Lord, to You belongs all praise, filling the heavens, filling the earth, filling all that lies between them, and filling whatever else You will.”

Nevertheless, disbelievers may acknowledge some forms of praise, such as acknowledging that Allah is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, that He answers the distressed when they call upon Him, and similar things.

Yet the polytheists had no prescribed form of praise with which to praise Allah. Even in their talbiyah they would say: “Here I am at Your service. You have no partner—except a partner who belongs to You: You own him and whatever he owns.” Likewise, the Christians’ praise includes associating partners with Allah. As for the Jews, their worship contains no praise except whatever has been transmitted from the prophets, which belongs to the praise offered by the people of faith. The same applies to the Christians, if they possess anything of that kind. Whatever Allah has prescribed of praise for Himself, however, entails faith.

There is abundant evidence that praise, as a category, is superior to supplication. One example is the Prophet’s instruction that whoever hears the muezzin should repeat what he says, then invoke blessings upon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then ask that he be granted al-wasīlah, and only afterward make requests for himself. He thus gave praise precedence over